Former Russian deputy defense minister is sentenced to 13 years for corruption

MOSCOW (Reuters): Former Russian deputy defense minister Timur Ivanov was found guilty of corruption on Tuesday and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Ivanov was arrested in April 2024 on suspicion of taking bribes, and investigators added new embezzlement charges in October.

His case is part of the biggest slew of corruption scandals to hit the Russian defense establishment in years. More than a dozen people, including two other former deputy ministers, have been arrested in a series of investigations.

Ivanov, who had pleaded not guilty, was also stripped of all his state awards. His lawyer said he would appeal.

State media reported that the total sum alleged to have been embezzled by Ivanov and others was 4.1 billion roubles ($48.8 million), mostly in the form of bank transfers to two foreign accounts.

The trial took place behind closed doors on grounds of state secrecy. A former subordinate of Ivanov, Anton Filatov, was sentenced to 12-1/2 years.

Russian media said Ivanov and his wife owned a luxury apartment in central Moscow, a three-story English-style mansion on the outskirts of the capital and an extensive collection of classic cars including a Bentley and an Aston Martin.

Ivanov’s arrest last year was celebrated by Russia’s “Z-bloggers,” an influential group of war correspondents and analysts who support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine but argue that front-line troops have been let down by the military top brass, whom they have frequently portrayed as incompetent, out-of-touch and corrupt.