Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, 48, has been arrested and charged with bribe-taking “on a particularly large scale,” according to the Basmanny Court’s press service in Moscow.
However, according to DailyMail and Newzit, the independent Russian news outlet Real Stories reported that the real reason for Ivanov’s arrest was “high treason,” citing two FSB-connected sources.
Ivanov, who is responsible for military infrastructure projects and has close ties to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, appeared in his uniform behind a glass cage in court on Wednesday. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
The arrest has sparked speculation about a potential purge among the Moscow elite. One source told Real Stories that “a bribe is for the public” and “no one would detain Ivanov for corruption.”
Murad Musayev, Ivanov’s lawyer, refuted the treason charges, asserting that his client was solely facing bribery charges.
The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny founded the anti-corruption group FBK in December 2022, alleging that Ivanov and his family amassed substantial wealth through kickbacks on contracts he signed at the ministry.
The organization also claimed that Ivanov had profited from construction projects in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which fell under Moscow’s control after a months-long siege.
According to Pekka Kallioniemi, a postdoctoral researcher at Finland’s Tampere University, the revelations by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation that painted Ivanov and his wife in a negative light may have contributed to Ivanov’s arrest.
When questioned about the arrest, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were “many different interpretations” of the case and that it was necessary to follow the information from the investigative authorities and the court’s decision.
Moscow’s Lefortovo pre-trial detention center has remanded Ivanov until June 23.
Credit: DailyMail.com/Newzit.com
