Russia has arrested a deputy defense minister on corruption charges

Russian security services have arrested one of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s deputies, Timur Ivanov, on suspicion of taking large bribes. This is the most high-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.

Ivanov, who has been deputy defense minister since 2016, was arrested on Tuesday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a brief announcement. He is accused of taking bribes “on a particularly large scale” and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The arrest, which comes amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine that Shoigu is expected to lead, has fueled speculation about internal conflict within the elite and a broader crackdown on corruption within Russia’s post-Soviet armed forces. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Shoigu were both aware of the detention. Ivanov was seen earlier that day at a meeting of senior defense officials chaired by Shoigu.

Ivanov managed real estate, housing, construction and mortgages at the Defense Ministry, which has not yet commented on his arrest. According to Kommersant, Ivanov was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the Soviet-era KGB. Last month, Putin ordered the FSB to root out corruption in defense procurement.

Izvestia reported that other persons may also have been arrested and Ivanov’s belongings were searched, although there was no official confirmation. Russian state television paid extensive attention to the case.

An unidentified Russian law enforcement source told news agency TASS that the investigation had been ongoing for some time, involving the FSB’s military counterintelligence.

The motivations for attacking such a senior official closely associated with Shoigu remain unclear. Russian military bloggers have often accused top generals of corruption and incompetence, especially after the military’s hasty withdrawal from parts of Ukraine after being overstretched during the first days of the invasion.

Opinions within Russia’s elite on the war vary, leading to the worst deterioration in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Ivanov, now in detention and inaccessible, has been associated with the extravagant lifestyle typical of some segments of the post-Soviet Russian elite, including luxury real estate and lavish parties. In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, led by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, claimed that Ivanov and his family were living a lavish life.

Born in Moscow, Ivanov graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in mathematics and completed a dissertation on organizational models for nuclear power plant construction. He rose through the ranks of Russia’s state nuclear energy sector and served as an adviser to the energy minister before becoming deputy head of the Moscow region government under Shoigu and then its governor. As of 2013, Ivanov headed a Defense Ministry construction company that builds housing for soldiers and high-security installations. Forbes magazine calls him one of Russia’s richest security officials.