Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov appeared in a Moscow court on Wednesday (Apr. 24) after he was detained for allegedly taking a bribe.
According to Russian state media TASS, Ivanov was suspected of accepting a bribe of 1 million rubles (at least $10,800). If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
Video released by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti showed Ivanov standing in a glass box in the Moscow courtroom.
Ivanov, 47, was considered to be one of the senior architects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, becoming the subject of European Union and US sanctions alongside his boss, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The allegation made this the highest-profile Russian corruption case since the war began in February 2022.
Ivanov's responsibilities have included the reconstruction of Russian-occupied Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine. He has also been frequently pictured cutting ribbons on various construction projects in the city.
In April 2023, Maria Pevchikh, chairperson of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny's International Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), said Ivanov had "one of the most lucrative jobs that one can have in the Ministry of Defense."
The ACF previously alleged that Ivanov earned a sizeable payroll in his role leading construction for the Russian army.
Last year, Pevchikh told CNN that the deputy defense minister's extreme wealth—including assets including a historical house in one of Moscow's most expensive districts—is funded by "corruption."
The ACF claimed that Ivanov, already a wealthy man, benefited extensively from the invasion of Ukraine.
