Sergei Borisovich Ivanov (Russian: Сергей Борисович Иванов, IPA: [sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈrʲisəvʲɪtɕ ɪvɐˈnof]; born 31 January 1953), a Russian senior official and politician, has served as the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on the Issues of Environmental Activities, Environment and Transport since 12 August 2016.
Sergei Ivanov | |
|---|---|
| Сергей Иванов | |
 | |
| Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on the Issues of Environmental Activities, Environment and Transport | |
| Assumed office 12 August 2016 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration | |
| In office 22 December 2011 – 12 August 2016 | |
| President | Dmitry Medvedev Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Sergey Naryshkin |
| Succeeded by | Anton Vaino |
| First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia | |
| In office 15 February 2007 – 12 May 2008 Served alongside Dmitry Medvedev | |
| Prime Minister | Mikhail Fradkov Viktor Zubkov Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Dmitry Medvedev |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 28 March 2001 – 15 February 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Mikhail Kasyanov Mikhail Fradkov Viktor Zubkov Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Igor Sergeyev |
| Succeeded by | Anatoliy Serdyukov |
| Secretary of the Security Council | |
| In office 15 November 1999 – 28 March 2001 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Vladimir Putin |
| Succeeded by | Vladimir Rushailo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 January 1953 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia) |
| Spouse | Natalia Ivanova |
| Children | Alexander Sergey |
| Alma mater | Saint Petersburg State University FSB Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union (1975-1991)  Russia (1991-2000) |
| Branch/service | KGB Foreign Intelligence Service Federal Security Service |
| Years of service | 1975–2000 |
| Rank | Colonel General |
Ivanov had held the posts of Minister of Defense of Russia from March 2001 to February 2007, of Deputy Prime Minister from November 2005 to February 2007, and of First Deputy Prime Minister from February 2007 to May 2008. After the election of Dmitry Medvedev as President of Russia, Ivanov was reappointed a Deputy Prime Minister (in office: 2008-2011) in Vladimir Putin's second cabinet. From December 2011 to August 2016 Ivanov worked as the Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office.[1] Having served in the Soviet KGB and in its successor, the Federal Security Service, he holds the rank of colonel general.
Before joining the federal administration in Moscow, Ivanov, a fluent speaker of English, served from the late 1970s in Europe and in Africa (Kenya) as a specialist in law and foreign languages. As an employee of the KGB in the Soviet-Union era, Ivanov became a friend of his colleague Vladimir Putin,[2] who appointed him as his Deputy in the late 1990s[when?].
Youth, education, and early career
Ivanov was born on 31 January 1953 in Leningrad. In 1975, he graduated from the English translation branch of the Department of Philology at Leningrad State University, where he majored in English and Swedish. In the late 1970s, Ivanov began a career spanning two decades on the staff of the external intelligence service. In 1976, he completed postgraduate studies in counterintelligence, graduating from Higher Courses of the KGB in Minsk.[citation needed]
Upon graduating in 1976, Ivanov was sent to serve for the Leningrad and Leningrad Oblast KGB Directorate, where he became a friend of Vladimir Putin, then a colleague of his.[2][3][4] In 1981, he studied at the Red Banner Institute of KGB.
In the 1980s, Ivanov served as Second Secretary at the Soviet Embassy in Helsinki, working directly under the KGB resident Felix Karasev.[5]
After Finland, he was sent to Kenya as KGB resident.[3]
In 2015, Ivanov stated that he had been ruined and his career in the KGB destroyed because of Oleg Gordievsky's defection and exfiltration on 19 July 1985 from Moscow through the northwestern part of the Soviet Union near Leningrad and then through Finland to the United Kingdom.[6] Gordievsky's defection greatly embarrassed both the KGB and the Soviet Union. As a result, the Leningrad directorate, which was responsible for surveillance of British subjects at the time, had numerous persons purged from its service by Viktor Babunov, the head of counterintelligence, including many people close to Vladimir Putin, who also served with the Leningrad KGB at the time.[7]
Career in Moscow
In August 1998, Vladimir Putin became head of the FSB, and appointed Ivanov his deputy. As deputy director of the Federal Security Service, Ivanov solidified his reputation in Moscow as a competent analyst in matters of domestic and external security.[8]
Head of the Security Council
On 15 November 1999, Boris Yeltsin appointed Ivanov as secretary of the Security Council of Russia, an advisory body charged with formulating presidential directives on national security. In that position, Ivanov replaced Putin as Yeltsin's national security adviser upon Putin's promotion to the premiership.
As secretary, Ivanov was responsible for coordinating the daily work of the council, led by the president. But Ivanov's role as secretary was initially unclear to media observers. At the time of his appointment, the Security Council was a relatively new institution. (The council was set up by Yeltsin's tutelage in 1991–1992).[9] Between 1992 and Ivanov's appointment in 1999, Yeltsin used the council as political expediency dictated but did not allow it to emerge as a relatively strong and autonomous institution.[9] According to Western analysts, Ivanov's predecessors in that post – including Putin – were either the second most powerful political figure in Russia or just another functionary lacking close access to the center of state power, depending on their relationship with Yeltsin.[9]
Minister of Defense
Ivanov was named by Vladimir Putin, who had succeeded Yeltsin as President on 31 December 1999, as Russia's Minister of Defense in March 2001. That month, Ivanov stepped down as secretary of the Security Council, but remained a member. Ivanov had resigned from military service around a year earlier, and was a civilian while serving as secretary of the Security Council. Ivanov therefore became Russia's first civilian Defense minister.[10] Putin called the personnel changes in Russia's security structures coinciding with Ivanov's appointment as Defense minister "a step toward demilitarizing public life." Putin also stressed Ivanov's responsibility for overseeing military reform as Defense minister.[11]
Unsurprisingly to specialists on Russia, Ivanov became bogged down in the sheer difficulty of his duties as Defense Minister. But, despite bureaucratic inertia and corruption in the military, Ivanov did preside over some changes in the form of a shift towards a more professional army. Although Ivanov was not successful in abandoning the draft, he did downsize it.[11]
As Defense Minister, Ivanov worked with U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to expand Russian-U.S. cooperation against international terrorist threats to both states.[12]
On May 2001, Ivanov was elected chairman of the Council of Commonwealth of Independent States Defense Ministers.
In October 2003, Ivanov claimed that Russia did not rule out a pre-emptive military strike anywhere in the world if the national interest demands it.[13]
In 2004, Ivanov, as Defense Minister, pledged state support to the suspects in Chechen leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev's assassination detained in Qatar and declared that their imprisonment was illegal.[14] Later, Qatari prosecutors concluded that the suspects had received the order to eliminate Zelimkhan Yandarbiev from Ivanov personally.[15]
In January 2006, Ivanov received criticism for his downplaying response to the public outcry over a particularly brutal hazing incident at a military base in the Urals, which involved Andrey Sychyov as a victim, whose legs and genitals were amputated due to the vicious beatings and abuse.[11][16][17][18]
From time to time, Ivanov has disconcerted Western audiences with the bluntness of his remarks on international military and political issues, though his political orientation is moderate and generally liberal on economic issues. In a series of public comments on the 2003–2004 elections, for instance, he unequivocally stated his opposition to rolling back the Western-style economic reforms and privatizations of the 1990s.[11]
On 15 December 2006 in Moscow, Ivanov said to foreign correspondents about Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned in London in November, which made headlines in the West: "For us, Litvinenko was nothing. We didn't care what he said and what he wrote on his deathbed."[19][20]
Deputy Prime Minister
In November 2005, Ivanov was appointed to the post of Deputy Prime Minister in Mikhail Fradkov's Second Cabinet, with added responsibility for the Manufacturing industry and arms exports. On 15 February 2007, Putin relieved him of his duties as Defense Minister and elevated him to the position as First Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility over defense industry, aerospace industry, nanotechnology and transport[21] In June 2007, Ivanov was appointed chairman of the Government Council for Nanotechnology.[22]
2008 presidential election
Because of Putin's popularity with voters, opinion polls and Russian political analysts expected Putin's endorsement to help any preferred candidate in the 2008 Russian presidential election.[citation needed] Speculation intensified in November 2005 with Ivanov's promotion to the rank of Deputy Prime Minister.[11] The speculation further intensified in February 2007 with Ivanov's promotion to the post of First Deputy Prime Minister,[10] but rumours ceased after the United Russia party nominated Ivanov's colleague Dmitry Medvedev to run for the presidency - with Putin's backing. Ivanov expressed his support for Medvedev's candidacy as well.[23]
Russian opinion polls suggested that Ivanov enjoyed wide name-recognition among the Russian public with relatively strong approval ratings.[24][25]
Ivanov's career, in terms of his background and rise through Russia's state structures, was often[quantify] compared to Putin's, fueling speculation that Ivanov might run for president in 2008. Three months younger than Putin, Ivanov had been a student contemporary of Putin's in their hometown of Leningrad where both completed competitive specialized secondary-education programs (Putin in chemistry, Ivanov in English language) before attending Leningrad State University.[26] Both completed postgraduate studies in counterintelligence; and both joined the foreign intelligence service shortly afterward. However, according to Ivanov's recollections, he did not become acquainted with Putin during their time as students, but rather when both were assigned to work in the same foreign-intelligence division in Leningrad.[26]
Chief of Staff
In December 2011, Ivanov was appointed Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia.[27] He was noted for his hawkish views during the Ukrainian crisis and towards the West and his major role in lobbying for the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War.[28]
On 12 August 2016, Ivanov was relieved from his Chief of Staff position by Putin and replaced by Anton Vaino. Ivanov then became a special envoy for transportation and the environment. Putin's firing of Ivanov was part of a series of replacements of Putin's older peers with young loyalists.[29] The Steele dossier (Report 2016/111) claims that his encouragement of meddling in the 2016 United States presidential election, which provoked unanticipated blowback against the Kremlin, was the catalyst for his firing.[30]
Sanctions
On 20 March 2014, the American Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that Ivanov and 19 other Russian oligarchs had been added to the Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN).[31][32][33][34][35][36]
Personal life
Ivanov married in 1976 and has two children.[citation needed]
He is fluent in English and Swedish as well as speaking Norwegian, and some French. His hobbies include fishing, and reading detective novels in the original English.[26] Ivanov supports CSKA Moscow, he can often be seen at PFC CSKA and PBC CSKA matches. [citation needed]
On 20 May 2005, a Volkswagen driven by Ivanov's eldest son, Alexander (1977–2014), struck and killed a 68-year-old woman, Svetlana Beridze, on a zebra crossing. Charges against him were, however, dropped.[37][38][39] Alexander Ivanov died on 3 November 2014; he drowned in the sea in United Arab Emirates.[40][41]
References
- ^ "Putin dismisses powerful chief of staff". News24. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ a b Иванов, Сергей — Руководитель администрации президента России [Ivanov, Sergey — Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia] (in Russian). Lenta.ru.
- ^ a b Biography Archived 20 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine by Vladimir Pribylovsky (in Russian).
- ^ Russia Profile – Who's Who?. Archived 11 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Heikki Hellman: Who remembers 2nd Secretary Ivanov?. hs.fi. 3 April 2007. (Archived 22 June 2007).
- ^ MacIntyre 2018, p. 329.
- ^ MacIntyre 2018, p. 103, 213, 317.
- ^ Makarkin, Aleksei; Sycheva, Valeria (16 November 1999). "Putin's Electoral Staff Opens Inside Ministry of Defense". Segodnya. P. 2 Russian Press Digest.
- ^ a b c "ISCIP - Perspective". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ a b Finn, Peter (15 February 2007). "Russian Leader Expands Powers of a Possible Successor". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d e "The Russia Index 2006–50 Key Players in Business and Politics" (PDF). p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2006.
- ^ "The Avalon Project : Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy". Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Russia bares its military teeth. BBC News. 2 October 2003.
- ^ Sergei Ivanov has promised to strive for discharge of the Russian prisoners in Qatar. Lenta.ru. 3 March 2004 (in Russian). Archived 14 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sergei Ivanov Tied to the Case of the Russians in Qatar by Mikhail Zygar. Kommersant, 13 April 2004.
- ^ Russian Soldier Brutally Hazed. Archived 29 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine. CBS News.
- ^ "Violent Bullying of Russian Conscripts Exposed". The Washington Post. 30 January 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Hazing Trial Bares Dark Side of Russia's Military. The New York Times. 11 August 2006.
- ^ Poisoned Spy’s Wife Says He Feared Kremlin’s Long Reach by Alan Cowell. The New York Times. 17 December 2006.
- ^ Сергей Иванов рассказал о "дурной репутации" Литвиненко [Sergei Ivanov told about Litvinenko’s "bad reputation"] (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 16 December 2006
- ^ "Putin Promotes Sergei Ivanov to First Deputy Premier (Update3)". Bloomberg. 15 February 2007.
- ^ "Twelve who have Putin's ear". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 15 October 2007.
- ^ Ivanov had prior knowledge of Medvedev’s nomination. Archived 3 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Ivanov Leads, Zubkov Negligible in Russia. Archived 8 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Levada Center poll: 2008 elections. Archived 30 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine. (in Russian).
- ^ a b c
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2006.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Andrew E. Kramer (28 December 2011). "Political Promotions in Russia Appear to Belie President's Promise of Reform". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ "The urge to purge? Vladimir Putin's powerful right-hand man steps down". The Economist. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Macfarquhar, Neil (12 August 2016). "Putin Dismisses Sergei Ivanov, a Longtime Ally, as Chief of Staff". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Steele Dossier | Company Intelligence Report 2016/111: Russia/US: Kremlin Fallout from Media Exposure of Moscow's Interference in the US Presidential Campaign". TheMoscowProject.org. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ "Treasury Sanctions Russian Officials, Members Of The Russian Leadership's Inner Circle, And An Entity For Involvement In The Situation In Ukraine". US Department of the treasury.
- ^ "Executive Order - Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine". The White House - Office of the Press Secretary.
- ^ "Ukraine-related Designations". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN)". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ Shuklin, Peter (21 March 2014). "Putin's inner circle: who got in a new list of US sanctions". liga.net. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ President of The United States (19 March 2016). "Ukraine EO13661" (PDF). Federal Register. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ Russian motorists enraged by elite's flashing blue lights by Adrian Blomfield. The Daily Telegraph. 13 February 2006.
- ^ The St. Petersburg Times. 25 November 2005. [dead link]
- ^ Sergei Ivanov. Biography by Vladimir Pribylovsky (in Russian). Archived 20 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Сын Сергея Иванова погиб в ОАЭ [Son of Sergei Ivanov died in the UAE] (in Russian). RBK Group. 5 November 2014.
- ^ "Son Of Putin's Chief Of Staff Dies At 37". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- MacIntyre, Ben (18 September 2018). The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War. Signal. ISBN 978-0771060335.
External links
