Russian official detained for alleged bribe-taking
By Christy Cooney
A Russian deputy defence minister has been detained on suspicion of taking bribes, according to the country’s top investigative body.
The Investigative Committee said on Tuesday that Timur Ivanov was being held and an investigation carried out.
Appointed to the defence ministry in 2016, Mr Ivanov, 47, was responsible for Russia’s military infrastructure projects.
Activists have long criticised the levels of alleged corruption in Russia.
In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), the group founded by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accused Mr Ivanov of participating in “corruption schemes during construction in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia”.
In particular, it said he had profited from construction projects in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, much of which was destroyed by Russian bombing in the months following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Investigative Committee’s announcement of Mr Ivanov’s arrest did not indicate how the deputy minister responded to the allegations against him.
The section of Russia’s criminal code under which Mr Ivanov was detained – Part 6 of article 290 – applies when a suspected bribe exceeds one million roubles (£8,620; $10,700).
