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Russia's former First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov. Photo: TASS
Russia’s former First Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov has been detained as part of an investigation into a criminal case concerning his alleged participation in the formation of a “criminal community,” state-controlled news agency TASS reported earlier today, citing Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko. Petrenko added that the authorities are currently deciding what pretrial measure to take against the former official.
Tsalikov is the fourth former deputy defense minister — and now the highest-ranking official from the former Russian MoD leadership — to face criminal prosecution since Sergei Shoigu was ousted as defense minister in May 2024 in favor of Kremlin economist Andrei Belousov.
The Investigative Committee said Tsalikov has been charged with forming a criminal organization by abusing his official position, embezzling state funds, laundering stolen money, and taking bribes. Investigators allege that members of the group “embezzled state funds from 2017 to 2024” and then laundered the proceeds.
Tsalikov faces up to 25 years in prison.
TASS also reported that Tsalikov had previously been a witness in the case of ex-Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov. According to the agency’s sources in law enforcement, he gave testimony three times during the investigation and was questioned in court by the prosecution.
Tsalikov served as First Deputy Defense Minister from December 2015 and was considered one of Sergei Shoigu’s closest associates. He oversaw construction, property relations, the provision of housing for service members, financial oversight, and a number of other areas at the ministry.
On June 17, 2024, Vladimir Putin relieved Tsalikov of his duties. Other deputy defense ministers also lost their posts, including Tatyana Shevtsova, Nikolai Pankov, Timur Ivanov, Pavel Popov, and Dmitry Bulgakov.
Three of them — Ivanov, Bulgakov, and Popov — were arrested. Ivanov was sentenced to 13 years in prison last summer on embezzlement charges. Popov’s verdict is expected this month, while Bulgakov remains in pretrial detention.
Following his resignation, Tsalikov went into politics, running in elections to the regional parliament in the Republic of Tuva as a candidate for the ruling United Russia party, ultimately becoming an MP in September 2024. Sources in the regional parliament told TASS he was considered as a possible candidate for senator representing the republic, but the appointment did not take place.
Tsalikov has been the subject of multiple investigations by the late Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), exposing his lavish lifestyle and property holdings.
In April 2019, Navalny and the ACF reported that it had found a prestigious Rublyovka estate linked to Tsalikov valued at about 950 million rubles (~$14.6 million at the time).
Three years later, Navalny’s team published another investigation alleging that Tsalikov’s family held property worth nearly 5 billion rubles (~$80 million at the time).
Since 2022, Tsalikov has been sanctioned by the U.S., the EU, the UK, and a number of other countries. The restrictions were imposed after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.