Responsible for Mariupol

Shoigu’s deputy arrested in Russia

Ivanov (to Putin's left) moved in the highest political circles - he is now involved in a serious corruption scandal.(Bild: APA/AFP/POOL/Alexey NIKOLSKIY)

A corruption scandal is emerging in the highest Russian military circles. Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov has been arrested more than two years after the start of the war - he recently played an important role in the devastated Mariupol (Ukraine).

Ivanov is suspected of having accepted bribes, Russia's Investigative Committee announced on Telegram on Tuesday evening. The authorities did not provide any details.

Was already the focus of Navalny's
According to media reports, Ivanov, who has held the post since 2016, was primarily responsible for construction projects in the Ministry of Defense - including in the occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which Russia's army completely destroyed during the siege in the first months of the war in 2022. Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has a total of twelve deputies.

Accusations of corruption against the 48-year-old politician had already been made by the team of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who has since died in custody, after the start of the war: In research published at the end of 2022, the Kremlin opponents accused Ivanov of having the construction of real estate in several Russian regions financed by defense ministry contractors.