Revealing more details about the arrest of the Russian Deputy Defense Minister

In a brief announcement of only 22 words, the Russian Investigative Committee said that Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service on the evening of April 23 on suspicion of accepting large bribes. Mr. Ivanov’s private home was also searched.

If convicted, Mr. Ivanov could be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Mr. Ivanov’s arrest was quite surprising because a few hours earlier, he had still participated in an extended meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and senior military leaders.

However, news agency TASS quoting a legislative source, this is the result of a long-running corruption investigation, “not yesterday or a month ago”. News page lenta.ru said that the investigation has lasted at least 5 years.

Initial reports said several suspected accomplices were arrested along with Deputy Defense Minister Ivanov. One of them was brought before a Moscow court on April 24, where a judge ordered pre-trial detention. This person was identified as Sergey Borodin.

A soldier with the same name was mentioned in the Russian press 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.

Reports say Mr. Borodin then agreed to testify against other individuals involved in this criminal conspiracy. The corruption is said to have lasted more than a decade and caused losses of at least 900 million rubles ($9.2 million).

Mr. Ivanov, 48 years old, was born in Moscow, graduated with a major in mathematics from Moscow State University and completed a thesis on the organizational model of nuclear power plant construction.

He has been in charge of the Department of Defense’s civil engineering programs since 2013. The company specializes in building soldiers’ housing and high-security facilities.

He rose through the ranks of Russia’s state atomic energy sector and served as an adviser to the energy minister before briefly moving on to become Moscow’s deputy governor under Sergei Shoigu in 20132.

Later, when he became Russian Defense Minister, Mr. Sergei Shoigu also appointed Mr. Ivanov as his deputy in 2016.

American Forbes magazine lists Mr. Ivanov as one of the richest people in Russia’s security structure. Mr. Ivanov’s family is said to have a rather lavish lifestyle.