Political strategists have repeatedly "walked" through changes in the government. Just how have they not called the new structure: "the special team of the last hope" (though it is not clear whose hope and why the last), "the team without allergens", clearly alluding to the attitude of the population to the removed personalities.
As you know, there was no real resignation of the government. If 14 of the 31 ministers leave, this is a serious shuffle, but it is only a personnel rearrangement. The performance of the "trained bear" with the message of resignation was a "fig leaf" covering the real goals of the president. And they are absolutely transparent: in one move, Putin tried to remove social tension - to remove the same "allergens" whose hands promoted unpopular decisions and laws, while keeping Medvedev next to the "throne" and at the same time introduced a new figure to counterbalance him. To consider Mishustin a temporary character is a big mistake . A new center of influence has appeared next to the president's chair, and perhaps a new Russian Trump in the future.
By and large, it remains to discuss the "quality" of the new personnel to understand who has come to replace and whether there are any hopes for positive changes. In official presentations, the new ministers are all entirely hand-shaking professionals – as guilty as sin, and decorated. But we offer a glimpse into the shadowy part of their career progression, which is ignored by the official media.
An independent player and lobbyist. It is a rare case when a government official does his job, instead of "not forgetting his lovely self". Mr. Mishustin is the initiator of the introduction of AIS (Automated information system of the tax authorities) and USRLE (Uniform state register of legal entities), mass computer provisions for the territorial bodies of the Federal Tax Service. Anyway, he did not miss the "pretty penny" either. Mishustin completely expanded the vertical of control over VAT refunds: the Federal Tax Service of Russia— the regional commission for VAT refunds — territorial inspections and made it safe for corrupt participants. And while the flow of requests for VAT refunds from the budget was growing many times - the successful official was building a large luxury house on Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway. The entrepreneurial spirit of the future Prime Minister made it necessary to constantly look for profitable solutions for him. For example, he strengthens relations with the right businesses and agencies, while receiving direct benefits from "commercial" appointments of tax authorities' heads.
A few words about the earnings of the Mishustin family. The Prime Minister's sister, Natalia Stenina, owns real estate worth over 900 million rubles. Despite the fact that before her brother’s take-off, she held very modest positions- today she is a member of the Board of the “Eurasian Pipeline Consortium” group of companies. And the Prime Minister's wife brought almost 800 million rubles to the family's piggy bank over 10 years, while Mr. Mishustin himself brought "only" 200 million rubles.
Mr. Mishustin is unhurried, thorough, and just as determined to move in the right direction as Trump. He established communication with Putin during the period when Putin was "posing" as the Prime Minister in anticipation of new elections, and as you can see, less than 10 years later, the Prime Minister is in the right place at the right time. If Trump is a loner, then Mishustin is constantly "expanding" with his people and connections. It is not necessary to consider him an easy pass. Yes, this will be the second "trained bear", but he will confidently and permanently take his place at the foot of the "throne”.
A lobbyist. The former Minister of Economic Development in 2012-2013, then Presidential Assistant in Economic Affairs. A seasoned government official and ace of "funny business", a master of "red tape" and a talented assistant to the raiders. He "popped up” on the raider seizure of "Pavlovskgranit", the largest in Russia, in the interests of Yuri Zhukov and Herman Gref. As Minister of Economy, he “let things die down” on a direct order from the President to look into the situation. In the "reply" to the President, it was stated that an investigation was conducted and the relationship of the organizations remains in line with the legislation and the two commercial structures.
Shoygu's man. Initially an independent player, he began his journey with the seizure of NTC “Module” - he gained control of 9.5 million of the 15 million shares. He tried to build his own "vertical" to control the conclusion of billion-dollar contracts for the military-industrial complex, then, when Shoygu became Defense Minister, he realized that those who would work independently would lose their posts and joined his team. Initially, Shoygu planned to put another person on the post of Deputy defense Minister, but Borisov was useful to Shoygu for his established connections in “Rostec”and large military-industrial complex enterprises, whose interests he lobbied for. Therefore, Borisov got the job, and the heads of military-industrial complex enterprises who "made friends" with him- multibillion-rubles contracts.
Mishustin's person. The first 12 years were hard and slow moving up the career ladder. He reached the level of head of department. And in 2012, he "got in the game" and after a year and a half he sat on the chair of the Deputy head of the Federal Tax Service of Russia.
Mishustin's person. At one time, she managed the Rosreestr and the Cadastral chamber. It is believed that in the 2005-2012 period, Gref, using his connections, actively helped her move up the corporate ladder. She worked under Mishustin twice. Undoubtedly, she will be a useful person in the team. Her candidacy is clearly not coincidental.
Mishustin's person. For more than 15 years, he has been working under him, moving from structure to structure with accompanying growth on the career ladder.
Grigorenko, Abramchenko and Overchuk never played their own "games", so none of them "popped up" in corruption scandals. Their tax returns show modest amounts and real estate by the standards of government officials. For 2018, it was declared as: Abramchenko-10.5 million, Overchuk-8.8 million and Grigorenko-8.7 million rubles.
An entrepreneur and sports functionary. Now the former CEO and Chairman of the Board of “Gazprom-Media” Holding; Chairman of the Board of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), he was the President of the Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympic Games – 2014. He has known Mishustin since his university days at Stankin, and then their paths crossed again when they found themselves as neighbors in an elite village in Nikolina Gora, where the new Prime Minister's family owns real estate worth 1.5 billion rubles.
But Mr. Chernyshenko made his way to the ministerial post without the help of the Prime Minister. He started as an ad man with MMM advertising, eventually created his own business and went into advertising sports events. Viacheslav Fetisov introduced him to the world of big sports. It is believed that it was Chernyshenko and his team that ensured the success of the Russian bid for the 2014 Olympics, so the future Deputy Prime Minister got the place of the head of the Organizing Committee quite deservedly.
Sobyanin's man, lobbying the interests of the clans of the Republic of Tatarstan. About 50 of Khusnullin's countrymen took senior positions in the departments under his control, and contractors from Tatarstan became leaders in the amount of state contracts received in Moscow. The former Vice-mayor of Moscow will definitely become the new "allergen" in the government. Muscovites are already "screaming in all sorts of ways", massively signing letters of protest and demanding that the president resign. Mr. Khusnullin is famous for not even participating in corruption cases, it would not surprise anyone in such a position. He indiscriminately "helped" everyone and thanks to the permits received from him, about 200 historical buildings in Moscow were demolished and several thousand hectares of green areas were destroyed. "And well, little things" - hundreds of construction projects have been implemented with gross violations of the law, and for the construction of the "South-Eastern Chord" they plan to open a burial ground of radioactive waste.
Mr. Khusnullin's unforgettable phrases: "I violate the master plan every day", "We will relocate you!" long "went viral" There is every chance that the practices of procurement before design, construction without compliance with regulations and rules to the detriment of the housing stock will be distributed by "innovators" throughout Russia.
Sobyanin's man, lobbying the interests of the clans of Perm region. In seven years, he worked his way up from a university graduate to the First Deputy head of the administration of the Governor of Perm region. 5 years later, he became a minister of the Moscow government in the Sobyanin administration, and since 2017, he has been the Governor of Perm region. During this period, the budget for procurement in the IT sector increased 49 times to 3 billion rubles, with at least 1/3 of the funds received by the Governor's colleagues and partners. In Moscow, companies friendly to Reshetnikov were also able to get contracts for about 1 billion rubles.
A lobbyist. He was under investigation for leasing the land of the Russian State University of Physical Education for the Cherkizovsky market. The land was in federal ownership, but this "athlete" did not bother at all, and he helped the market to emerge. The investigation estimated the damage to the budget of the Russian Federation in the amount of 120 million rubles, since rental payments were received on the current accounts of the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth, and Tourism; bypassing the federal budget. As a result, the case was closed, Mr. Matytsin himself got off with a fine of 20 thousand rubles and retained the position of rector. Then the future minister confidently went up the path of a sports functionary and "reached" the status of President of the International University Sports Federation (FISU). It seems that Mr. Matytsin is the permanent president, since he has already been elected twice and he is not going to leave the post, despite the position of minister.
A lobbyist. A successful careerist, who in 10 years went from an intern to the post of Minister of Health of Komi Republic, and then in 5 years from the head of the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare rose to the minister. He was a witness in a criminal case- the purchase of computer tomographs for medical institutions in Komi at inflated prices. A "question" of 16 million rubles. Murashko sabotaged investigative activities (he did not appear for questioning in a timely manner), he publicly exonerated his employee, used other forms of influence, and eventually succeeded – the investigation was terminated for lack of evidence.
Medvedev's man, Deripaska and Gutseriev's lobbyist. He was transferred from the position of chief of staff of the government of the Russian Federation. This is the only change in the law enforcement agencies. Medvedev's team lost in opportunities, but retained one of the key places. There was an interesting situation: Chuychenko and Mishustin are neighbors in the elite settlement in Nikolina Gora, and apparently, are in good relations; which creates additional opportunities to negotiate between the two centers of influence at the president's chair.
Mr. Chuychenko was much more successful in public service than in business. Mysteriously, he was able to "earn" and declare 368.5 million rubles in 2008. Together with his wife, they earned another 697 million rubles the past 10 years, and this is in addition to the growth of assets in real estate by about 400 million rubles. The sister of the minister's wife, Ms. Tikhonova was listed as the Director of three companies from the Virgin Islands: Tameko Developments, Bencroft Financia and Alumina & Bauxite. Her offshore companies are connected to the business of Oleg Deripaska. Until 2013, Tameko Developments owned the Khakass aluminum smelter, which was part of “Rusal”. “Rusal” also had significant stakes in two other offshore companies. Ms. Tikhonova sat in the boards of Directors of companies that are part of the holding: “Boksit Timana”,”Kremniy”(Silicon), and "Polevskoy Kriolitovy Zavod" (Polevskoy cryolite plant). She also joined the Board of Directors of “RussNeft” (under Gutseriev's control) as a representative of the Swiss company Glencore. There is no doubt that Mr. Chuychenko's financial success is due to the tax evasion of profits from sales abroad of raw and processed raw materials from “Rusal” and “RussNeft”.
Medvedev's man, a lobbyist for Rostelecom and Reiman's interests. Former General Director of “RT labs”, Vice President for digital platforms of Rostelecom, and Minister of the Moscow region. Son of an old friend of Reiman's. He worked in the team of the then Minister of information technologies and communications, actively participated in the development of the Public services portal, and supervised the group implementing the E-Parliament project.
There were corruption scandals, but they were quickly "extinguished" from above. In 2010, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on constitutional legislation appealed to the head of the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Valeriy Kozhokar (a friend of Medvedev's youth) to investigate the activities of an offshore foundation Alternative Capital Investments, registered in Cyprus. Maksut Shadaev, a current high-level federal official, headed the foundation's management company for his own personal purposes and the interests of the “St. Petersburg communications group” as a whole. Shadaev also controlled the NGI investment foundation (about $40 million). As you understand, no inspection was carried out. In 2011, a case of embezzlement in the amount of about $1 billion allocated to finance the E-Russia program was closed. Mr. Shadaev continues to perform his "work" in complete safety.
A functionary. A careerist who, although at a rapid pace, consistently progressed from an ordinary specialist in the regional department of financial management to the Minister of Economy and Finance of Moscow region, and then to the Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation. He was not noticed in corruption scandals.
A functionary. A potential "allergen" and, most likely, the next victim on the "altar of political calm". Kingmaker, assistant to the "father of the Unified State Exam" Viktor Bolotov. In 2013, he came to the post of head of Rosobrnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science), he took the exam seriously and tightened control – surveillance cameras appeared in schools, tasks and sheets were transferred by special communications forces or via a secure internet channel. Unambiguously "hard" on his principles of work, a clear supporter of "surgery" in his department. It is his initiative that is associated with the closure of 1.5 thousand universities in the country.
A functionary. A careerist and member of the Tyumen political council of the United Russia party, rector of Tyumen State University and Deputy of the Tyumen city Duma. A clear master of networking. In December 2018, he joined the presidential Council for science and education, and in January 2020, he joined the working group on changing the сonstitution. At 41, the "youngest rector of Russia" has become one of the youngest ministers.
Culture, as it should be, we leave for the end. Moreover, unlike other areas where predictable and down-to-earth personalities will lead, it was headed by a kind of liberated and quite frank person in her attitude to "culture".
A functionary. For two years, she was the Director of the Department of cinematography of the Ministry of Culture, before that- an adviser to the same department, and before that, she worked for about 15 years on TV.
It is obvious that the first part of her way, the future Minister passed herself; but the rapid growth in the department could be contributed to by the connections of her father- the rector of the Shchepkin Higher Theater School and her godfather- Nikita Mikhalkov. This is the basis for the rhetoric of support for the candidacy from cultural figures: "from a hereditary family of Russian intellectuals", "she modestly lives in a rented apartment", "she is one of us!". The funniest thing is that the leading fighters for "one of us" did not deign to read the minister's opinion about "high culture" in her own LiveJournal (the blog kropalik), entries of which Lyubimova, however, now hides. In one of the posts, the minister honestly declares that she is "not a fucking cultural person" and the list of what she does not like or what she is not interested in is very decent.
Anyway, even short-term officialdom "formats" a person well – it is enough to compare old and new photos of the minister. Her colleagues can be sure that Ms. Lyubimova "will not freak out" and will move in the new team in the usual last place for Russian realities.
Let's sum it up. The "new" government included 3 people from Mr. Mishustin, 2 people from Sobyanin and Medvedev, and 1 person from Shoygu. These same people simultaneously lobby for the interests of their clans, the rest are functionaries-officials.
Nothing has changed for the Russian population. Therefore, media speculation that they have attracted "real professionals" in their business is solid, first of all, in terms of pumping budget funds into the pockets of clans. And, of course, the official needs to understand something in the area where he plans to corrupt, if you want to sit securely on the chair. So the new party of "cockroaches" will continue to "earn" by lobbying the interests of their real employers. And functionaries and potential "allergens" who in case of something "will be written off for battle casualties" - will receive a significant bonus to the salary and will dutifully do what they are told.
By and large, we see a screen covering the usurpation of power in the interests of Mr. Putin and his corrupt regime. We are ready to sign under each word of the "Manifesto of Russian citizens against the constitutional coup and usurpation of power", and we clearly see as the fundamental document – the Constitution– collapses before our eyes. Instead of a real change of power, we are shown performances of "trained bears". Russia needs real change, not a political circus. Support The Manifesto!
