Retired Rear Admiral Nikolai Kovalenko was found guilty of embezzling 592 million rubles allocated by the Ministry of Defense for the repair of components for anti-aircraft missile systems. According to investigators, instead of carrying out proper repairs, the companies involved supplied essentially unusable parts that had originally been purchased for far smaller amounts. The court sentenced Kovalenko to 4.5 years in prison and imposed a fine, yet immediately exempted him from serving the sentence due to health reasons. Several former officers and defense industry executives were also convicted in the case.

This story is not merely another corruption scandal. It reflects the very nature of the system built under Vladimir Putin. During his years in power, corruption ceased to be an exception and became one of the foundations of governance. Under Putin, a model emerged in which loyalty matters more than law, and belonging to the system outweighs the interests of the country, the army, and ordinary citizens.

While ordinary people receive years in prison for comments, reposts, or words spoken in private conversations, high-ranking officials are effectively forgiven for stealing from the military even during wartime. Millions stolen from the defense budget during an active war are not just a financial crime — they are a direct blow to the army, to soldiers, and to the country’s security. Yet the system treats such people far more leniently than those who criticize the authorities.

This is precisely why the Russian military machine increasingly appears weakened from within. Corruption, mutual protection, and impunity undermine it far more effectively than any external enemy. A state cannot wage war efficiently when, for decades, it has rewarded personal loyalty and participation in corrupt networks instead of professionalism and responsibility.

Paradoxically, this same corruption now plays the opposite role. The system created by Putin is steadily eroding its own ability to sustain a long war. And, fortunately, the internal decay of Russia’s political and military structure is increasingly reducing its capacity to continue large-scale aggression.

Source: Telegram channel “Don’t Expect Good News” — https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/5318