Page 16 - bneIntelliNews monthly country report Russia May 2024

and 2023 detailing Ivanov’s suspiciously high income and the luxurious European lifestyle led by his ex-wife Svetlana Manovich even as war raged in Ukraine.
Ivanov himself denies all the charges. Although Shoigu has said nothing publicly about the arrest of his deputy, he still signed an order dismissing him from his post. Shoigu and Ivanov have worked together since 2012 when Shoigu was governor of Moscow region (Ivanov was his deputy governor). In late 2012, Shoigu went to the Defense Ministry and Ivanov followed in 2016. Between 2013 and 2016, Ivanov was head of Oboronstroi, a state company that specialised in constructing military housing, as well as other social and defense facilities. Ivanov is widely considered to be a prominent member of an influential political clan. This clan also includes Shoigu, businessman Gennady Timchenko who is a close friend of President Vladimir Putin, deputy speaker of the Federation Council Yuri Voroboyov, and Vorobyov’s son, Andrei, who is governor of Moscow Region.
This will likely be a blow to Shoigu, who, according to analysts, has managed to shore up his position after the failures of the initial full-scale invasion. “Over the past 6-12 months, Shoigu has recovered his position in Putin’s eyes and moved noticeably closer to him, successfully managing the flow of information that the president receives about military matters,” said political expert Tatiana Stanovaya. Now, Shoigu faces the distraction of ensuring he is not saddled with a stranger as his new deputy.
2.8 Russia’s Economic Ministry extreme stress test economic scenarios
Russia's Finance Ministry ran an extreme stress test on the economy for this year that assumes zero growth, weakening ruble and falling oil and gas revenues in the worst case scenario.
16 RUSSIA Country Report May 2024 www.intellinews.com