Moscow: Russia has detained the Deputy Defence Minister, Timur Ivanov, on accusations of organised corruption. This is the most high-profile lawsuit since the beginning of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
According to an announcement from Russia’s Investigative Committee, the military official was charged for allegedly receiving bribes ‘on a particularly large scale.’ Ivanov, the 48-year-old deputy defence minister, was detained for two months following a detention order. He is accused of participating in a criminal intrigue connected to the administration of agreements that benefited him personally, leading to a luxurious lifestyle.
Ivanov supervised army structure and restoration and was charged with accepting bribes. If condemned, he would encounter a maximum sentence of 15 years in the penitentiary. Additionally, a person called Sergei Borodin was also taken into custody on apprehension of collaboration in obtaining bribes from Ivanov.
The Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu were notified about Ivanov, who earlier attended a conference of top defence officials chaired by Shoigu.
In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which is run by partners of the late Russian opponent chief Alexey Navalny, released the outcomes of a probe that uncovered Ivanov and his family kept pivoting millions of dollars to purchase properties and yachts. After the report of Ivanov’s detention was made public, Maria Pevchikh, the chairwoman of the foundation, noted in a post on X that, “Today is a good day.”
The military official was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Russia. The FSB force was conducted by Putin last month to crack down on criminality in state defence organisations. There is a possibility that the investigation will extend to more than one province as part of the lawsuit.
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