Russian military investigator becomes deputy "governor" of Sevastopol

During a meeting of the occupation government of Sevastopol on February 20, it became known about a new appointment in the city's leadership. The so-called "governor Mikhail Razvozhayev has appointed Russian Lieutenant General of Justice Sergei Arefiev as his deputy. Prior to this appointment, starting in 2021, Arefiev headed the military investigation department of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Black Sea Fleet.

This was reported by Holos Kryma.

Razvozhayev directly linked this appointment to the need to ''intensify cooperation'' with the Russian Defense Ministry and the Navy in the face of the constantly deteriorating security situation in the city. Aryefyev's biography emphasizes his role as a repressive tool of the Kremlin: he participated in the suppression of the struggle of the peoples of the Caucasus for independence and held senior positions in the military investigative bodies of the Southern Military District.

This appointment comes amid a high-profile criminal scandal surrounding Razvozhayev. The previous head of the case management department, Yuri Klepche, is currently under house arrest. He is suspected of embezzling budget funds when purchasing bulletproof vests for the Russian military, as well as fraudulent contracts for the installation of alarm systems and lease of buildings.

In addition, Klepče was involved in dubious schemes for the use of funds through the state-owned company Sevastopolbudproekt. Thus, the emergence of a career military investigator in the deputy's chair may be an attempt by the Kremlin to clean up Razvozhayev's corrupt vertical or to strengthen the security forces' direct supervision over the civilian administration of the peninsula.

Катерина Глушко