Alexei Ulyukayev denies charge of bribery<br /><br /> Placed under two-month house arrest<br /><br /> Could be facing up to 15 years in jail<br /><br /> Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has been formally charged with bribery in connection with a 4.6 billion euro acquisition by the state oil company, Rosneft.<br /><br /> The 60-year-old technocrat is the highest-ranking Russian official to be arrested while in office since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.<br /><br /> Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Ulyukayev after losing trust in him.<br /><br /> Ulyukayev has been placed under house arrest for two months until January 15 and denies soliciting a bribe.<br /><br /> #UPDATE Russia’s Economy Minister Alexey Ulyukayev is detained on suspicion of taking a two-million-dollar bribe https://t.co/69z8FnQWy8— AFP news agency (@AFP) November 15, 2016<br /><br /> The allegation<br /><br /> The Investigative Committee, the state agency that investigates major crimes, is investigating a claim that Ulyukayev demanded a 1.8 million euro payment in exchange for signing off on Rosneft’s purchase of a stake in the mid-sized oil producer, Bashneft.<br /><br /> What has the Kremlin said?<br /><br /> Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Vladimir Putin was informed about the case when the investigation was launched.<br /><br /> He said he did not know whether the detention meant that Rosneft’s purchase of Bashneft could be reviewed.<br /><br /> State television was quick to present Ulyukayev’s detention as part of the authorities’ fight against corruption.<br /><br /> But some think it may also be evidence of infighting at the highest levels of power and may herald a wider shake-up before the 2018 presidential election.<br /><br /> Russia’s Medvedev calls for painstaking investigation of Ulyukayev’s case: reports https://t.co/MEEQgqF4tr— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) November 15, 2016<br /><br /> What has Rosneft said?<br /><br /> Rosneft, Russia’s top oil producer, has filed a complaint against Ulyukayev.<br /><br /> Investigators say the complaint suggests he had put the company under threat over the Bashneft deal.<br /><br /> Earlier, a spokesperson, Mikhail Leontyev, was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying the company saw no risk to the Bashneft deal stemming from Ulyukayev’s arrest.<br /><br /> Turf war<br /><br /> Rosneft boss and close contact of President Putin, Igor Sechin, lobbied hard to buy Rosneft, according to the Reuters news agency.<br /><br /> However, the deal was fiercely opposed by economic liberals in the government, who think Bashneft should go to private investors.<br /><br /> Ulyukayev initially opposed the deal, which is one of the most lucrative state assets to be privatised in recent years, but eventually signed off on it.<br /><br /> Who is Ulyukayev?<br /><br /> The minister has been in his job since June 2013.<br /><br /> He is not said to be part of Putin’s inner circle, which is dominated by people who favour a commanding role for the state in the economy.<br /><br /> However, he does not belong to the rival camp of economic liberals either.<br /><br /> Ulyukayev is reportedly close to Andrei Kostin, the influenti
