Putin's deputy defense minister arrested for 'high treason': reports
Putin's deputy defense minister arrested for 'high treason': reports posted at 13:00:37 UTC via newsweek.com Russia's well-connected deputy defense minister Timur Ivanov faces accusations of treason it has been reported, following his arrest in the highest-profile corruption scandal in Russia for years. Ivanov, 48, an official responsible for military infrastructure projects, appeared in his uniform behind a glass cage in Moscow's Basmanny Court on Wednesday charged with bribe-taking "on a particularly large scale," the court's press service said. He could face 15 years in prison. His arrest has sparked speculation about whether it might signal a purge among the Moscow elite, especially given his close relationship with defense minister Sergei Shoigu , and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov . The independent Russian news outlet Real Stories said that the true reason for Ivanov's arrest was "high treason," citing two sources close to th