The corruption case affects the untouchables and Putin’s defense minister, Shoigu. Is it controlled by the Kremlin?

Corruption may be a secondary issue in the huge scandal that is rocking the Russian Ministry of Defense. We analyze expert analysis that Putin is attacking his friend and supporter of the Kremlin’s militant politics, Defense Minister Shoigu, and why right now.

A Russian court sent Alexander Fomin, already the third actor in the largest corruption case at the Ministry of Defense in the last twelve years, into custody. This time, it mainly concerns the key deputy of the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu himself, Timur Ivanov, known for his weakness for verses, women and villas.

In 2012, the scandal also removed the head of the minister’s department, Anatoly Serďukov, from his ministerial position.

The scale of the current corruption scandal is comparable. Only the times are different – the war made Defense Minister Shoigu Putin’s closest ally and accomplice. As such, she still needs him. So what do the arrests, raids and account blocking of people who were practically untouchable until this week actually mean?

Who is the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and what is he accused of Timur Ivanov?

He studied cybernetics, never served in the army (just like Minister Šojgu), yet since 2016 he held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense.
According to the investigators, he accepted bribes of an extraordinary amount.
He consorted, according to them, with other persons for this purpose; in addition to him, two men have so far been placed in pre-trial detention: businessman Sergej Borodin and head of the Olimpsitistroj company Alexander Fomin.
He maintained friendly relations with people close to President Putin, for example, with the representative of the presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko, and with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
He was brought to the Ministry of Defense by Minister Shoigu.
One of his first tasks was to build a militant amusement-educational park Patriot near Moscow. He then supervised all military buildings.

Deputy Defense Minister Shoigu and his right-hand man Timur Ivanov were the first to go behind bars yesterday directly from his office. The state agency TASS even reported about it last night, which means that things are taking place under the tutelage of the Kremlin.

In addition to Ivan himself, all assets registered to him, his wife (current and all former) and his five children (including stepchildren) were locked up.

Immediately, Minister Šojgu himself publicly renounced his closest collaborator, with whom he had above-standard professional and human relations. He removed him from the position of deputy with a single signature. But Ivanov already learned that in a cell of the famous Moscow detention center Lefortovo.

There, the court sent after him the second “hero” of the scandal, Ivanov’s close friend Sergei Borodin. So far, the last of the three arrested is the head of the Olimpsitistroj company, Alexandr Fomin. He was put in handcuffs this morning by order of the Basmanny Court in Moscow. All three will remain in the cells until at least June 23.