Russia Hands Ex-Deputy Defense Minister 13 Years for Graft

Timur Ivanov at Moscow City Court on July 1.Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

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By Henry Meyer

July 1, 2025 at 1:29 PM UTC

Updated on

July 1, 2025 at 2:30 PM UTC

A Russian court sentenced a former deputy defense minister to 13 years in prison on embezzlement charges, the Tass news service reported, the highest ranking military official to be convicted since President Vladimir Putin appointed a new head of the Defense Ministry last year.

The Moscow City Court on Tuesday found Timur Ivanov, who was one of 12 deputy defense ministers, guilty of misappropriating funds destined for the purchase of two ferries connecting the occupied Crimea peninsula with Russia. Ivanov, who was detained in April last year on allegations of bribery, was also convicted of siphoning off 3.9 billion rubles (about $50 million) from a bank, the state-run news service reported.