Russian businessman jailed for eight years in corruption case linked to ex-deputy defense minister

A Russian court has sentenced businessman Sergei Borodin to eight years in high-security prison and imposed a fine of 500 million rubles ($6.41 million) for his alleged role in a corruption scheme involving former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov. The conviction marks a significant development in what is described as the largest purge of the Russian military command in decades.

According to the Russian agency Interfax, the court also ordered the confiscation of Borodin's bank accounts and a plot of land in Krasnogorsk, a Moscow satellite city. The total value of assets to be confiscated from Borodin, who faced charges of large-scale bribery, amounts to 1.372 billion rubles ($17.58 million).

The trial proceeded swiftly as Borodin pleaded guilty and signed a pre-trial cooperation agreement. Investigators allege Borodin was a friend of Ivanov, who was arrested in April 2024. Borodin's cooperation a year later enabled the initiation of a second criminal case against Ivanov.

Ivanov, a close associate of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, was himself sentenced in July 2025 to thirteen years for embezzlement. His conviction was linked to the purchase of two ferries and the withdrawal of over 3.9 billion rubles from the Interkommerts bank. The ongoing anti-corruption campaign, intensified after President Vladimir Putin's 2024 re-election, has led to a significant restructuring of the Defense Ministry and the replacement of its leadership.