Polish TVP reports:
Mertvishchov conducted an inspection at a military police station in Moscow. The colonel admitted in a telephone conversation with the station’s management that “the matters related to the recruitment of conscripts were going badly there”, and the result of the inspection could “not only adversely affect the image of the station but also the career of its commander”.
The washing machine, worth 72,000 rubles, was supposed to be a “payment” for Mertvishchov’s positive assessment of the visited institution. The station’s management reported these demands to law enforcement authorities. The officer was arrested when he arrived at the agreed location to pick up the washing machine, according to the opposition TV portal.
Initially, Mertvishchov faced two years in prison. However, the charge was changed to “attempted fraud”, which resulted in the military officer being sentenced only to a fine of 400,000 rubles and a temporary ban on holding public office. The colonel was also required to volunteer for the war in Ukraine.
I've highlighted "according to the opposition TV portal" because it seem that this is news not from official Russian sources; the TV channel in question is Current Time TV, broadcasting from Prague. So, is this story true, basically: was a Russian colonel "required to volunteer for the war in Ukraine" because he asked for a washing machine as a bribe?
Мертвищев
literally means 'Deadman(-off)', and demanding the gift with valuable goods instead of the money is a clear reference to Gogol's "Dead Souls" (see the pun?) where the corrupt officer claims that he is not corrupt as he demands greyhound puppies (a subject to collect at the time) given to him as bribe instead of the money. It is not uncommon for KGB to cook carefully crafted hoaxes with remarkable details (name) to track the routes by which rumors spread.