Bortnikov Alexander Vasilyevich, Russian FSB Director

Chaika Yuri Yakovlevich, General Prosecutor

Fradkov Mikhail Efimovich, Foreign Intelligence Service Director

Fursenko Andrei Alexandrovich, Minister of Education and Science

Ivanov Victor Petrovich, head of Federal Drug Control Service

Ivanov Sergei Borisovich, Deputy Chairman of RF Government

Khristenko Victor Borisovich, Minister of Industry and Trade and Golikova Tatyana, Minister of Health and Social Development

Kudrin Alexei Leonidovich, ex-Minister of Finance

Levitin Igor Yevgenievich, Minister of Transport and Communication

Murov Evgeny Alexeyevich, Federal Protective Service director

Mutko Vitaly Leontievich, Minister of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy

Nabiullina Elvira Sahipzadovna, Minister of Economic Development

Patrushev Nikolai Platonovich, Security Council Secretary

Serdyukov Anatoly Eduardovich, Defense Minister

Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich, Minister of Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief

Shuvalov Igor Ivanovich, Government’s First Deputy Chairman

Skrynnik Elena Borisovna, Minister of Agriculture

Stepashin Sergei Vladimirovich, Accounts Chamber Chairman

Trutnev Yuri Petrovich, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology

Zhukov Alexander Dmitrievich, Deputy RF Prime Minister

Zubkov Victor Alekseyevich, First Deputy RF Prime Minister

«Russia's Power Families - 2011» / Serdyukov Anatoly Eduardovich, Defense Minister

Employed at: RF Government 

Positions held: 2001-2003: deputy head of Ministry of Taxes and Levies St. Petersburg division (reporting to his father-in-law Victor Zubkov). 2003-2004: head of the Tax Ministry’s St. Petersburg department. 2004-2007: head of RF Federal Tax Service (FTS). Since 2007: RF Defense Minister.

Business involvement: Starting in 1985, Anatoly Serdyukov was assistant section manager of Store No. 3, and assistant commercial director of Lenmebeltorg (Leningrade Furniture Sales) Trade Association Store. In 1992, the Association was privatized and continued operations as Mebel-Market (Furniture Market) St. Petersburg Industrial Trading Company OJSC (Mebel-Market), founded by the Municipal Property Management Committee (MPMC), then headed by Sergei Belyayev. In 1993-1995, Serdyukov was Mebel-Market’s deputy general director and marketing director, and, from 1995 to 2001, its general director. Mebel-Market shareholders included Serdyukov, his first wife Tatyana, other individuals, and Petrogrid Trading Company CHC (which, according to SPARK-Interfax, held a small share of Sevzapmebel (Northwest Furniture) Commercial Furniture Association OJSC, affiliated with Ladoga OJSC).

According to Delovoy Peterburg  (Business St. Petersburg) newspaper, Ladoga furniture factory was owned by Shevchenko brothers Vyacheslav (shot to death in Cyprus in 2003) and Sergei (convicted of extortion), both members of the so-called Tambov organized crime group headed (as established by investigators) by Vladimir Kumarin-Barsukov (arrested in 2007).

In 1991, Anatoly Serdyukov set up Mebius TPF LLP, and, in 1993, a company called Svit. In June 1998, together with Oleg Khukhly, Serdyukov co-founded Dialog LLC and became its general director. 

Oleg Khukhly’s Reserve Officers League co-founded Pokrov Charitable Foundation, which, according to SPARK-Interfax, is headed by Valery Ledovskikh (whom Kommersant newspaper calls Tambov mob boss right-hand man of and Vladimir Kumarin (Barsukov). Barsukov (Tambov mob’s “operations manager”) was named as defendant in several criminal cases involving extortion.

According to Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) sources, on December 21, 1995, a hitman opened machine-gun fire on a car registered to Rusland Company on St. Petersburg’s Rubinstein Street. St. Petersburg Regional Organized Crime Directorate’s 5^th department reported that the attack “was intended to kill V.S. Ledovskikh, leader of so-called Tambov crime group... protected by Soyuz-Union Reserve Officers League.” Oleg Khukhly’s Reserve Officers League partners are Soyuz-Union Security Company’s co-founders and security guards. According to SPARK-Interfax, Rusland co-founded Valery Ledovskikh’s Pokrov Foundation, which is currently raising funds for Butyrka Prison’s Pokrovsky church (as noted on the prison’s official website).

In 2008, the Spanish newspaper El Pais, citing police surveillance information, accused Anatoly Serdyukov of ties to Gennady Petrov (arrested in Spain as a Tambov-Malyshev mob boss together with Alexander Malyshev) and Petrov’s partner Victor Gavrilenkov (who escaped to Russia [from Spain]). The El Pais reporter said he is prepared to defend any libel suit Serdyukov may file, since the reporter is “certain about what he wrote in his article … and absolutely convinced the information is true.” Anatoly Serdyukov did not refute this. Subsequent media publications contained unconfirmed information that Gennady Petrov and Russian military officials were involved in illegal Russian arms sales. 

While head of FTS, Anatoly Serdyukov issued an instruction appointing Sergei Markevich as head of St. Petersburg Interregional Tax Inspectorate No. 15 (which was used to process Tambov mob’s hostile takeovers of the following companies: Igristye Vina (Sparkling Wines) CJSC, Krupskaya Confectionary Factory CJSC, Petersburg Oil Terminal CJSC, Usluga (Service) OJSC, Kanat OJSC, St. Petersburg Hotel OJSC, Lada-Service LLC, Nevsky-24 LLC and Chai-Kofe (Tea-Coffee) LLC. Three Inspectorate employees were convicted and sentenced to 6 – 8.5 years. Sergei Markevich was not charged; he was promoted and became head of FTS Samara Region, where he worked until 2011.

St. Petersburg media say Alexei Sargin (who has a criminal record and is considered close to Anatoly Serdyukov) had informal interests in Soyuz Group.

According to the Unified State Registry of Companies, the entrepreneur Alexei Sargin set up over 20 companies, in many of which Vasily Vladykovsky is listed as Sargin’s senior partner. Vladykovsky (Vladimir Barsukov’s former partner) fled Russia and was arrested in Ukraine in 2011. Vladkovsky is named in criminal cases regarding murders of Galina Starovoitova and Vladislav Listyev, and other high-profile crimes. Alexei Sargin has been declared a federal fugitive wanted for the attempted hostile takeover (together with Vladkovsky, according to the investigators) of U-Kazanskogo LLC. 

According to Unified State Registry of Companies archives, Soyuz Group LLC was co-founded by the brothers Alexander and Petr Usov, also mentioned in connection with the Tambov mob. According to SPARK-Interfax, Soyuz has changed its name to Rentinvest LLC, although the old company name is still used as a trading name: the holding company’s website states that Soyuz Industrial Group (IG) is comprised of companies called Lesplitintvest, SoyuzBaltKomplekt and Plitspichprom. 

According to SPARK-Interfax information on company-affiliated individuals, Lesplintinvest OJSC shareholders are: Artur Pozov (60%); Alexander Usov (30%), and Victor Shpakovsky (10%), who also own SoyuzBaltKomplekt (with Pozov holding the controlling share) and Plitspichporom CJSC (same shareholding proportion). Plitspichprom is a large Kaluga Region producer of wood matches and boards.

Soyuz Group companies are owned by business partners of Serdyukov’s relatives. For example, entrepreneur Valery Puzikov (married to Serdyukov’s sister Galina Puzikova) and Alexander Usov were involved in commercial disputes. An arbitration court decision on one of the disputes concerns the sale of a building by state-owned St. Petersburg Newspaper Complex OJSC to Usov and Puzikov.

The Usov brothers and Artur Pozov do business with the Ministry of Defense (MOD). In particular, in 2010, MOD (through an auction) sold Petr Usov a 1.9 ha. land lot and buildings on Morskaya St. 5 in Komarovo Village outside St. Petersburg. Artur Pozov took part in similar military real estate auctions.

Soyuz Group’s developer activity gave rise to public protests. For example, a 19^th century building on the corner of Stremyannaya St. and Povarsky Lane in St. Petersburg was demolished. After the investor refused to restore the building, the lot became a dump site.

The most notorious was the demolition of a building on Nevsky Prospect 68 previously used by Serdyukov-headed St. Petersburg tax authorities. While at FTS, Serdyukov helped relocate a regional tax service. The villa in the heart of Nevsky Prospect became vacant and was transferred to AvtoKomBalt LLC, a private company that planned to convert it to an expensive apartment hotel. AvtoKomBalt drew up plans for a gut rehab of the building, to include dismantling its main part. 

According to SPARK-Interfax, Artur Pozov and Alexander Usov own AvtoKomBalt LLC, whose registered address (among others) is the same as Soyuz IG (Rentinvest) LLC’s, while its telephone number is the same as the registered telephone number of Provisor, founded and previously headed by Sergei Markevich. 

The media hypothesized that “Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is the true developer of Nevsky Prospect 68; he urged Governor (Valentina Matvienko) to assist with his business interests.”

Business influence: in 2009, Minister of Defense Serdyukov joined the Izhevsk Machine Building Plant OJSC board of directors, which was chaired by Stanislav Puginsky (co-owner of Yegorov, Puginsky, Afanasyev & Partners law firm). Puginsky is still on the board together with Serdyukov.

MOD, St. Petersburg government (represented by Governor Valentina Matvienko), state-owned VTB Bank, and VTB-Development (headed by Valentina Matvienko’s son Sergei Matvienko) announced the 100 Bln. Rub. construction in Kronstadt of the “Sails of Kronstadt” Navy training and science center. Completion was initially set for 2013, but was subsequently deferred to 2015-17. It is known that much of the 43.6 ha. lot will be used for residential construction. 

Under Serdyukov as Defense Minister, BTK Group CJSC (owned by former Baltika Beer Brewing Company OJSC general director Taimuraz Bolloyev) became the military uniform supplier for army troops. In 2009 alone, BTK Group’s government contracts were over 1 Bln. Rub. The couturier Valentin Yudashkin received 23 Mln. Rub. to design the uniform, although some elements had to be re-done due to poor quality. Minister Serdyukov also decorated MOD with luxury furniture.

Anatoly Serdyukov actively supported the 2010 agreement with the French to buy two Mistral-class assault helicopter carriers and to build two such ships in Russia, while writing off two large (and considered mission-capable) Russian assault carriers carrying the names Alexander Nikolayev and Mitrofan Moskalenko. The Mistral deal may fall through, as it turned out that ship prices are inflated, while contract documentation does not fully address modern technology transfer to Russia by the French. Without such technology, the purchase makes no sense for Russia. President Medvedev fired Vice-Admiral Nikolai Borisov who was responsible for the project. 

Family:

First wife Tatyana Anatolyevna Serdyukova is an entrepreneur. In the 1990s, she and Serdyukov were Mebel-Market OJSC shareholders. She was also listed as co-owner of Mebel-Market Store No. 11 LLC and, according to SPARK-Interfax, she was also general director of Mebel-Market Store No. 25.

Second wife Yulia Victorovna Pokhlebenina (née Zubkova, RF deputy Prime Minister Victor Zubkov’s daughter) is a developer, previously married to Nikolai Pokhlebenin (son of Gennady Pokhlebenin, former first secretary of Priozersk CPSU city committee who had close work ties to Anatoly Serdyukov’s father-in-law). Together with her first husband, Yulia Pokhlebenina set up Sever (North) CHC. Pokhlebenina previously managed Parus [Sail] aquatic fitness club, designed by Kinef (Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis) project authors.

In 2006, Yulia Pokhlebenina defended her Ph.D. dissertation entitled: “Justice as government activity and guarantee of an individual’s legal status.”

Anatoly Serdyukov’s 2010 income was 4,751,695.00 Rub., while Yulia Pokhlebenina’s was 24,912,700.00 Rub. The Minister owns a 1,357 m² land lot, a 187 m² residential home, and a 12.9 m² garage. His wife is the registered owner of VW and Toyota Land Cruiser automobiles. She also holds shares in four land lots, a 100 m² apartment, and spacious non-residential commercial real estate: 220.6 m²; 491.4 m²; 72 m², 70 m²; 94 m²; and 96.8 m². Yulia Pokhlebenina is also lessee of a 971.4 m² space.

 Son from first marriage Sergei Anatolyevich Serdyukov was born on June 23, 1987 and was registered as residing in St. Petersburg with his mother.

 Adopted daughter Anastasia Nikolayevna Pokhlebenina is a law student born in 1993 (unconfirmed). She is a first-year student at St. Petersburg State University Law School.

 Daughter from second marriage Natalia Anatolyevna Serdyukova is in grade school.

According to Serdyukov’s tax return, both of his daughters own real estate: one owns a 293.6 m² apartment to which the Minister has user rights, while the other owns a 155.6 m² apartment. The tax return does not specify which daughter owns which apartment.

Sister Galina Eduardovna Puzikova (née Serdyukova) is an entrepreneur. According to SPARK-Interfax, she is general director of Mebius LLC, registered at the same address as Mebel-Market Store No. 11 LLC where Anatoly Serdyukov’s first wife used to work.

The same address is also used to register Clean Line LLC, which, according to SPARK-Interfax, is owned by Galina Puzikova. 

According to Institute of Social Development’s government contract overview, Clean Line LLC’s income for 2006-2010 was 375,728,374.00 Rub. (around $13 Mln.), with contracts from such government agencies as FTS, MOD (headed by Puzikova’s brother Serdyukov) and Rosfinmonitoring (headed by Serdyukov’s father-in-law Victor Zubkov at contract signing time). The contracts concerned premises cleaning and building utility system servicing. 

In St. Petersburg, Galina Puzikova owns Autoservice-MM LLC (registered at the same address as Mebel-Market OJSC) and Techcenter LLC. Autoservice director Anatoly Tartakovsky is also director of Mebel-Market OJSC.

Techcenter is registered at the same address as Neva-Konkurs (Neva Auction) which, according to SPARK-Interfax, was awarded auction contracts by St. Petersburg FTS and another federal entity, the FTS St. Petersburg Engineering and Technical Center (previously headed by Galina Puzikova’s husband).

Brother-in-law Valery Nikolayevich Puzikov is married to Serdyukov’s younger sister. Like Anatoly Serdyukov, entrepreneur Puzikov is from Krasnodar Krai.

The April 14, 2011 financial report of St. Petersburg Bank (board chairman is Alexander Savelyev) lists as Bank shareholders Investproject LLC (owned by Valery Puzikov) and Streletz-2 LLC (owned by Sergei Matvienko, son of St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko).

With Valentina Matvienko as St. Petersburg Governor, Valery Puzikov’s Autocenter-Soyuz 021 LLC was leased a 6,593 m² lot across from 36-1 Thälmann St. “for automobile dealership, shopping and recreation center design and construction feasibility study.”

In 2007, St. Petersburg government allocated to Autocenter-Soyuz 021 LLC another lot (6,330 m²) near Thälmann St. (northeast of Cheliyev Lane 12A) for a multi-story parking garage construction feasibility study.

Cheliyev Lane 11 is the registered address of Mebel-Market OJSC, previously owned by Anatoly Serdyukov. According to SPARK-Interfax, Serdyukov’s brother-in-law is still registered as Mebel-Market LLC founder. 

In 2008-09, Autocenter-Soyuz 021 LLC signed a long-term lease of an 8,527 m² lot on Thälmann St., southeast of its intersection with Iskrovsky Avenue, where Valery Puzikov’s company planned to build another parking structure. According to St. Petersburg Technical and Administrative Inspectorate, Autocenter-Soyuz 021 LLC’s construction partner is Stroiimpuls SMU-2 LLC, which specializes in large development projects for the FSB, FTS and MOD.

According to SPARK-Interfax, Valery Puzikov owns Hydron LLC, Vector-SPb LLC and SPiK LLC. SPiK (also registered on Cheliyev Lane) is a wholesaler of sunflower oilseeds and  Ukh-Ty! (Wow!) brand consumer sunflower seeds. Puzikov also co-owns Axel-City LLC, Axel-Motors North LLC (BMW showroom and dealership), and Axel Group, which is developing an estimated $90 Mln. “automotive village” project near Bugry Village not far from St. Petersburg Beltway.

In 2006-7, Valery Puzikov set up Gamma Service LLC, which received a total of over 11 Mln. Rub. in government non-residential lease contracts from FTS-St. Petersburg.

After Serdyukov left FTS for MOD, his brother-in-law Puzikov became acting head of an agency previously known as FTS St. Petersburg Engineering and Technical Center. The Center was later moved under MOD’s authority and renamed MOD St. Petersburg Engineering and Technical Center, a federal unitary enterprise, where Puzikov was director until 2010.

The Center received large government contracts from FTS and MOD agencies. In 2009 alone, it received 2,138,260,080.00 Rub. (around $70 Mln.) in contracts, of which 546 Mln. Rub. (over $18 Mln.) was from MOD for the use of Tu-134 aircraft, and vehicle rental and service.

In December 2010, MOD (through Sberbank) solicited an automotive procurement bid (where the Center was the only bidder), resulting in MOD leasing 553 cars from the Center (including Porsche Cayenne, BMW Series 5 and 7, luxury class Mercedes, Volkswagen Multivan, Fiat Doblo, Fiat Ducato, Ford Focus, Ford Transit, GAZ automobiles, ambulances, and other vehicles). The contract price was 10.3 Bln. Rub. and was not reduced. An MOD source is convinced this contract saved MOD money.

It has not been disclosed where the Center purchased the vehicles for MOD, or whether Center director Valery Puzikov’s former automotive business was one of the suppliers.

According to Kommersant, Serdyukov’s trusted person is another former Engineering and Technical Center director, Dmitry Andreyev, with whose help Serdyukov tried to gain control of Volgograd Khimprom OJSC, where Serdyukov chaired the board of directors from 2007 to 2009. Andreyev was elected general director of Volgograd Khimprom OJSC at a July 2007 extraordinary shareholder meeting, and remained general director until 2010.

Closest friends: 

In 1998, Anatoly Serdyukov’s only registered partner in Dialog LLC was entrepreneur Oleg Anatolyevich Khukhly. According to SPARK-Interfax, Khukhly is affiliated with State Security Reserve Officers League; Officers League Management Company LLC; Real Factory LLC; and Northwest Region Trade and Industry Enterprise Support Foundation.

Khukhly’s partner at Northwest Region Trade and Industry Enterprise Support Foundation (dissolved in 2010) was Oleg Semenovich Shuster, who has a criminal record. In his book Banditsky St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg of Gangsters), journalist Andrei Bakonin (Konstantinov) (who chairs the St. Petersburg Creative Journalists Union), writes, based on police documents, that on September 13, 1990 “Shuster was detained by police and, that same day, a criminal case of extortion was initiated based on Internal Affairs Department No. 6 materials. According to the case file, Shuster and three friends (judo sports masters Kapustin, Sokman and Kanonerov) earned a living through racketeering – collecting protection money from black marketeers selling their wares near the marine passenger terminal’s Morskaya Hotel, where Shuster’s crew also controlled prostitutes, pimps and pick-pockets.”

Describing how the St. Petersburg’s prostitution market is organized, Kommersant states that, in the 1990s, “Tambov mob boss Oleg Shuster took patronage over this business … and his first jail sentence was for assaulting a prostitute.”

According to the Unified State Registry of Companies, Khukhly and Shuster’s Northwest Region Trade and Industry Enterprise Support Foundation partner was entrepreneur Garegin Gerbertovich Tzaturov. 

According to SPARK-Interfax, Khukhly, Shuster and Tzaturov’s Foundation set up Valery Ledovskikh’s Pokrov charity, and, through the Foundation’s subsidiary Center T CJSC, controlled shares of several St. Petersburg companies, including Apek-Trade holding company. The Foundation was also affiliated with outfits of Leningrad Pella Shipbuilding Plant OJSC, where Gerbert Robertovich Tzaturov (Garegin Tzaturov’s father) is general director. After Serdyukov became Minister of Defense, in 2008 and 2010, Tzaturov-Sr.’s Plant received 1,266,053,545 Rub. (around $45 Mln.) in MOD contracts, one of which was for building five “Project 90600” harbor tugs.

According to RF State Statistics Service, Pella OJSC is co-owned by Midel CJSC, one of whose registered shareholders is Pasha Bimbashevich Mgoyan (whose daughter is the singer Zarifa (Zara) Mgoyan (ex-wife of Sergei Matvienko, the son of St. Petersburg Governor)). Zara Mgoyan is currently married to Sergei Ivanov, former St. Petersburg pharmaceuticals entrepreneur and currently Moscow city government pharmaceutical department head.

Oleg Shuster also has business interests in the nation’s capital Moscow. According to the tax service, in 1999-2004, Shuster received salaries from the RF Justice Ministry, RF Accounts Chamber, Moscow Southern Administrative District prefecture, and RF Agriculture Ministry, where Shuster was Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev’s assistant. 

In 2003, the National Judo Union (NJU) was set up as an alternative to the Russian Judo Federation (RJF). Alexei Gordeyev was elected NJU head, and Oleg Shuster was elected Gordeyev’s first deputy. In 2004, following a protracted conflict, Gordeyev became RJF president (replacing Vladimir Shestakov), and Shuster became vice president responsible for RJF operations. According to SPARK-Interfax, RJF had a network of subsidiaries that set up various businesses.

In 1998, Oleg Shuster defended his Ph.D. in Education thesis entitled “Media as Combat Sports Management Factor.” The dissertation defense took place at P.F. Lesgaft National University of Physical Education, Sports and Health. In 2005, Shuster defended his Doctor of Psychology dissertation entitled “Psychology of a Healthy Lifestyle and the Media,” published by St. Petersburg State University.

In 2010, Grigory Naginsky (Federation Council member and founder of Titan-2 construction company group CJSC) became head of MOD’s Billeting, Facilities and Installation Service with the rank of Deputy Minister. Titan-2-affiliated Glavtitanstroi CJSC intended to receive a 12 Bln. Rub. MOD contract to build Russia’s largest medical research and practice center at St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy. However, Titan-2 formally withdrew from the project following media controversy. After Naginsky went to work for the government, his daughter Yelena Naginskaya became head of Titan-2. 

Starting at around the same time, Grigory Naginsky was involved in a protracted struggle over funds of Russian Federal Special Construction Agency (Spetzstroi) responsible for building military, space, residential and other special facilities. 

Defense Minister Serdyukov had a conflict Spetzstroi head, the Army General Nikolai Abroskin who had the right to report directly to the RF President and RF Prime Minister. Around the same time, Abroskin became target of a wide-scale negative PR media campaign regarding corruption at Spetzstroi.

In January 2011, Nikolai Abroskin turned 60 (military service age limit), yet continued to hold his position, which, according to RBK Daily made Anatoly “very unhappy, and he did not … conceal his discontent in the presence of the nation’s leaders. Recently, while Spetzstroi director [Abroskin] was reporting to President Medvedev on facility completion deadlines, Minister Serdyukov, who was standing nearby, interrupted by saying the deadlines will probably not be met.” As a result, Abroskin was dismissed as Spetzstroi director in April 2011, and, on Serdyukov’s recommendation, replaced with Grigory Naginsky. 

Among other St. Petersburg businessmen known to have followed Anatoly Serdyukov to Moscow is Nikolai Tamodin (general director of Nienshantz CJSC), who was appointed as general director of MOD-supervised telecommunications company Voyentelecom OJSC.

Lev Vinnik (former St. Petersburg construction committee’s investment management department head) became Minister Serdyukov’s construction advisor. Previously, Vinnik sold army real estate near Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway; he is also involved in planning the relocation of Navy headquarters to St. Petersburg (which Grigory Naginsky says will cost around 15-20 Bln. Rub.).

According to Moscow Komsomoletz (MK), Lev Vinnik was also involved in developing an MOD asset privatization system with the help of Leonid Sorokko (former general director of MOD building contractor Peter the Great CJSC) and Alexander Gorbunov (former general director of Leninetz Plant Scientific and Technical Center OJSC).

Advisor to Minister Serdyukov is Vladimir Dedyukhin of St. Petersburg (former assistant to Serdyukov’s father-in-law Victor Zubkov). Dedyukhin was considered for the position of Deputy Minister for logistics. Valentin Vereschaka (also from St. Petersburg; worked at FTS with Serdyukov) was appointed head of MOD’s state civil service department. 

Serdyukov’s MOD deputy is Dmitry Chushkin (who was Serdyukov’s FTS deputy).

Also appointed Deputy Defense Minister is Tatyana Shevtzova (Serdyukov’s former FTS deputy). Alexander Sukhorukov was appointed head of Federal Defense Procurement Service. Previously, Sukhorukov headed the FTS organizing and inspection department, and was later advisor to the Defense Minister and head of MOD’s organizing and inspection department. Sukhorukov was also assistant to Victor Zubkov when Zubkov was RF Prime Minister.

In 2010, Mikhail Mokretzov (Serdyukov’s former FTS deputy and FTS head since February 2007) became head of the Defense Minister’s staff, and was appointed Deputy Defense Minister.

Igor Golikov (former deputy FTS head) became one of Sukhorukov’s Federal Defense Procurement Service deputies.

In 2010, Nadezhda Sinikova was appointed head of the Federal Weapons, Military, Special Equipment and Material Supplies Procurement Agency (Rosoboronpostavka – Defense Procurement Agency). In St. Petersburg, Sinikova was Anatoly Serdyukov’s local FTS deputy. After Serdyukov was appointed FTS head, Sinikova became head of Moscow tax authorities in 2004, then became assistant to the Defense Minister.

In 2011, Olga Stepanova (former head of Moscow Tax Inspectorate No. 28) was transferred to Defense Procurement Agency. According to Stop the Untouchables website, starting in 2006, Stepanova (with help from Tax Inspectorate staff) allegedly paid 15.6 Bln. Rub. in government funds to various companies as tax refunds. According to published documents, Olga Stepanova’s family (whose official annual income was $38,381.00) allegedly bought assets valued at over $38 Mln. ($38,912,000.00), including villas in Moscow Region, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Montenegro, and two UAE apartments. RBK Daily reports that, after examining these documents, “the Swiss prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal case involving Olga Stepanova’s … money laundering through Swiss banks.” In Russia, Stepanova is named as witness in a criminal case involving VAT refund schemes.

Colonel Andrei Kolupov was believed to be Serdyukov’s protégé. When Kolupov was considered for promotion to General and appointment as Signal Corps commander, a criminal case was initiated against Kolupov under RF CC Art. 159(4) (fraud in an especially large amount).

The MOD website states that one of MOD’s main areas is economic activity. All RF MOD enterprises are joined into nine holding companies managed by parent company Oboronservice (Defense Service) OJSC, whose general director is Sergei Khursevich (former Stavropol Krai FTS head). Anatoly Serdyukov chairs the Oboronservice OJSC board of directors; board members include Mikhail Mokretzov, Marina Balakireva (head of MOD legal department, previously tax authority employee), Evgenia Vasilyeva (head of MOD property relations department), Olga Vasilyeva (head of MOD finance support department), Alla Yashina (former head of Interregional Tax Inspectorate No. 1 that oversaw the oil industry, and prior to that head of Tax Inspectorate No. 6 involved with the transport industry).

Defense Service OJSC manages the following companies: Aviaremont, Spetzremont, Remvooruzheniye, Oboronstroi, Agroprom, Oboronenergo, Voentorg, Krasnaya Zvezda, and Slavyanka, all of which conduct business activity.