Russia’s former deputy defense minister charged with accepting $15.5 million in bribes from major contractor
Federal investigators have concluded their second inquiry into ex-Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov and formally charged him with bribery, money laundering, and weapons violations. The charges include three counts of accepting more than 1.3 billion rubles (about $15.5 million) in bribes, plus illegal possession and alteration of weapons. Investigators say Ivanov received the illegal payments from Alexander Fomin’s company Olimpsitistroy in exchange for favorable Defense Ministry contracts.
In one case, Olimpsitistroy built a sauna valued at 56 million rubles (about $670,000) near the home of Ivanov’s ex-wife. In another apparent scheme, the company “loaned” 152 million rubles (about $1.8 million) to a firm linked to Ivanov’s associates, allegedly with no expectation of repayment. Ivanov maintains his innocence. His lawyer says Ivanov never favored Fomin’s companies in ministry contracts and that all joint ventures between the two men were unrelated to defense work.
Timur Ivanov was arrested in April 2024. In July 2025, the Moscow City Court sentenced him to 13 years in prison for embezzlement and money laundering. Anton Filatov, Ivanov’s former subordinate, received 12.5 years. Both were convicted of asset misappropriation related to ferry purchases for the Kerch Strait crossing and the illegal transfer of more than 3.9 billion rubles (about $46 million) from Interkommerts Bank.
