MOSCOW, November 26 - RAPSI. The defense of Yevgenia Vasilyeva, the former head of the Defense Ministry's Property Relations Department, has submitted an appeal against her house arrest, Vasilyeva's attorney Olga Kozyreva told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com).

She said that the defense does not agree with the punitive measure which the Khamovnichesky District Court chose, granting the investigators' motion.

The court's press secretary said Vasilyeva will now be under house arrest for the next two months and she has been prohibited from talking with anybody, except for lawyers, and from using the Internet.

Vasilyeva filed a motion for release on a 15 million ruble ($481,800) bail, but the court dismissed the request.

Kozyreva said that Vasilyeva voluntarily came to investigators on Friday to testify as a witness, but an investigator brought charges against her. "Her status was suddenly changed and investigators did not warn us they were going to be bringing charges against her," Kozyreva said.

Vasilyeva has been accused of large-scale fraud as part of the fraud case on the sale of property, land and shares belonging to Oboronservis holding subsidiaries. She faces up to six years in prison.

According to investigators, Vasilyeva and several other individuals were involved in the embezzlement of assets worth 360 million rubles ($11.56) which belonged to Oboronservis.

Oboronservis comprises service companies involved in armaments and military vehicle repair and maintenance, construction materials and food production, power facilities operation, cartography and printing goods production, as well as housing services for military towns.