Russia charges ex-deputy defence minister with corruption

FILE PHOTO: Russian First Deputy Defence Minister Ruslan Tsalikov chairs a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Moscow region, Russia June 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexey Maishev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Source: Sputnik

Russia has charged a former deputy defence minister with corruption, investigators said on Thursday, in the latest of a series of prosecutions against top figures in the military establishment.

The state Investigative Committee said Ruslan Tsalikov was accused of embezzlement, money laundering and bribe-taking.

Tsalikov served as first deputy defence minister from 2015 to 2024, when a series of corruption cases led to the arrest of a string of generals, deputy ministers and civilian defence civilians.

Another former deputy minister, Timur Ivanov, was jailed for 13 years in July 2025.

Ivanov and Tsalikov served under Sergei Shoigu, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Shoigu was removed as defence minister in 2024, and appointed secretary of Russia's Security Council.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters