Russian deputy defense minister detained on corruption charges

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia's Investigative Committee announced Tuesday that the country's Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was detained over suspicions of graft.

"Timur Vladimirovich Ivanov, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, was detained on suspicion of committing a crime under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (receiving a bribe)," the committee said in a statement.

The statement did not provide any further details.

In a separate statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the matter.

Before being appointed deputy defense minister in May 2016, Ivanov had previously served as deputy chairman of the Moscow regional administration and, in 2013, was tapped to head Russian defense industry giant Oboronstroy.