Russia Rattled

April 29, 2024

On April 23, Russian martyr Alexei Navalny landed a blow from the grave when Russia’s Deputy Minister of Defense Timur Ivanov was arrested and charged with accepting “massive bribes” following investigations by Navalny activists. This is Russia’s highest-profile scandal and has rattled the country and raised questions. Why arrest someone for corruption when all Russian officials are on the take? Why stage a public trial and not simply handle the indiscretion with poison or a plane crash? Is this about a power struggle inside the Kremlin? The now-disgraced Ivanov is close to Putin's principal confidantes, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, and his spokesman Dmitri Peskov. Are they also at risk? At this point, it appears that the oligarch’s downfall was due to publicity about his wealth and flamboyant lifestyle in Europe as caskets from the war pile up. But such a public display of discipline is perplexing and welcomed by many. “Today is a good day," commented Maria Pevchikh, the head of investigations at Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. “The person involved in our investigation was detained on suspicion of bribery. We talked about the glamorous and luxurious life of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov back at the end of 2022.”