A senior Russian defense official has been detained in a corruption investigation, with prosecutors accusing him of diverting military funds to support his extravagant lifestyle.
Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested by security services and appeared in a Moscow court on Wednesday morning. He is the highest-ranking official to be jailed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
Investigators claim that the 48-year-old Ivanov was involved in a “criminal conspiracy,” accepting significant kickbacks while overseeing military construction projects. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
A Russian law enforcement official informed state news agency TASS that Ivanov is suspected of taking bribes, with the case built on eyewitness testimony and the results of operational activities.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, who has been criticized for his management of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was warned in advance of his deputy’s impending arrest. Ivanov had reportedly attended meetings with Shoigu and other military officials the day before his detention.
Local news reports suggest Ivanov, who allegedly oversaw construction in the devastated, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, had accumulated a lavish real estate portfolio.
A 2022 investigation by allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison in February, alleged that Ivanov had channeled millions of dollars to his wife, who spent the money on luxury yachts, jewelry, and shopping in Paris.
Following Ivanov’s arrest, Maria Pevchikh, chair of the Anti-Corruption Fund founded by Navalny, expressed satisfaction on social media, stating, “today is a good day.”
By FCCT Editorial Team
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}