Russia announced new details about the bribery case involving the Deputy Minister of Defense

Russian law enforcement forces suddenly arrested Deputy Minister Ivanov on the evening of April 23 local time. A few hours earlier, Mr. Ivanov still attended a high-level meeting at the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Defense, chaired by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.

RT quoted a statement from the Russian Investigation Committee revealing that Mr. Ivanov was suspected of receiving large-scale bribes, at least more than 1 million rubles (more than 10,500 USD). According to the Russian Criminal Code, if convicted, Mr. Ivanov could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

A law enforcement source told TASS news agency that investigators have been learning about Mr. Ivanov for a long time, “not since yesterday or a month ago.” News site lenta.ru quoted a well-informed source as saying that the investigation has lasted at least five years.

Initial information said that a number of people suspected of being accomplices of the Deputy Defense Minister were also arrested along with him. One of them had to appear in court in Moscow today (April 24). The suspect was identified as Sergey Borodin and the judge ordered him detained pending trial.

Russian media mentioned a soldier with the same name 2 years ago. At that time, Colonel Sergey Borodin pleaded guilty in a criminal case related to the embezzlement of large plots of land owned by the military.

According to well-informed sources, Mr. Borodin, a former deputy director who was responsible for arranging accommodation for soldiers, has agreed to testify against other individuals involved in the criminal conspiracy. The corrupt operation is said to have lasted more than a decade and caused losses of at least 900 million rubles ($9.2 million).

Deputy Minister Ivanov, who on April 24 was also ordered into pre-trial detention by a Moscow court, has been in charge of the civil engineering programs of the Russian Ministry of Defense since 2013. Minister Shoigu appointed him as deputy in 2016.

Mr. Ivanov also served as Mr. Shoigu’s deputy when this official was Governor of the Moscow region for a short time in 2012.

Russian Deputy Minister of Defense was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes

The Russian Investigative Committee announced that Deputy Defense Minister Timur Vladimirovich Ivanov, 48 years old, was arrested on suspicion of bribery.