Relatives Cannot Find Ex-Wife Of Detained Shoigu’s Deputy

The woman seems to have disappeared.

Relatives of Svetlana Zakharova, the ex-wife of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov who was detained for bribes, cannot contact her, Baza reports.

According to unconfirmed reports, a 50-year-old woman, also known by the surnames Maniovich and Ivanova, could be detained along with her ex-husband.

According to media reports, Zakharova owns a share in the company Private Technologies LLC, specializing in advertising services. She also, together with Timur Ivanov’s father, Vadim Ivanov, owns the Crystal Development company.

This company produces parts for vacuum lamps, tubes and other electronic components. Previously, the ex-wife of the deputy minister founded two more companies: Vash Dom LLC, which was involved in real estate management, and MCC Credit Line LLC, which provided consumer loans.

Timur Ivanov, among 11 senior representatives of the Russian defense sector, was added to the US sanctions list on March 15, 2022 for supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Great Britain imposed sanctions against him. On May 6, 2022, Ivanov was included in Canada’s sanctions list, and on October 6, 2022, the European Union imposed restrictions on the official.

In December 2022, Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation released an investigation into the luxurious life of Ivanov and Zakharova. According to the material, the couple spent more than a million euros on vacation, while Svetlana’s personal bills were paid by a company that was supposed to be involved in the restoration of the occupied and destroyed Mariupol. The investigation also stated that in 2010–2018, the couple rented villas on the Cote d'Azur every summer: they spent at least 850 thousand euros on renting housing in Saint-Tropez alone. In addition, the Anti-Corruption Foundation employees found out that Timur Ivanov owns dachas in Rublyovka and Tver.

Officially, Ivanov and Zakharova divorced after the deputy minister came under sanctions, fearing that Svetlana would be included in the sanctions list. Thanks to this, the woman continued to spend money freely in the European Union. Alexei Navalny's associates appealed to the Italian Financial Guard with a request to seize the assets of Ivanov and members of his family.

In the spring of 2023, the Dossier center wrote that the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine had become a “real gold mine” for Ivanov. According to sources of the publication, all contractors of the Ministry of Defense pay kickbacks, while funds allocated for construction in the occupied territories were 3-4 times more than usual. Sources also said that Ivanov’s confidant and “wallet” is former senator Alexander Ter-Avanesov.