The universal corruption of the Russian elite suits Vladimir Putin. When everyone has a skeleton in their closet, power rests with whoever decides which closets get searched. The arrest on corruption charges of Timur Ivanov, deputy minister of defence, is noteworthy not because he was infamously corrupt, but because it raises the question: why him,
The Kremlin has been systematically weeding out military officials it believes are either involved in mutinous activity or disrupting their attempts at misinforming the Russian public regarding the state of their special military operation in Ukraine.
At least 13 senior officers have been detained, with those believed to have been taken into questioning including General Sergei Surovikin (pictured), the head of Russia s aerospace forces.
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Fears are growing of a coup in Russia as military vehicles are seen on the streets of Moscow as the Wagner mercenary group chief demanded an armed rebellion.