Russia charges ex-deputy defence minister with corruption
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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
MOSCOW, March 5 - 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. REUTERS
