Russia detains deputy defence minister on bribery allegations
- Timur Ivanov, an ally of Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, is suspected of major bribe taking
- Ivanov was in charge of property management, construction and mortgages at the defence ministry
Russian security services detained one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s deputies on suspicion of taking major bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was detained on Tuesday, according to a brief 22-word statement by Russia’s investigative committee. The statute that the investigators cited for his detention is for accepting bribes “on a particularly large scale”.
He faces 15 years in jail if convicted. Ivanov denies the charges, his lawyer told the state-run TASS news agency. Several independent Russian media outlets have alleged that Ivanov and his family acquired vast wealth through kick-backs on contracts he agreed at the ministry.
The sudden arrest of an ally of Shoigu, who Putin tasked with fighting the war in Ukraine, triggered speculation about a battle within the elite and of a public crackdown on the corruption which has plagued Russia’s post-Soviet armed forces.
The Kremlin said Putin had been informed, and added that Shoigu had also been told. Ivanov was present earlier on Tuesday at a meeting of top defence officials chaired by Shoigu.