- On 01 July 2025 Russia’s former Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was convicted on charges of embezzlement and money laundering and sentenced to 13 years in prison. Prior to his arrest in April 2024, Ivanov had been responsible for significant military construction and procurement projects, including rebuilding in illegally occupied Ukrainian territories. Reports of Ivanov’s luxurious lifestyle had sat awkwardly with Russian President Putin’s calls for a new national elite comprised of so-called heroes of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
- Ivanov is the most high-profile figure to be convicted in a Russian government crackdown on embezzlement by senior officials below executive or cabinet level, which has also targeted several other top officials who, like Ivanov, have close links to former Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu. Shoygu was dismissed from his post as Defence Minister on 12 May 2024, and moved to the post of secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
- Whilst deeply rooted corruption that exists within the Russian Ministry of Defence significantly undermines the effectiveness of the Russian military, the goal of Russian authorities is almost certainly not the eradication of corruption entirely; such behaviour is fundamental to the functioning of the Russian regime. Instead, Russian authorities are likely seeking to limit corruption to more manageable levels that have less impact on the functioning of the department.