Russia jails former Kursk governor in Ukraine incursion-linked graft probe

Alexei Smirnov found guilty of taking bribes from firms contracted to build fortifications along Ukraine border.A Russian court has jailed the former governor of Kursk in a high-profile corruption case linked to Ukraine’s incursion into the border region.Alexei Smirnov was sentenced on Monday to 14 years in a penal colony after being found guilty of failing to ensure strong fortifications along the border due to corruption.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4At least 15 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as Zelenskyy meets Erdoganlist 2 of 4Ukraine hits port in Russia’s Primorsk, oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorodlist 3 of 4‘Smell’ of war comes to St Petersburg as Ukraine hammers Russian refinerieslist 4 of 4Ukraine strikes Russian Black Sea energy hub Novorossiyskend of listUkrainian troops captured large swathes of land in a surprise offensive launched in August 2024, encountering little resistance, due in part to substandard Russian defences.The Kremlin then launched a crackdown targeting top regional and military officials over the failure to stop the incursion, which came two and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The former governor of Russia’s Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, stands inside a defendant’s cage during a hearing in Kursk on April 2, 2026 [Handout/Lininsky District Court of the city of Kursk/AFP]According to the verdict, the 52-year-old Smirnov – who pleaded guilty – had accepted bribes from construction firms contracted to build defensive fortifications.Media reports revealed that anti-tank barriers had been built using cheap materials that could not withstand Ukrainian military equipment.The court also imposed a fine of 400 million roubles ($4.9m) and a 10-year work ban.The court ruling said more than 20 million roubles ($220,000) were confiscated from Smirnov’s assets.Smirnov had become governor of Kursk in May 2024. In December of the same year, he resigned from office and was later remanded in custody.