Russia Arrests Former Governor of Kursk Region

The Russian authorities detained a former governor of the Kursk region and accused him on Wednesday of embezzling millions meant to build defenses for the region, which was invaded last year by Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have occupied part of the Kursk region since August, when they launched a brazen attack that seemed designed to boost morale and divert Russian forces from their assaults in eastern Ukraine.

The incursion into Kursk — the first invasion of Russian territory since World War II — stunned and angered many Russians, raising questions about how the authorities could be caught so flat-footed in responding during wartime.

The former governor, Aleksei B. Smirnov, was the acting head of the region at the time. Investigators accused him, as well as his former deputy and several others, of embezzling more than $12 million earmarked for building defenses on the border with Ukraine.

The detention highlighted pervasive corruption among high-ranking Russian officials even during a war that is often described by the authorities and state-run news media as an existential battle against Ukraine and its Western supporters.

Russian security agents detained a senior general last May, accusing him of “large-scale” bribery, and a deputy defense minister known for his extravagant lifestyle was charged with the same crime a month earlier. (Ukraine has also leveled accusations of corruption against high-profile targets, including a defense company and a former politician.)

The former governor’s detention also highlighted the government’s effort to publicly respond to internal criticism about the incursion, which embarrassed the Kremlin — especially as the months of Ukrainian occupation went on.

The fighting in Kursk has grown into some of the most intense of the war in recent months, with North Korean troops joining the Russian push to dislodge the Ukrainian forces. In March, after more than six months, Russian forces managed to drive the Ukrainians from most of the area they had occupied.

At the time of the Ukrainian invasion, Russian military bloggers and other commentators had wondered how Kyiv’s forces could penetrate the Russian defenses so quickly.

According to Ria Novosti, a Russian state news agency, Moscow had sent the regional authorities in Kursk more than $230 million to build defenses on the border with Ukraine before the attack.

Mr. Smirnov was abruptly dismissed from his post as governor in December. But up until then, he had been firmly integrated into the Russian political elite. He was appointed acting governor of the Kursk region in May 2024, after the former one was promoted to a ministerial job in Moscow.

In June, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia endorsed Mr. Smirnov’s campaign to run for governor, calling him an “experienced person.” In September, Mr. Smirnov was elected governor, receiving more than 65 percent of votes in a race where he had no serious rivals.