The head of Russia’s military park and a top Defense Ministry official are arrested for fraud

MOSCOW (AP) — The director of a park showcasing Russia’s military might was arrested on fraud charges, along with a top Defense Ministry official, part of a sweeping investigation into abuse of office in the top echelons of the military leadership. Investigative officials say Vyacheslav Akhmedov, head of the Patriot Park — sometimes referred to as Russia’s “military Disneyland” — and Maj. Gen Vladimir Shesterov, deputy of the Defense Ministry’s innovations department, were detained. That follows a series of arrests of senior military officials who were part of an inner circle of Sergei Shoigu, whom President Vladimir Putin dismissed as defense minister in May. The park, designed to inspire patriotism in Russian youth, was a pet project of Shoigu’s.