As this publication reported earlier today, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Ivanov was charged with “taking a bribe on an especially large scale” (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code; from eight to 15 years in prison) by the Basmanny Court of Moscow.
Russian state-owned media has now reported that not only are the charges stemming from Ivanov giving preferential treatment to defense contractors through an electronic bidding system from 2018 to 2023, but also that Defense Minister Shoigu has relieved him of his position.
This follows testimony from a Moscow businessman of the Olympsitstroy company which accused the Deputy Defense Minister of taking bribes from competitor companies in exchange for the awarding of lucrative defense contracts, especially construction jobs in Mariupol.
This quick revelation and dismissal from office is a clear indicator that the presidential office sought to throw out Ivanov. As this publication reported earlier today, bribes in the Russian government are widely accepted, but can be wielded by the regime to swiftly bury those in opposition to the Kremlin.
