Timur Ivanov, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister and a known associate of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, is currently detained in Russia on charges of corruption. This development follows a special operation by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (DIU), which accessed confidential documents and information pertaining to Ivanov, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda sources within the DIU.
Between 2018 and 2021, while Ivanov was actively involved at high levels of the Russian Defense Ministry, DIU allegedly undertook a cyber operation that successfully penetrated servers containing his official documents. The breach was reportedly part of a broader effort by Ukrainian intelligence to gather intelligence on Russian military operations and personnel.
Following the leak of this information, Russian authorities initiated a corruption investigation against Ivanov, focusing on allegations of bribe-taking. Despite previous public knowledge and journalistic investigations into Ivanov’s corrupt activities, especially concerning Russian operations in Mariupol, it was the exposure of these documents to Ukrainian intelligence and subsequent media coverage that reportedly prompted Russian officials to act.
Ivanov’s arrest is part of a rare high-profile corruption case within the Russian government, which has seen few such instances since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The charges against Ivanov allege that he accepted bribes on a particularly large scale, relating to his supervision of military infrastructure projects. The case is currently proceeding in the Basmanny district court in Moscow, where Ivanov could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Timur Ivanov, Deputy Minister of Defence of Russia at a detention center on charges of corruption.
Noteworthy that he’s still in full military uniform. This is someone, probably the FSB, sending Shoigu a not so subtle message.
Let the infighting begin.pic.twitter.com/4vkagTNih2
— OÐDIÐ OVICH (@oedipovich) April 24, 2024
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