Russian Deputy Defense Minister was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes

Tass news agency quoted the announcement of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation: “Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Vladimirovich Ivanov was arrested on suspicion of committing a crime under Clause 6, Article 290, Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (on crimes Bribery)”.

The above committee announced Mr. Ivanov’s arrest on the Telegram application, but did not provide further details. It is unclear who he received the bribe from and how much it was worth.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report on the arrest of Deputy Minister Ivanov was presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was informed in advance about the arrest.

RBK page posted a photo showing Mr. Ivanov attending a meeting of ministerial-level officials earlier on April 23, chaired by Minister Shoigu.

Russian media said Mr. Ivanov, currently 48 years old, has served as Russian deputy defense minister for eight years, could face up to 15 years in prison.

Deputy Minister Ivanov may be the highest-ranking Russian official to face such accusations since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022.

Magazine Forbes (USA) said Mr. Ivanov – an expert in cybernetics and nuclear industry – is one of the richest people in Russia’s security agencies.

He worked in fuel and energy trading companies as well as in the Moscow region government, before joining the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2010. He became deputy defense minister in 2016.