The court also fined Kuznetsov 25 million 349 thousand rubles, stripped him of his rank of lieutenant general in the reserve and of state awards. A residential house and a plot of land in the Krasnodar region were confiscated to the state; his property will remain under arrest until the fine is paid.
The Moscow Times, citing Vedomosti, reported a different fine figure — 125.35 million rubles — and said Kuznetsov was banned from holding leadership positions for six years after his release.
The second defendant in the case, businessman Leva Martirosyan, was found guilty of giving a bribe. He received 10 years and eight months in a strict-regime colony and a fine of 62.6 million rubles. Both defendants pleaded not guilty, and the defense plans to appeal the verdict.
According to investigators, the case concerns the period from 2020 to 2022, when Kuznetsov headed the 8th Directorate of the General Staff and oversaw, among other things, the Krasnodar Higher Military School. Investigators believe the bribe from Martirosyan for the conclusion of state contracts to house students in a hotel — totaling 372 million rubles — took the form of property worth more than 80 million rubles registered in the name of the general's wife.
The Moscow Times specified that Martirosyan registered a plot of land in Krasnodar in the name of Kuznetsov's wife and built a residential house with an area of 1,125 sq. m on it. The defense insisted that the general's wife paid for the materials and construction herself, and that Martirosyan's income from the state contracts, by their account, would not have covered even half of the expenses.
Kuznetsov was detained and sent to a pretrial detention center in May 2024. In October 2025, the Khamovnichesky District Court of Moscow granted an anti-corruption claim by the Prosecutor General's Office and turned over to the state property belonging to Kuznetsov and his close relatives worth more than 500 million rubles.
According to The Moscow Times, the value of the general's assets was more than five times the official income of his family. According to declarations, from 2010 to 2023 Kuznetsov and his wife earned 88 million rubles. During searches, investigators found a collection of 160 coins, 94 pieces of jewelry, 14 wristwatches and 120 million rubles in cash. The defense claimed that some of the valuables were received as gifts or by inheritance.
Shortly before the court's ruling on the Prosecutor General's Office claim, Kuznetsov wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling himself a conscientious and honest man who received all his income legally through the Center for Special Programs of the Defense Ministry.
Sources differ: Mediazona, Ekho and The Moscow Times reported a fine of 25.349 million rubles, 125.35 million rubles and no data on additional penalties, respectively. The prosecution had sought 14.5 years in a colony and a fine of more than 480 million rubles for Kuznetsov.