A Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, arrested on bribery charges / Timur Ivanov oversaw the reconstruction of occupied Mariupol

Timur Ivanov, the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, has been arrested for alleged acts of corruption, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday, reports AFP.

“Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Timur Vadimovich Ivanov, was arrested on suspicion of committing a crime under Section 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code (accepting a bribe),” the Committee said on Telegram.

The offense is punishable by a large fine or imprisonment of up to ten years, depending on the particulars of the offence.

“Today is a good day,” reacted Maria Pevcikh, who coordinates the investigations of the Anticorruption Foundation, on social networks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the arrest of this high-ranking military officer, a rare decision in the context of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, writes Russian state media, according to News.ro.

Timur Ivanov, one of the richest officials in Russia’s security elite and the one who oversaw the reconstruction of Mariupol

Last year, relatives of the deceased opponent Aleksei Navalnyi wrote that Timur Ivanov, under European sanctions since October, divorced his wife Svetlana Maniovich in the summer of 2022 in order to evade EU sanctions.

Before the divorce, she changed her name to Ivanova, but the Deputy Minister of Defense remained her only source of financial support, the quoted sources added.

In December 2022, Navalny’s supporters launched an investigation based on emails from Svetlana Maniovich describing a life of luxury in Europe, with holidays in Saint-Tropez in the south of France and Rolls-Royce cars.

According to the investigation, the deputy minister oversaw and profited from construction projects in Mariupol, Ukraine, a city that fell under Moscow’s control after a months-long siege.

Ivanov is the head of the construction department of the Ministry of Defense, according to Maria Pevchikh, who wrote that his job is to build everything from army barracks to military churches.

Timur Ivanov was born in 1975 in Moscow, and in 1997 he graduated from MV Lomonosov University in Moscow and holds the role of Deputy Minister since 2016.

Meduza writes, citing journalist Farida Rustamova, that Ivanov is known as one of the richest members of Russia’s security elite.

The journalist points out that this is the highest-ranking official suspected of crimes since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

He oversaw numerous major construction projects for the ministry, including the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, the Patriot Park theme park, Vostohnîi and the reconstruction of occupied Mariupol.