(24 Apr 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++PLEASE NOTE: AP IS OPERATING IN RUSSIA ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ON ALL REPORTING RELATED TO THE ONGOING MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Moscow, Russia – 17 March 2023
1. STILL of Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov ++OVERLAY AUDIO IN SHOT 2++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Moscow, Russia -24 April 2024
2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin:
"No, I’m not aware of this (treason allegations against Russian deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov). Obviously, there are a lot of rumours around all this, here one should, of course, focus on official information. Moreover, there will be an investigation, and all these talks are nothing but speculations around this case. One should focus on the information from investigative bodies and, certainly, in the end on a ruling by a court."
++BLACK FRAMES++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Moscow, Russia – 17 March 2023
3. STILL of Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov ++OVERLAY AUDIO IN SHOT 4++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Moscow, Russia – 24 April 2024
4. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin:
"The Supreme Commander (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is in constant contact with the Defence Minister over the course of the special military operation. They (contacts) are daily."
(Reporter: "Have they discussed the detention (of Ivanov)?")
"I can’t give you any details on this."
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday called media reports saying that a Russian top military official was allegedly suspected of treason, not of bribery, as speculative.
"All these talks are nothing but speculations around this case. One should focus on the information from investigative bodies and, certainly, in the end on a ruling by a court," Peskov told reporters in his daily conference call.
"Obviously, there are a lot of rumours around all this, here one should, of course, focus on official information," he added.
Timur Ivanov, one of Russia’s 12 deputy defence ministers, has been sent to pre-trial detention on suspicion of accepting a bribe after appearing before a court in central Moscow earlier on Wednesday.
Russian independent media outlet Vazhny Istorii reported early Wednesday, quoting their sources closed to the FSB, that bribery charges against Ivanov were just public guise while the real reason of the arrest was an alleged treason.
Ivanov was arrested Tuesday evening, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement.
They gave no further information, apart from specifying that Ivanov is suspected of taking an especially large bribe.
That is a criminal offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Investigators told Moscow’s Basmany court Wednesday that Ivanov had conspired with third parties relating to the award of building contracts.
Russian media reported that he was in charge, among other things, of some of the construction in Mariupol — a port city in Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk region which was heavily bombarded and taken by Russian forces in 2022.
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