Russia detains ally of Defense Minister Shoigu for corruption
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 [April 24, 2024]
By Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly
MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defense
Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of
taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President
Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was detained on Tuesday at work by
the Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era
KGB, for accepting large bribes.
Moscow's Basmanny District Court ordered Ivanov be kept in custody until
June 23. Ivanov, 48, dressed in his uniform, was shown standing in a
glass cage in court, frowning slightly, footage released by the court
service showed.
"The investigation believes that Ivanov entered into a criminal
conspiracy with third parties, teamed up with them in advance to commit
an organized crime by an organized group," the court service said.
The conspiracy was to receive "property and services on a particularly
large scale during contract and sub-contract work for the ministry of
defense," the court service said.
Russian media said he denied being guilty. He faces 15 years in jail if
convicted. State media gave the case full coverage.
The sudden arrest of an ally of Shoigu, who Putin tasked with fighting
the war in Ukraine, triggered speculation about a battle within the
elite and of a public crackdown on the corruption which has plagued
Russia's post-Soviet armed forces.
Some Russian bloggers, who have long accused senior generals of
incompetence, rejoiced at the apparent fall of a top military official
long linked to the ostentatious opulence which Putin has made clear he
does not want to see displayed in wartime.
Some said the arrest could be a public lesson for the elite, though
others said it was a blow for Shoigu, a close Putin ally and one of
Russia's most powerful men.
The Kremlin said Putin had been informed, and added that Shoigu had also
been told. The defense ministry made no comment. A close friend of
Ivanov's, Sergei Borodin, was also charged with conspiring to take
bribes.
OSTENTATIOUS WEALTH
Ivanov, who has served as deputy minister since 2016, was in charge of
property management, housing, construction and mortgages at the defense
ministry - whose spending has spiraled since the start of the war.
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Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov inspects the
construction of apartment blocks in Mariupol, Russian-controlled
Ukraine, in this still image from video released October 15, 2022.
Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
"Lets just say the investigation did not start yesterday, the day
before yesterday or even a month ago," an unidentified Russian law
enforcement source told the TASS state news agency. FSB military
counter-intelligence was involved, TASS said.
Ivanov had long been the subject of journalistic investigations
which alleged he and his family lived a lavish lifestyle complete
with visits to Europe's most expensive boutiques and an array of
deluxe real estate.
In 2022, Russia's Anti-Corruption Foundation, headed by the late
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, investigated Ivanov.
It alleged that he and his family lived a life of luxury including
yachts, helicopters, visits to French Riviera, purchases of diamonds
and even a 19th Century mansion on one of Moscow's most elegant
streets.
Forbes magazine listed Ivanov as one of the wealthiest men in
Russia's security structures. Other investigations alleged
corruption in Russia's reconstruction of Mariupol, the Ukrainian
city on the Sea of Azov that is controlled by Russian forces.
Ivanov was unable to comment as he was in detention. Putin last
month ordered the FSB to root out corruption in state defense
procurement.
Ivanov, who graduated with a degree in mathematics from Moscow State
University, rose through the ranks of Russia's state atomic energy
sector before moving to become the deputy head of Moscow region's
government under Shoigu, who was then governor.
Some Russian military bloggers have long accused top generals of
corruption, especially after the army's hurried withdrawal from
parts of Ukraine after over-extending itself during the first days
of the invasion.
"It is clear that this is a tectonic shift," said Yuri Podolyaka,
one of the most popular pro-Russian military bloggers. "And this is
not about Ivanov... I hope this is only the beginning."
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly;
Editing by Ros Russell and Angus MacSwan)
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