On July 1, 2025, russia's former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was convicted on charges of embezzlement and money laundering and sentenced to 13 years in prison. Prior to his arrest in April 2024, Timur Ivanov had been responsible for significant military construction and procurement projects, including rebuilding in illegally occupied Ukrainian territories.
Reports of Timur Ivanov's luxurious lifestyle had sat awkwardly with russian President Putin's calls for a new national elite comprised of so-called heroes of russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, according the UK Defense Intelligence.
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Timur Ivanov is the most high-profile figure to be convicted in russian government crackdown on embezzlement by senior officials below executive or cabinet level, which has also targeted several other top officials who, like Timur Ivanov, have close links to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Sergei Shoigu was dismissed from his post as Defense Minister on May 12, 2024, and moved to the post of secretary of russia's Security Council.
Whilst deeply rooted corruption that exists within the Ministry of Defense significantly undermines the effectiveness of the russian military, the goal of russian authorities is almost certainly not the eradication of corruption entirely; such behaviour is fundamental to the functioning of the russian regime. Instead, russian authorities are likely seeking to limit corruption to more manageable levels that have less impact on the functioning of the department.
As Defense Express previously reported, on May 30, 2025, russian President Vladimir Putin approved the russian Navy Strategy and Development plan. According to Nikolai Patrushev, a presidential aide and head of the russian Maritime Board which oversees shipbuilding, the plan reviews the current state of russia's naval capabilities, taking into consideration russia's experience in the war launched against Ukraine.
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