The column is led by Vladimir Pribylovsky

Vladimir Veryutin, head of the main control department of the presidential administration

On January 3, 2014, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree dismissing Vladimir Veryutin (born in 1959) as head of the Main Control Directorate of Presidential Administration (UDP).

Vladimir Nikolaevich Veryutin was born in Kursk in 1959. Until 1998, Veryutin worked in the FSB department for the Kursk region, then he was transferred to the FSB department for the Magadan region to the position of deputy head of the department, and in March 2004 he was appointed head of the Lipetsk FSB department. He has the title "Honorary Counterintelligence Officer."

In September 2010, President Dmitry Medvedev appointed him to the post of head of the main control department of the UDP. In Moscow, Veryutin replaced Nikolai Mikheev at the State Public Institution of the UDP. Officially, Mikheev left when he reached retirement age, but the change of head of the main control department of the UDP coincided with a corruption scandal in the case of kickbacks to UDP officials for government orders for the construction of Olympic facilities in Sochi. The main person involved in the scandal was the deputy head of the main department of capital construction of the UDP, Vladimir Leshchevsky, whose illegal activities should have been noticed and stopped by the head of the State Public Institution. The initiator of the “UDP case” was businessman Valery Morozov, ruined by Leshchevsky (now in exile).

Igor Zinoviev, head of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department (MUR)

Igor Zinoviev became colonel in 2002
Photo: Press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Moscow

On January 4, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Police Major General Igor Zinoviev (born in 1964) to the post of head of the capital’s criminal investigation department. Zinoviev’s predecessor as head of the MUR was Alexander Trushkin, who was recommended for this position by the Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev. Trushkin was appointed in September 2012. However, he soon did not develop a relationship with the head of the metropolitan police, Anatoly Yakunin. Several conflicts occurred between Yakunin and Trushkin during office meetings, as a result of which Trushkin resigned in October 2013, officially citing health reasons.

Igor Viktorovich Zinoviev was born in Moscow. In the internal affairs bodies since 1985. In 1989 he graduated from the Higher Police School of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. He started as an investigator of the criminal investigation department of the Moscow Main Internal Affairs Directorate. In 2000, he was appointed head of the criminal police of the Western Administrative District of Moscow. In 2002, he was appointed head of the criminal police of the Central Administrative District (CAO) of Moscow. In 2002, he was awarded the rank of police colonel. After undergoing recertification in 2011, by order of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Zinoviev was appointed to the position of deputy head of the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Central Administrative District of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for Moscow. On December 17, 2011, by decree of the President of Russia, he was appointed head of the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Northern Administrative District of Moscow.

By presidential decree N566 of June 12, 2013, he was awarded the rank of “Major General of Police.” During his service, he was awarded state and departmental awards, including medals “For Distinction in Service” I, II, III degrees, “For Impeccable Service” III degree, and “For Military Cooperation”.

Sergei Buravlev, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council

At the beginning of January, former deputy director of the FSB Sergei Buravlev, appointed to this post by presidential decree of December 16, 2013, took up his duties as deputy secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. The exact date and place of birth of Sergei Buravlev is not indicated in any of the official sources, including the websites of the FSB Security Council.

From June 2004 to December 2013, Sergei Buravlev served as deputy director of the FSB (until 2008 - Nikolai Patrushev, then Alexander Bortnikov). Since November 2007, he has also been the President of the Federal State Government Scientific Institution (FGKNU) "Academy of Cryptography of the Russian Federation". As of 2009, together with his wife and daughter, he owns two apartments (55 and 80 sq. m), a plot of land (1025 sq. m and rents another 495 sq. m) and drives a 1998 Kia Sephia car.

Mikhail Leontyev, vice president of Rosneft

The journalistic career of Mikhail Leontyev took an unexpected turn
Photo: Kirill Tulin, Kommersant

On January 13, Mikhail Leontyev takes up the position of vice president of the state company OJSC Rosneft (president - Igor Sechin). The responsibilities of Vladimir Tyulin (born in 1981) are transferred to Leontyev, who leaves the post of head of the information policy department of Rosneft. At the same time, Leontyev will retain his own projects: he will continue to host the “However” program on Channel One, as well as publish a magazine of the same name.

Mikhail Vladimirovich Leontyev was born on October 12, 1958 in Moscow. In 1980 he graduated from the general economics department of the Moscow Institute of National Economy. G. V. Plekhanov (Ministry of Economics), majoring in labor economics. After graduating from the institute, he worked in various research institutes, then entered vocational school N86, from which he graduated in 1985 with a degree in cabinetmaker. He worked as a private history tutor, as a watchman at the Boris Pasternak House-Museum in Peredelkino, and as a firefighter. In 1989, he was a freelance correspondent for the Socialist Industry newspaper. In 1989-1990 he worked as a Moscow correspondent for the Russian newspaper of the People's Front of Latvia (NFL) Atmoda (Riga). At the same time, in 1989-1990, he was a political observer for the Kommersant newspaper. He stopped collaborating with Atmoda after the leadership of the NFL switched from general democratic positions to the position of Latvian ethnic nationalism.

In 1990-1991 - employee of the Experimental Creative Center (ECC) of Sergei Kurginyan. In 1991, after leaving the ETC, he published an article in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, “The Mysterious Advisor to the Kremlin Leaders,” about Kurginyan. From 1990 to 1993, he served as head of the economics department of Nezavisimaya Gazeta. He led a campaign against the director of the Central Bank Georgy Matyukhin. In 1993 - first deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine "Business MN".

In 1993, together with Dmitry Ostalsky and Sergei Parkhomenko, he formed the journalistic team of the daily political and business newspaper Segodnya. In February 1993, he was one of the founders of the Editorial Board of the Segodnya newspaper LLP. From 1993 to 1996 - employee of the Segodnya newspaper, first deputy editor-in-chief, political observer.

In 1994, he was close to the “Common Cause” movement of Irina Khakamada. He became one of the few journalists with a liberal and democratic reputation who supported the entry of Russian military units into the territory of Chechnya. According to him, he is “a staunch supporter of a forceful solution to problems in Chechnya, since in relations with bandits a forceful solution is preferable to a peaceful one and any solution other than force is, to put it mildly, inconclusive” (Segodnya, September 4, 1996). In 1995-1996 he called himself a supporter of Alexander Lebed.

In December 1995, he ran as an independent candidate for the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the N203 Cheryomushkinsky electoral district of Moscow. Lost the election to Pavel Medvedev. In 1997, after the reorganization of the Segodnya newspaper, he left it and took part in the project of the Delo newspaper, sponsored by Mikhail Khodorkovsky (the newspaper was never published).

Since April 1997, he has been a columnist for the socio-political program service, presenter and director of the daily information and analytical program “Actually” of TV Center OJSC. From November 1997 to 1998, he was the author of the program “The Seventh Day” (“TV Center”). Since January 1998, he has been a regular contributor to the weekly business magazine "Company", and host of the magazine column "Fas!". In January 1999, he was an expert commentator on the program “Politics. Petersburg Style” on the Petersburg TV channel, in which he spoke out against the legislative power of St. Petersburg.

In February 1999, together with the “Actually” team, he joined the staff of the socio-political programs service of ORT OJSC. In one of his interviews, he stated: “... I do not share the views of those people who own TV Center...” (i.e., the Moscow City Hall, headed by Yuri Luzhkov). Since March 15, 1999 - presenter of the daily information and analytical program "However" of the information channel "Time" (ORT).

Since the summer of 1999, he has also been the editor-in-chief of the FAS “political hunting magazine.” In October 1999, the first issue of the magazine was published. In 2001, he hosted the “However” program in turn with Maxim Sokolov and Alexander Privalov. Since 2002 - head of the analytical department of the information programs directorate of ORT OJSC, then - Channel One.

In April 2001, he joined the political council of the Eurasia movement (leader - Alexander Dugin). Since September 2001, he has been the host of the Curfew program on Channel One. In December 2002, he joined the United Russia party. In 2003-2004 he acted as a commentator in the Russian View program on Channel 3. Since November 2004 - editor-in-chief of the Main Topic magazine. In 2007-2008 - editor-in-chief of the Profile magazine.

Resignations and appointments