A Russian military helicopter accidentally fired on spectators during war games in western Russia, injuring several people, news reports said on Tuesday.
Military helicopters fire during the Zapad (West) 2017 Russia-Belarus military exercises at the Borisovsky range in Borisov, Belarus, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
The Russian military acknowledged that a helicopter accidentally fired a rocket during drills, but insisted that no one was hurt in the incident and refrained from saying when it happened.
Russian news agency Life said a preliminary investigation showed the incident was caused by a short-circuit in the helicopter’s electric system that resulted in the accidental launch of the rocket.
The Russian military’s Western Military District acknowledged on Tuesday that video footage of the incident was genuine.
Two Belarusian military helicopters fly during military exercises, near the Volka village, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south-west of Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The Zapad (West) 2017 military drills held jointly by Russian and Belarusian militaries at several firing ranges in both countries have rattled Russia's neigbors. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, Pool)
However, it denied that it happened on Monday, but didn’t specify when or where the incident took place. It also insisted that no one was hurt, and just one military truck was damaged.
The Zapad 2017 maneuvers, held jointly by Russia and Belarus, started on Thursday at several firing ranges in both countries and run until Wednesday.
(AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A top Russian military official arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe was sent to pre-trial detention Wednesday after appearing before a court in central Moscow, court officials said in a statement.
Timur Ivanov, 48, one of Russia’s 12 deputy defense ministers, was arrested Tuesday evening, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement. It gave no further information, apart from specifying that Ivanov is suspected of taking an especially large bribe — a criminal offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
According to a statement from the court, investigators told Moscow’s Basmany court Wednesday that Ivanov had conspired with third parties to receive a bribe in the form of unspecified property services “during contracting and subcontracting work for the needs of the Ministry of Defense.”
An acquaintance of Ivanov's, identified as Sergei Borodin, was also arrested and ordered into pre-trial detention on the same charges, court officials said in a separate statement. Both men are to remain in custody until at least June 23.
According to the defense ministry’s website, Ivanov was appointed to the post in 2016 by a presidential decree. He oversaw property management, housing and medical support for the military, construction and reconstruction of facilities.
Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that both President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu were informed about Ivanov’s arrest, which comes as Moscow’s war in Ukraine continues into its third year.
Peskov also dismissed reports in the Russian media Wednesday that the corruption allegations against Ivanov were intended to obscure additional allegations of high treason.
Independent Russian news outlet reported that the bribery charges were intended to hide more serious charges and avoid public scandal, citing two unnamed sources close to Russia’s Federal Security Services.
Peskov described the reports as speculation. “There are a lot of rumors: we need to rely on official information,” he told journalists.
Ivanov’s lawyer also denied any additional charges, telling RIA Novosti that official was only facing bribery allegations.
Before his arrest on Tuesday evening, Ivanov was seen attending a meeting with Shoigu and other top military brass.
Russian media reported that he was in charge, among other things, of some of the construction in Mariupol — a port city in Ukraine’s partially occupied Donestk region which was heavily bombarded and occupied by Russian forces early on in the war in 2022.
Zvezda, the official TV channel of the Russian military, reported in the summer of 2022 that the ministry “is building an entire residential block” in the severely damaged city and showed Ivanov inspecting construction sites.
That same year, the team of the late Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner, alleged that Ivanov and his family had been living an extravagant life with luxurious trips abroad, lavish parties and elite real estate. The opposition activists also alleged that Ivanov’s wife Svetlana divorced him in the summer of 2022, avoided sanctions and continued to enjoy the lavish lifestyle.
Commenting on the detention of Ivanov on Tuesday, Navalny's ally Maria Pevchikh said on X, formerly Twitter: “It's a good day today.”
This handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, Jan 11, 2024, shows Timur Ivanov, deputy defense minister, in Moscow. Ivanov, a top Russian military official was arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe, authorities said Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Ivanov, one of Russia's 12 deputy defense ministers, was sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
