Timur Ivanov, a Russian Deputy Minister of Defence, is charged with Accepting Bribes

A Moscow court remanded a deputy minister of defence in jail after charging him with accepting bribes.

Timur Ivanov is charged with collecting bribes “on a particularly large scale”; he disputes the allegations.

Mr. Ivanov, 47, was appointed to the ministry of defence in 2016 and has been in charge of Russia’s military infrastructure initiatives.

For a long time, activists have been critical of Russia’s purported levels of corruption.

But since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there haven’t been many high-profile incidents like this one.

Having worked with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu for many years, Mr. Ivanov is seen as an ally. Before, Mr Shoigu held the position of deputy prime minister for the Moscow region, where he had briefly held the governorship.

The Russian media has reported that Mr. Ivanov was arrested on suspicion of treason, but the Kremlin has denied these accusations.

“There are currently numerous interpretations pertaining to all of this… Reporters should concentrate on official facts, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov advised.

He added that President Vladimir Putin had been informed beforehand of Mr. Ivanov’s imprisonment.

In 2022, Mr. Ivanov was charged of taking part in “corruption schemes during construction in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia” by the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), an organisation started by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

It specifically claimed that he had made money from building projects in Mariupol, a port city in Ukraine, most of which was devastated by Russian bombardment in the months that followed Russia’s invasion of the country.

He was placed on remand in custody for two months by the Moscow Basmanny District Court on allegations that, while serving as the Defence Ministry’s facility supervisor, he engaged in a criminal conspiracy with outside parties.

He could spend up to 15 years in prison if proven guilty. Similar allegations were brought against a second guy, Sergei Borodin, who was referred to be Mr. Ivanov’s buddy, in a Moscow court.

The Russian Investigative Committee brought accusations against Mr. Ivanov, which he refuted. Part 6 of article 290 of the Russian penal code, which is the portion under which Mr. Ivanov was held, is applicable when a suspected bribe surpasses one million roubles (£8,620; $10,700).

A uncommon action against a member of Russia’s ruling class, many of whom are thought to have abused their positions to build enormous personal fortunes, is Mr. Ivanov’s detention.

The arrest, according to some Russian pundits, will be a setback for Mr. Shoigu. “He will be the next to collapse if he is unable to handle it. This guy is all his man, an unnamed source claimed on a well-known military Telegram group.

The European Union, which regards Mr. Ivanov as “tenth in the overall hierarchy of the Russian military leadership,” has place

d him under asset freeze and travel ban, while the US and UK have sanctioned him.

About The Author