Russian deputy defense minister detained on suspicion of bribery

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov has been detained for allegedly taking a bribe, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov appeared in a Moscow court Wednesday after he was detained for allegedly taking a bribe, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. Ivanov is suspected of accepting a bribe of 1 million rubles (at least $10,800), Russian state media TASS reported, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Video released by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti showed Ivanov standing in a glass box in the Moscow courtroom. The deputy defense minister has been seen as a senior architect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, becoming the subject of European Union and US sanctions. The allegation makes this the highest-profile Russian corruption case since the war began in February 2022. Ivanov’s responsibilities have included the reconstruction of Russian-occupied Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine. The minister has been frequently pictured cutting ribbons on various construction projects in the city. In April 2023, the chairperson of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s International Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), Maria Pevchikh said Ivanov had “one of the most lucrative jobs that one can have in the Ministry of Defense.”