Russia's military shaken by biggest scandal in 10 years

Russia's Investigative Committee has detained Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov for two months. His luxurious lifestyle is not in line with Putin's call to create an "elite" of war veterans.

This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense on X (Twitter).

As noted in the report, Ivanov was charged with committing a crime under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, namely, taking a large-scale bribe. Some offenses under Article 290 are punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin had been informed of the arrest. Ivanov denies any wrongdoing. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was also informed. Ivanov was deputy prime minister of the Moscow region government in 2012 when Shoigu was governor of the Moscow region. Therefore, it is likely that he has long-standing ties to Shoigu, the report said.

According to British intelligence, Ivanov was appointed deputy defense minister in 2016 and reportedly played an important role in the reconstruction projects in Mariupol. His 2018 income tax return allegedly shows that Ivanov owned 22 cars.

"Reports of Ivanov's reported luxurious lifestyle sit awkwardly with Putin's call in February in his state of the nation address for a new national elite comprised of heroes of the special military operation. The Ivanov affair is the most serious scandal to hit the Ministry of Defense since Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was dismissed in November 2012," the British Ministry of Defense said.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 25/04/2024