Timur Ivanov, who was in charge of military construction and repair contracts, is suspected of taking bribes āon a particularly large scaleā.
Russia has arrested Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov on organised corruption charges in the most high-profile case since the start of the countryās all-out war on Ukraine.
A brief statement by Russiaās Investigative Committee citing a statute for accepting bribes āon a particularly large scaleā said on Wednesday that the arrest was made a day earlier.
State media showed brief footage of the military official standing in a Moscow court. He faces 15 years in prison if convicted.
Ivanov will be held under a detention order for two months, according to the TASS news agency, which said a man named Sergei Borodin has also been taken into custody on suspicion of complicity in receiving bribes by Ivanov.
The 48-year-old deputy defence minister oversaw military construction and repairs and is accused of taking part in a ācriminal conspiracyā in managing contracts that greatly benefitted him personally, reportedly contributing to a lavish lifestyle.
The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had been informed about Ivanov, who had been present at a meeting of top defence officials chaired by Shoigu earlier on Tuesday.
In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which is run by the allies of late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, released the findings of an investigation that found Ivanov and his family had funnelled off millions of dollars to buy property and yachts.
Maria Pevchikh, the chairwoman of the foundation, wrote, āToday is a good day,ā in a post on X after news of Ivanovās arrest was publicised.
The official was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB), which was directed last month by Putin to root out corruption in state defence organisations.
The RBC news service in Russia quoted unnamed sources as saying investigators are carrying out searches in multiple regions in relation with the case.