Timur Ivanov has been found guilty of embezzlement and fraud

Russia's former deputy defense minister, Timur Ivanov, has been sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony after being found guilty of embezzling state funds, the Moscow City Court announced on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old, arrested in April 2024, previously held senior roles in Russia's energy and construction sectors. Before his appointment as deputy defense minister in 2016, Ivanov led the state contractor Oboronstroy and worked at several major firms. In his government role, he oversaw large-scale military construction projects.

The court found Ivanov and his former subordinate Anton Filatov guilty of embezzling 216.6 million rubles ($2.8 million) during the 2015 purchase of two ferries, carried out by Oboronstroy on behalf of the Defense Ministry for the Kerch Strait crossing. The pair was also convicted of stealing and laundering 3.9 billion rubles ($50 million) that had belonged to the now-bankrupt Interkommerz Bank.

Both men have denied any wrongdoing. In his final statement, Ivanov insisted that the ferry deal was lawful and had even earned him a state award. He argued that even if there were grounds for prosecution, they bore no relation to the current charges.

Filatov was sentenced to 12 and a half years in a penal colony and fined $318,000 - he claimed the case had been based on investigative errors and "speculative" conclusions.

Ivanov, who also faces two separate bribery charges, was fined $1.2 million and stripped of state honors, including the title of Merited Builder of Russia. The court also approved the seizure of more than $32 million worth of his assets, including real estate, vehicles, and bank holdings.

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According to RBK, the defense intends to appeal the verdict, citing procedural violations and a lack of direct evidence.

Ivanov was among a number of top military officials arrested following a major reshuffle at the Defense Ministry last year.