The Growing Gulf in Russian Civil Military Relations
Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceJan 01, 1900
The Facts
Timur Ivanov, a Russian deputy defense minister, was arrested on charges of corruption and brought before a court in Moscow on Tuesday.
According to Russia's Investigative Committee, Ivanov was detained on suspicion of taking a bribe in excess of 1M Russian rubles — equivalent to roughly $10K. He faces 15 years' imprisonment if found guilty.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite presenting himself to the world as a strongman, Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin for years has failed to tackle the rot and corruption that has infested his military. This boils down to the leader's preference for loyal stooges rather than anyone with competence who can challenge his authority.
Pro-Russia narrative
Russian Pres. Putin made his name by tackling corruption in the early 2000s and has continued to do this throughout his years of leadership. Just this year, he instructed prosecutors to ramp up their efforts to tackle graft, particularly as it pertains to the Russian Special Military Operation.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that The Economist will rank Russia as a Democracy in its Democracy Index by December 2051, according to the Metaculus prediction community.