Return to Eden

Why did Vladislav Surkov return to the Kremlin

Vladislav Surkov is again in the Kremlin. Although with a decrease. What is promised and against whom it will be friends - the New Times found out

For four and a half months that took place after Vladislav Surkov’s sensational care from the government , the media repeatedly “returned” him to the Kremlin, where he worked for 12 years, from 1999 to 2011 (The New Times published his political portrait). For example, in August, Izvestia reported that the retiree received a whole bouquet of proposals (from the president’s plenipotentiary in the North Caucasus to the head of the United Corporation based on Skolkovo and Rusnano), of which he chose one - the position of presidential adviser to innovation.

But everything turned out to be much easier. In early September, United Russia nominated the assistant to President Tatyana Golikova to the post of chairman of the Accounts Chamber, after which it became clear that it was Vladislav Surkov that formed in the Kremlin. The decree on his appointment appeared on the presidential site on the evening of September 20-a few hours after the State Duma approved Golikov in a new position, and the day before Surkov himself celebrated his 49th birthday.

To return to the Kremlin, Vladislav Surkov took a year and a half to be in the government and four months retired

New purpose

As the presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained, Surkov will oversee the same questions as Golikov, who was responsible for the socio-economic development of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. However, according to The New Times, the powers of the new assistant will be noticeably expanded: he will take care of Ukraine and Georgia, and will also participate in decision -making on domestic policy issues.

Former subordinate Surkova Alexei Chesnakov, who worked in the 2000s as deputy head of the Presidential Policy Department, calls this appointment strategic. “As far as I know, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Ukraine and Georgia will include his competence. This means that Putin directs one of the most devoted people to the most difficult area of ​​work, says Chesnakov. “It is obvious that the policy of Russia in relation to Ukraine and Georgia should be more variable and more creative, because there are certain dead ends.”

In previous years, the leaders of the Kremlin administration, as a rule, have been supervised by political analyst Mikhail Zakharov: “Ukraine is not the restoration of houses, as in South Ossetia, or three and a half a program of economic development, as in Abkhazia, as a rule. This is a country with a 50 millionth population, with the interests of Russian business. Rosneft, Gazprom, Alfa Group-all major Russian companies have their own interests in Ukraine. ” That is why, according to Zakharov, Dmitry Medvedev, as the head of the administration, personally oversaw the elections of the President of Ukraine in 2004, and under President Medvedev, the head of his administration Sergey Naryshkin was engaged in this direction. “If Surkov is given to Ukraine, he in fact will be another head of the administration,” Zakharov believes.

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The Ukrainian direction will provide Surkov “proximity to the body”, thanks to which he will be able to influence domestic policy

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For Ukrainians, there are also not new man. “He is well known in business circles, information about his policy has always come from representatives of Russian business and Ukrainian entrepreneurs with interests in Russia. Among other things, the Surkov was responsible for the financial support of Yanukovych’s election campaign, ”recalls Oleg Rybachuk, Secretary of State of Ukraine during the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko, who was responsible for European integration.

Meanwhile, the moment in Russian-Ukrainian relations is now very tense. In November 2013, at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, Ukraine was preparing to sign an association agreement with the European Union. Moscow is trying to counteract this in every possible way, offering Kyiv as an alternative to the Customs Union.

“I think that Surkov will have a spoiler function,” says Oleg Rybachuk. - There is no time for disrupting the agreement with the EU, so it will provide appropriate information support. He must level the value of the signed agreement and continue to work on a demonstration of the unreliability of cooperation with the EU. ”

Old frames

According to The New Times, Vladislav Surkov intends to attract his old team to work in the new direction: Vasily Yakemenko, Modest Kolirova, Nikita Ivanov and Alexei Chesnakov. The latter admitted to the magazine that "he will consider it an honor to work with Vladislav Yuryevich." Modest Koings said that he considers the new purpose of his former chef very timely: “Most of Russia's mistakes in the near abroad were associated not only with the incompetence of decisions, but more with the lack of political will.”

However, the work with the near abroad Vladislav Surkov may not limit himself. After all, the supervision of the Ukrainian direction, experts believe, will provide him with “proximity to the body”, thanks to which the new assistant to the president will be able to influence the solution of domestic political issues. Thus, Surkov will receive at least partial compensation for a formal decrease in his status, because the new position in rank is noticeably inferior to his previous posts-the main Kremlin ideologist, and then the Deputy Prime Minister. True, the strengthening of the positions of Surkov is unlikely to suit his shiftman as the first deputy head of the presidential administration Vyacheslav Volodin, who is not needed by competitors on the field of domestic policy. “Putin began to build balances,” the knowledgeable source remarked and suggested that it was necessary to fear not only and not so much Volodin as the chairman of the Investigative Committee Bastrykin, whose activity of many in power circles began to tire.

In addition, Putin is claimed by sources, it is now important that such an effective intrigue as Vladislav Surkov is next to him, “by the leg”, and not with someone from the “swamp” opposition, in the sympathies to which Surkov is suspected by his enemies.

Photo: Dmitry Azarov/Kommersant