A Russian court on Monday sentenced former Kursk governor Alexei Smirnov to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of defrauding the state in a corruption case linked to the construction of border defense fortifications.
Smirnov served as governor from May to December 2024. He was arrested in April 2025 alongside his former deputy, Alexei Dedov, on charges of embezzling funds allocated for fortifications along Russia’s border with Ukraine.
During court proceedings, Smirnov testified against his late predecessor, Roman Starovoit, who had served as Russia’s transport minister and supposedly committed suicide hours after his dismissal. The dismissal was later tied to the same corruption investigation.
According to The Moscow Times, Smirnov admitted to receiving 20.95 million rubles ($261,500) in kickbacks from contractors involved in the construction projects. The court ordered the confiscation of that amount and imposed a fine of 400 million rubles ($5 million).
Smirnov was also stripped of a state award and banned from holding public office for 10 years after prosecutors had requested a 15-year prison sentence.
The case is part of Russia’s broader investigation into the misuse of funds intended for border defenses in the Kursk region. The probe intensified after Ukrainian forces broke through the border in an operation in August 2024, with Kyiv holding parts of Russian territory until mid-2025.
Earlier reports said the alleged fraud involved the Kursk Region Development Corporation, where 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.
Smirnov will serve his sentence in a maximum-security prison.