Cats in a bag: Russia’s elite clans are at war with each other – Asia Times

The new arrest of Timur Ivanov, Russia’s assistant defence minister and near alliance of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, has rocked the country’s politics.

Ivanov was a significant member of a strong organization that included Vladimir Putin’s close associate, the tycoon oligarch Gennady Timchenko, and the effective mayor of Moscow Oblast, Andrei Vorobyov.

Ivanov was apparently known as” the bag” of the Shoigu- Timchenko community. The clan’s official pocket holds all of the clan’s assets and funds. Putin’s budget is thought to be his ancient friend Sergei Roldugin, a violin person.

Ivanov was well-known for having a luxurious lifestyle, and he reportedly owned house worth far more than his formal salary could have. His “divorced” woman, Svetlana Ivanova, was a regular visitor to the mountain cliffs at Courchevel. Their marriage is said to have been a way to prevent the EU’s October 2022 sanctions against Ivanov.

In the first few months of the war, Ivanov was given the task of rebuilding the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in response to a long and powerful siege that had already resulted in significant defense construction projects. There was plenty of bone potential in the position, and he eventually gained the nickname “king of the kickback.”

But his mother’s luxurious life was no key. Scientists who worked with the later opposition head and anti-corruption advocate Alexei Navalny conducted an investigation into him in 2022.

YouTube video

Putin’s Russia is characterized by fraud in the political and military leaders. So why has Ivanov then been punished? There are several ideas.

Second, it could be that he just took too much. Some Russian authorities can support themselves on their incomes only. However, there is a written rule prohibiting excessive behavior by officers. Ivanov was a clear target because Putin recently directed the Federal Security Service ( FSB ) to look into corruption, likely in an effort to stifle rising popular and elite support.

It would have been intimate if Ivanov had been accused of milking funds from Putin’s town of St. Petersburg for the restoration of Mariupol.

However, Ivanov and Vladimir Alekseyev, the head of military intelligence ( GRU), who is alleged to be responsible for the failed Skripal poisonings, are seen as having an intense rivalry. Following the mysterious passing of past Yevgeny Prigohzin in August of last year, the GRU and the ministry of defense fought over control of the Wagner Group’s relics.

This powerful bickering apparently extends to Sergei Shoigu’s and the ministry of defense’s power struggles, according to reports. In the fall of 2022, when Russia suffered losses on the field as a result of Ukraine’s powerful counter-offensive, there was talk of Shoigu’s failure.

Despite recent military victories in Ukraine, there are indications that Putin’s large military waste could cause Russia’s economy to overheat. Shoigu’s competitors, willing to keep their share of the pie, may see this as an opportunity to undermine his position.

Animals fighting in a case

Ivanov’s imprisonment occurred shortly after a meeting with Shoigu, and it’s possible that someone was responsible for the arrest in Kremlin elections. The defence minister was all wanted by the FSB, the interior ministry, and the national guard.

But for an assault suggests that Russia’s wealthy groups are fighting among themselves. Informal rules forbid the “wallets” of each community from being left alone. Ivanov’s imprisonment may seem to have destroyed this lad’s deal.

There are two good candidates for the position of Ivanov’s “nemesis”. One is the head of the National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, and his near friends, including FSB captain, Aleksandr Bortnikov. Since 2014, these two have been fighting non-declared wars with the security department.

Patrushev has long been a significant client in the plan and has long been associated with a high level of ambition, maybe in the form of a replacement for Putin. Shoigu may gain from anything that weakens him.

In and out of favour: Vladimir Putin with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. &nbsp, Photo: Alexei Danichev / Sputnik / Kremlin share via The Talk

The various likely think is the mind of Russia’s national watch, Aleksandr Zolotov. Zolotov perhaps have decided to act now after making numerous unsuccessful attempts to advance his protégé, Aleksei Dyumin, a former head of Putin’s safety information and a rising sun. It would be in the involvement of Zolotov’s party to destroy Shoigu.

Otmashka, a notion that reveals a lot about Russian elections under Putin, is a key component of the Soviet system. In essence, it signifies that a superior acts without giving any specific instructions when Putin is given a structure and agrees to it.

The superior has the final say in how they view their approval. In exchange for praising success, Putin is given realistic deniability if things go wrong. Additionally, it gives the Belarusian leader the power to appoint counterweights against Russia’s wealthy groups when needed.

Everything of which depends greatly on how the Ukraine conflict is conducted and turned out. The arrest was widely accepted as Putin’s sign to Shoigu and those around him.

It may seem strange at this point to provoke inter-families because Russia has recently made some incremental increases on the field. The Cunning Russian leader will be aware of the fact that the different Kremlin factions never had much of a personal interest aside from their own.

Russia’s renowned milbloggers, which are primarily made up of former or current members of the Russian army, are rife with rumors that Ivanov’s arrest is the start of a big purge at the top of the Defense Ministry.

Stephen Hall, Lecturer ( Assistant Professor ) in Russian and Post- Russian Politics, University of Bath

The Conversation has republished this essay under a Creative Commons license. Read the original post.