Russian media reports, citing the Investigative Committee of the Russian federation, say Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov appeared in Moscow’s Basmanny district court on April 24 after he was detained for allegedly taking a bribe. The court remanded him into custody for two months until June 23 on charges of entering into a criminal conspiracy with third parties in his role of supervising the construction and overhaul of defense ministry facilities.
Criminal proceedings have been instituted against Ivanov under the provisions of Article 290 (6) of Russia’s Penal Code – a large-scale bribery. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
A second man, Sergei Borodin, who was described as a friend of Timur Ivanov, also appeared in court on Moscow on similar charges.
Russian state-run media TASS says Ivanov is suspected of accepting a bribe of 1 million rubles (at least US$10,800).
Timur Ivanov reportedly denies the charges brought against him by Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Ivanov, 49, graduated from the Moscow State University.
He had served as Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation since 2016. Ivanov previously served as the Director-General of JSC Oboronstroy, a subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense. In 2012, he served as the Deputy Governor of the Moscow Oblast under Governor Sergei Shoigu. Timur Ivanov has the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councilor of the Russian Federation. From 1999 to 2012, he worked at enterprises of the fuel and energy complex of Russia.
CNN says Timur Ivanov 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.
The BBC says the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), the group founded by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in 2022 accused Ivanov of participating in “corruption schemes during construction in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia.” In particular, it said he had profited from construction projects in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
