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Former Kursk Governor Smirnov Confesses to Bribe-Taking in Defense Graft Case

AnyFans 2025-09-20

By Leo Chiu

Alexei Smirnov, Russia’s former Kursk region governor accused of taking bribes in building border fortification, admitted to the charge on Monday.

In addition, he also admitted receiving kickbacks from construction sites in the occupied Donetsk region.

The subpar “dragon teeth” barrier built under Smirnov paved the way for Kyiv’s successful incursion into the Kursk region in August 2024.

Russia state media TASS, citing its own law enforcement sources, said Smirnov admitted taking about 30 million rubles ($362,322 as of Sept. 16, 2025) for the graft scheme.

“As part of a plea bargain, Smirnov said that in total, for the period from September 2022 to August 2024, he received about 30 million rubles in the form of so-called kickbacks from construction sites in the Mangush District, as well as from transactions related to the construction of fortifications in the Kursk Region,” the source told TASS.

Smirnov’s former deputy Alexei Dedov also admitted that he took part in the scheme.

Smirnov was arrested in April 2025 over the alleged embezzlement of more than a billion rubles (about $11 million) meant for building defenses on the border with Ukraine.

The alleged fraud involved the Kursk Region Development Corporation, which served as a general contractor for the project.

Investigators say subpar materials were used to build concrete “dragon’s teeth,” barriers intended to stop tanks, as well as overpayment of contracts and unfinished construction.

As a result, the obstacles failed to work correctly during Kyiv’s 2024 Kursk incursion.

TASS said Smirnov and Dedov’s arrests have been extended until December by court order, where the publication said the two are “actively cooperating with the investigation, helping to solve all episodes of criminal activity, and also exposing other defendants in the incriminated crimes.”

Smirnov served as acting governor after the departure of Roman Starovoit in May 2024. He was officially elected governor in September with over 65% of the vote, but resigned in December, just 88 days later.

Smirnov’s predecessor Starovoit, who became Russia’s transport minister after his stint as Kursk’s governor, committed suicide in July, hours after he was sacked from the post following a series of gas tanker explosions at the time.