Russian Deputy Defense Minister arrested for alleged bribes

A Russian deputy defense minister has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes, according to the country’s top investigative body.

The Investigative Committee said on Tuesday that Timur Ivanov was detained and an investigation was being conducted.

Ivanov, 47, was appointed to the Ministry of Defense in 2016 and was responsible for Russia’s military infrastructure projects.

Activists have long criticized the level of alleged corruption in Russia.

In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), the group founded by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accused Mr. Ivanov of participating in “corruption schemes during construction in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.”

In particular, he is said to have benefited from construction projects in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, much of which was destroyed by Russian bombing in the months following the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Investigative Committee’s announcement of Mr. Ivanov’s arrest did not indicate how the deputy minister responded to the allegations against him.

The section of the Russian Criminal Code under which Mr Ivanov was detained – Part 6 of Article 290 – applies when a suspected bribe exceeds one million rubles (£8,620; $10,700).

Violations are punishable with significant fines and prison sentences of up to fifteen years.

Mr. Ivanov was previously deputy prime minister of the Moscow region, where current Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was briefly governor, and is said to remain a close associate of Mr. Shoigu.

The detention marks a rare move against a member of Russia’s governing elite, many of whom are believed to have used their position to amass vast personal fortunes.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the detention in advance.