Russian Deputy Defense Minister was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes

On April 23, RT quoted the Russian Investigation Committee (RIC) as saying that Mr. Ivanov was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes.

RIC did not provide detailed information about Mr. Ivanov’s arrest, but only stated that this military official was suspected of accepting bribes on a large scale.

According to the relevant article in the Russian penal code cited by RIC, such bribes involve amounts of at least 1 million rubles (more than $10,500). If convicted, Mr. Ivanov could face up to 15 years in prison.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that both President Putin and Minister Shoigu had been informed about Mr. Ivanov’s arrest.

Previously, on April 23, Mr. Ivanov attended a ministerial meeting chaired by Mr. Shoigu. Many senior Russian officials and top military commanders were also present at this meeting.

Mr. Ivanov is one of the contributors to Russia’s energy and construction sectors, and has worked at several famous state-owned companies.

He was the leader of construction contractor Oboronstroy – the company in charge of building housing for military personnel – from 2013-2016. He was then appointed to his current position, overseeing construction in the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Russian media reported that Mr. Ivanov was in charge of some construction projects in Mariupol, a port city in the Donestk region.

Mr. Ivanov, 48 years old, is one of 12 Russian deputy defense ministers. He was sanctioned by both the US and the European Union (EU) in 2022 after Russia launched a special military campaign in Ukraine.