Latest news with #Ivanov
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Top Russian general convicted in high profile corruption case
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Timur Ivanov was sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony for embezzlement and given a fine of nearly US$1.3 million (S$1.65 million). ISTANBUL – A top Russian general was convicted of embezzlement and jailed on July 1, state news media reported, in one of the highest-profile cases from a months-long Kremlin campaign to root out military corruption amid the war in Ukraine. Timur Ivanov, a general and longtime deputy defence minister who oversaw military construction projects, was detained in April 2024 on charges of taking a 'large-scale' bribe – the first in a string of arrests of senior officers. Ivanov, who was known as a protégé of Mr Sergei Shoigu, the former Russian defence minister and a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, had pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. The arrest of Ivanov, and other defence officials after him, signalled a turning point in the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine . Coming at a moment of rising costs and increasing criticism from supporters of the war over the distribution of frontline resources, the moves were seen as an effort by Mr Putin to put the war effort on more economically sustainable footing after more than two years of fighting – and to show that Russia had the discipline and capacity to wage a long conflict. In delivering the verdict on July 1 at Moscow City Court, Judge Sergei Podoprigorov sentenced Ivanov to 13 years in a penal colony for embezzlement and also imposed a fine of nearly US$1.3 million (S$1.65 million), according to Russian state news agency Tass. Ivanov will lose his military medals and honours, Tass reported. Mr Denis Baluyev, an attorney for Ivanov, told Tass that he planned to appeal. Ivanov still faces bribery charges. The verdict on July 1 was a rare conviction of a prominent member of the Russian elite with ties to Kremlin officials. Details of the indictment had been scarce, since the judge closed the trial to the public, saying classified information could be revealed during the proceedings. Tass had previously reported that Ivanov stood accused of embezzling US$2.7 million from ferry purchases and of receiving more than US$15 million in bribes. In his final statement to the court, according to Tass, Ivanov said he had 'absolutely nothing to do' with the accusations levelled against him. Russian military bloggers, some of whom had raised the alarm about graft in the military, welcomed the ruling. 'It has been clear since the first days of the war that the army's coffers were being pilfered in their entirety, and the army was not ready for hostilities,' one blogger, who goes by the name Alex Parker Returns, wrote in a Telegram post on July 1. The post called the verdict a 'half-measure' while hailing it as a rare example of justice. 'Who could have thought two years ago that a deputy defence minister would be sentenced to 13 years in prison?' the post added. Ivanov, who served as a deputy defence minister starting in 2016, had long been in charge of military construction projects, including huge contracts awarded to rebuild the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, which was devastated by Russian attacks soon after the February 2022 invasion. He was also responsible for building Patriot Park, a military theme park outside Moscow that sought to cast the experiences of the Russian armed forces in a holy light, and was awarded the Order for Merit to the Fatherland several times. Before his arrest, Ivanov had attracted the attention of Mr Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation for his and his wife's conspicuously lavish lifestyle, including yacht rentals on the French Riviera. He also was placed under US sanctions in 2022 for his role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ivanov's detention in April 2024 marked the beginning of a month-long purge of high-ranking Defence Ministry officials and generals, charged with bribery and misappropriation of funds. In May 2024, Mr Putin unexpectedly removed Mr Shoigu, his long-serving defence minister, and replaced him with a member of his economic team. In addition to Mr Ivanov, a number of others swept up in the campaign have been convicted. Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, former deputy chief of Russia's general staff, was sentenced in April to seven years in a maximum-security prison for taking bribes. A week later, a Russian military court sentenced Major General Ivan Popov, a former top commander in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to five years in a penal colony for fraud and stripped him of his rank. NYTIMES
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia jails senior defence official for 13 years in corruption trial
By Mark Trevelyan (Reuters) -Russian former deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov was found guilty of corruption and condemned to 13 years in a penal colony on Tuesday, the harshest sentence yet in a series of graft cases against defence officials. Ivanov was arrested in April 2024 on suspicion of taking bribes, and investigators added new embezzlement charges in October. More than a dozen people, including two other former deputy ministers, have been arrested in investigations into separate cases. The trial was closed on grounds of state secrecy. Anton Filatov, a former logistics company boss on trial with Ivanov, received a 12-1/2 year sentence. State media reported that the total sum embezzled was 4.1 billion roubles ($48.8 million), mostly in the form of bank transfers to two foreign accounts. Ivanov, who pleaded not guilty, was stripped of all state awards and the court confiscated 2.5 billion roubles worth of property, cars and cash from him. Russian media said he and his wife owned a luxury apartment in central Moscow, a three-storey English-style mansion on the outskirts of the capital and an extensive collection of classic cars including a Bentley and an Aston Martin. Russia's "Z-bloggers", an influential group of war correspondents, have voiced outrage at the scale of corruption reported in the defence establishment while young Russians are dying fighting in Ukraine. One blogger, Alexander Kots, said 13 years was a long sentence but corrupt defence officials should be put on trial in wartime as "traitors to the Motherland". SHOIGU DEPUTIES Ivanov had since 2016 been responsible at the defence ministry for big logistics contracts including those related to property management, housing and medical care. He was a deputy to Sergei Shoigu, who was replaced as defence minister last year but retains an important role as secretary of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council. Two of Shoigu's other former deputies have been arrested in separate investigations. In April, the former deputy head of the army's general staff, Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. The prosecutions signal a drive by Putin to clamp down on graft, inefficiency and waste in Russia's huge military budget as it wages war in Ukraine. Defence spending accounts for 32% of the federal budget this year. Ukraine has also moved to clamp down on military corruption. A deputy defence minister in charge of weapons purchases was sacked in January, while in April authorities accused five suspects of involvement in a procurement scandal.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Russia's ex-deputy defense minister handed 13-year sentence on corruption charges
MOSCOW — Russia's former deputy defense minister was convicted on Tuesday on charges of embezzlement and money laundering and handed a 13-year prison sentence in a high-profile case that exposed rampant military corruption widely blamed for Moscow's military setbacks in Ukraine. Timur Ivanov is the most visible figure in a far-ranging probe into alleged military graft that also targeted several other top officials close to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu, a veteran official who had personal ties to President Vladimir Putin, survived the purges of his inner circle and was given the new high-profile post of secretary of Russia's Security Council. Ivanov, 49, was named deputy defense minister in 2016 and oversaw military construction projects, as well as property management, housing and medical support for the troops. He was known for his lavish lifestyle that outraged many in Moscow just as the fighting in Ukraine exposed glaring deficiencies in Russian military organization and supplies that resulted in battlefield setbacks. Ivanov, who has been in custody since his arrest in April 2024, was convicted by the Moscow City Court of embezzling 3.9 billion rubles (about $50 million), the charges that he denied. The court also confiscated his assets that included prized real estate and a collection of several dozen vintage cars. Ivanov's lawyers said they would appeal the verdict. Ivanov has been sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union for his role in Moscow's military action in Ukraine. Among numerous other big-ticket projects, Ivanov oversaw the construction of the Patriot Park, which was sometimes called Russia's 'military Disneyland.' The sprawling facility west of Moscow has hosted displays and demonstrations of weaponry and served as a venue for battle reenactments. Its over 13,300 acres host a firing range, museums, a conference center and even a massive, khaki-colored Russian Orthodox cathedral devoted to the armed forces. Putin has personally donated money to commission the main icon for the church, according to the Kremlin. The park's director, Vyachslav Akhmedov, was among a host of officials arrested as part of the military corruption probe. Another former deputy defense minister, Pavel Popov, also was arrested and accused of pilfering state funds allocated for the park in order to build himself a country estate. Popov, Akhmedov and several other former officials remain in custody pending trial.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Russia jails senior defence official for 13 years in corruption trial
Russian former deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov was found guilty of corruption and condemned to 13 years in a penal colony on Tuesday, the harshest sentence yet in a series of graft cases against defence officials. Ivanov was arrested in April 2024 on suspicion of taking bribes, and investigators added new embezzlement charges in October. More than a dozen people, including two other former deputy ministers, have been arrested in investigations into separate cases. The trial was closed on grounds of state secrecy. Anton Filatov, a former logistics company boss on trial with Ivanov, received a 12-1/2 year sentence. State media reported that the total sum embezzled was 4.1 billion roubles ($48.8 million), mostly in the form of bank transfers to two foreign accounts. Ivanov, who pleaded not guilty, was stripped of all state awards and the court confiscated 2.5 billion roubles worth of property, cars and cash from him. Russian media said he and his wife owned a luxury apartment in central Moscow, a three-storey English-style mansion on the outskirts of the capital and an extensive collection of classic cars including a Bentley and an Aston Martin. Russia's 'Z-bloggers', an influential group of war correspondents, have voiced outrage at the scale of corruption reported in the defence establishment while young Russians are dying fighting in Ukraine. One blogger, Alexander Kots, said 13 years was a long sentence but corrupt defence officials should be put on trial in wartime as 'traitors to the Motherland'. Ivanov had since 2016 been responsible at the defence ministry for big logistics contracts including those related to property management, housing and medical care. He was a deputy to Sergei Shoigu, who was replaced as defence minister last year but retains an important role as secretary of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council. Two of Shoigu's other former deputies have been arrested in separate investigations. In April, the former deputy head of the army's general staff, Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. The prosecutions signal a drive by Putin to clamp down on graft, inefficiency and waste in Russia's huge military budget as it wages war in Ukraine. Defence spending accounts for 32% of the federal budget this year. Ukraine has also moved to clamp down on military corruption. A deputy defence minister in charge of weapons purchases was sacked in January, while in April authorities accused five suspects of involvement in a procurement scandal.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia jails senior defence official for 13 years in corruption trial
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Russian former deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov was found guilty of corruption and condemned to 13 years in a penal colony on Tuesday, the harshest sentence yet in a series of graft cases against defence officials. Ivanov was arrested in April 2024 on suspicion of taking bribes, and investigators added new embezzlement charges in October. More than a dozen people, including two other former deputy ministers, have been arrested in investigations into separate cases. The trial was closed on grounds of state secrecy. Anton Filatov, a former logistics company boss on trial with Ivanov, received a 12-1/2 year sentence. State media reported that the total sum embezzled was 4.1 billion roubles ($48.8 million), mostly in the form of bank transfers to two foreign accounts. Ivanov, who pleaded not guilty, was stripped of all state awards and the court confiscated 2.5 billion roubles worth of property, cars and cash from him. Russian media said he and his wife owned a luxury apartment in central Moscow, a three-storey English-style mansion on the outskirts of the capital and an extensive collection of classic cars including a Bentley and an Aston Martin. Russia's "Z-bloggers", an influential group of war correspondents, have voiced outrage at the scale of corruption reported in the defence establishment while young Russians are dying fighting in Ukraine. One blogger, Alexander Kots, said 13 years was a long sentence but corrupt defence officials should be put on trial in wartime as "traitors to the Motherland". SHOIGU DEPUTIES Ivanov had since 2016 been responsible at the defence ministry for big logistics contracts including those related to property management, housing and medical care. He was a deputy to Sergei Shoigu, who was replaced as defence minister last year but retains an important role as secretary of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council. Two of Shoigu's other former deputies have been arrested in separate investigations. In April, the former deputy head of the army's general staff, Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. The prosecutions signal a drive by Putin to clamp down on graft, inefficiency and waste in Russia's huge military budget as it wages war in Ukraine. Defence spending accounts for 32% of the federal budget this year. Ukraine has also moved to clamp down on military corruption. A deputy defence minister in charge of weapons purchases was sacked in January, while in April authorities accused five suspects of involvement in a procurement scandal. REUTERS
