Ex-Russian deputy defence minister faces refusal to join battlefield operations PHOTO

Russia’s former Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was reportedly refused deployment to the “special military operation,” a representative of the Moscow Military Commissariat stated during a pretrial hearing at the Meshchansky Court.

The hearing concerned Ivanov’s lawsuit against the Ministry of Defence, the Moscow Military Commissariat, and the Unified Contract Service Selection Point, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

Ivanov’s lawyer, Denis Baluev, said that his client never received an official refusal.

Ivanov previously filed a claim stating that in November 2025, he submitted an application from Lefortovo requesting deployment to the “special military operation,” and expressed willingness to serve in any position or rank, but received no response. He is asking the court to recognise the military’s inaction as illegal and to compel the defendants to process his selection for military service and contract enlistment.

The court scheduled a hearing for March 5. This marks Ivanov’s second attempt to join the operation; his first application in July 2025 was rejected three months later, citing that no positions matching his military speciality were available in the “Western” grouping.

By Jeyhun Aghazada