Bangladesh, July 6 -- As Russias protracted war in Ukraine continues to drain the countrys military and economic resources, a rare public reckoning has unfolded within the upper echelons of the Defense Ministry. On July 4, the Moscow City Court sentenced former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov to 13 years in a high-security penal colony for embezzlement and large-scale money laundering, marking a significant turn in the Kremlins ongoing wartime anti-corruption campaign.

The high-profile trial has captivated observers not only for the scale of the financial crimes involved-totaling billions of rubles-but also because of Ivanovs influential position in Russias defense apparatus. As deputy minister since 2016, Ivanov oversaw military in...