Putin's huge purge gathers pace with arrest of another top Russian official

 

Putin’s Purge Escalates: Russian Elites Face Arrests, Mysterious Deaths, and Brutal Crackdowns

July has proven to be a turbulent and alarming month for members of Russia’s political elite. President Vladimir Putin’s apparent crackdown on top officials and oligarchs appears to be accelerating, marked by a wave of arrests, alleged suicides, and asset seizures.

The latest to be swept up in this purge is Maxim Egorov, the former governor of Russia's Tambov region, who was arrested on Thursday on serious corruption charges. Prosecutors have accused him of accepting a bribe “on an especially large scale,” and he now faces investigation under Article 290 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Authorities conducted searches at multiple properties linked to Egorov in Moscow and Tambov, and he is being transferred to the capital for further questioning. Not long ago, Egorov was seen as rising in the ranks of Putin’s ruling party, United Russia—with reports indicating he was being groomed for a prominent role at the federal level.

His sudden fall from grace sends a chilling signal to other elites. Egorov’s arrest comes amid a broader trend of unusual and unsettling developments. In recent weeks:

Andrey Badalov, Vice President of Transneft, Russia’s state-owned pipeline giant, died after falling from a balcony in what authorities labeled a suicide.

Roman Starovoit, the former Transport Minister, was also found dead—reportedly having taken his own life in his car shortly after his dismissal.

Multiple other figures have been arrested, and several powerful business empires have been nationalized by the Kremlin.

Analysts and Kremlin insiders believe this surge in crackdowns is driven by a mix of paranoia, control, and financial desperation. Long known for tolerating corruption, Putin is now allegedly targeting individuals he sees as having enriched themselves excessively or shown disloyalty—especially as the cost of war in Ukraine mounts.

While the Russian government maintains that these moves are part of a legitimate anti-corruption campaign, critics suggest it’s part of a broader consolidation of power and a means to secure wartime funding.

These developments underscore how volatile and dangerous the political landscape in Russia has become for its own elite class.