Personnel chief of Russia's Defense Ministry detained on criminal charges

MOSCOW -- Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov, the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense, has been detained on criminal charges, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Tuesday.

Searches were conducted at Kuznetsov's workplace and residence, the report said without disclosing further details of the criminal case.

From 2010 to 2023, Kuznetsov served as the head of the 8th Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, which is in charge of protecting state secrets within the Ministry of Defense.

According to the Ministry of Defense, Kuznetsov was appointed to his current position in May 2023.