MOSCOW (AP) — Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov was sentenced to 19 years in prison for corruption by a military court in Moscow, Russian state media said Friday.
The case against Popov, who was arrested in 2024, relates to business activities at a sprawling park in Moscow sometimes called Russia’s “military Disneyland.”
Patriot Park, a project of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, is designed to inspire national pride in younger generations and showcases Soviet and Russian weaponry. It has a firing range, air base, museums and conference center and a massive, khaki-colored Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces featuring mosaics of Soviet and Russian soldiers.
President Vladimir Putin personally donated money to commission the main icon for the church, according to the Kremlin.
Popov was responsible for developing and maintaining Patriot Park and was found by investigators to have diverted funds towards the renovation of his own properties in the Moscow region, embezzling over 25 million rubles ($324,000) from its budget, according to state news agency Ria Novosti.
He pleaded not guilty and his lawyer said he would appeal the verdict, according to state news agency TASS. He was also fined 85 million rubles ($1.1 million).
Popov was accused of fraud alongside the director of the park and Maj. Gen Vladimir Shesterov, deputy of the Defense Ministry’s innovations department. Both were sentenced to prison, for six and five years, respectively.
At least a dozen officials, all tied to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, have been caught up in a sweeping investigation into abuse of office in Russia’s military leadership.
Popov was a deputy defense minister from 2013 until June 2024, when he was dismissed by presidential decree.
FILE - Former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov sits in a Military court prior to a session in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Popov was detained on fraud charges Thursday, Russian state news agencies said in the latest high-profile arrest of a senior military official in Russia. (AP Photo, File)
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Voters in the small Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti cast ballots to elect their president on Friday, with longtime leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh expected to secure a sixth term in office after lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits last year.
Guelleh, 78, has ruled the country of about 1 million for more than two decades. The results of the 2021 election showed him winning nearly 99% of the vote.
He faces a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former ruling party member, in a race analysts say offers little genuine competition. Opposition groups frequently boycott elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms.
Guelleh succeeded his uncle, former President Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999, extending a family-led system that has shaped the country’s politics for decades.
Regional observers from the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development monitored the vote.
Election results are expected to be announced within one or two days.
“The scrapping of term limits in Djibouti is less about electoral competition and more about preserving regime continuity in a highly strategic state," Mohamed Husein Gaas of the Raad Peace Research Institute told The Associated Press.
"While it raises concerns about democratic backsliding, external actors are likely to prioritize stability given Djibouti’s critical role in Red Sea security and global trade routes, especially amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East,” he said.
Djibouti hosts multiple foreign military bases, including those of the U.S., China, France and Japan, underscoring its strategic importance along a key global shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Revenues from these arrangements, along with port services for neighboring Ethiopia, underpin the economy.
But that model leaves Djibouti exposed to external shocks. It depends heavily on Ethiopia’s use of its ports, while global disruptions — including Red Sea shipping insecurity — pose risks to revenue.
Djibouti's incumbent President Ismail Omar Guelleh casts his vote at the City Hall polling station during the presidential election in Mouloud, Djibouti, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Guirreh Moumin)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during early voting in the presidential elections, in Mouloud, Djibouti, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Guirreh Moumin)
People line up to vote at a polling station during the 2026 Djibouti presidential election, in Mouloud, Djibouti, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Guirreh Moumin)
Women cast their votes at a polling station during the Djibouti presidential elections in Mouloud, Djibouti, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Guirreh Moumin)
People line up to vote at a polling station during the 2026 Djibouti presidential election, in Mouloud, Djibouti, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Guirreh Moumin)
A man casts his vote at a polling station during early voting in the presidential elections at Mouloud, in Djibouti, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Guirreh Moumin)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during early voting in the presidential elections at Mouloud, in Djibouti, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Guirreh Moumin)
