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» / Zubkov Victor Alekseyevich, First Deputy RF Prime Minister

Employed at: Government of the Russian Federation

Positions held: 1992-1993: St. Petersburg Mayor’s Office Foreign Relations Committee Deputy Chairman; 1993-2001: Head of St. Petersburg tax authorities; 2001-4: First Deputy RF Minister of Finance, Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Committee; 2004-7: Head of RF Federal Financial Monitoring Service[1]; 2007-8: RF Prime Minister. From 2008: First Deputy RF Prime Minister.

Business involvement: 1992: Etamarket CHC director. From 2008: chairman of the board of directors at Gazprom OJSC and RosAgroLeasing OJSC (Russia’s largest agricultural leasing company). Zubkov is also on the boards of directors of state-owned VneshEconomBank (VEB) and Rosselkhozbank (Russian Agricultural Bank) OJSC.

Influence on business: During perestroika, Zubkov chaired the Priozersk Municipal Executive Committee. Subsequently, at the request of future RF President and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Victor Zubkov found a land lot in Leningrad Region’s Priozersk District where Putin’s country home could be built along with villas for a group of individuals who founded Ozero (Lake), a country home consumer cooperative. Cooperative members included Putin, Vladimir Yakunin (head of Russian Railways[2] OJSC); Andrei Fursenko (RF Minister of Education); Sergei Fursenko (National MediaGroup CJSC president), Yuri Kovalchuk (chairman of the Russia Joint-Stock Bank OJSC board of directors); Victor Myachin (former Russia Joint-Stock Bank OJSC chairman of the board); and Nikolai Shamalov (Russia Joint-Stock Bank OJSC co-owner). Ozero cooperative’s director position was taken by Vladimir Smirnov, who headed the St. Petersburg Fuel Company as well as the Department of RF Presidential Affairs Supply Enterprise (a federal state unitary enterprise) and TechSnabExport OJSC.

Victor Zubkov also helped find country home sites in the same area for state security officers – future FSB director and RF Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev and future Federal Drug Control Service head Victor Cherkesov. 

In 1992, Victor Zubkov helped create a farmers’ association called “St. Petersburg to the Farmers,” which was headed by Vladimir Putin, who at the time chaired the St. Petersburg Mayor’s Office Foreign Relations Committee. One of the Association’s primary objectives was allocating foreign loans. The German government allocated funds to Russian troops withdrawn from Germany to help servicemen get involved in agriculture after demobilization. The loans were obtained and disbursed. During program implementation, St. Petersburg municipal government and Leningrad Regional government fought over control of the resources. No reliable information was found on either the [program’s] socio-economic contribution to agriculture or on the exact number of former enlisted men, officers and warrant officers who became agro-entrepreneurs.

In 1999, Victor Zubkov unsuccessfully ran for Leningrad Region governor, with Boris Gryzlov running his election campaign. Zubkov also received support from KirishiNefteorgSynthez ([city of] Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis – “Kinef”) OJSC and International Petroleum Products (whose executive director at the time was Gennady Timchenko, founder of Gunvor Energy oil trading company closely linked to Vladimir Putin). Timchenko also co-owned Kinef’s primary export division, Kinex OJSC.

After becoming head of Russian financial intelligence, Victor Zubkov announced in 2002 the creation of a database which would contain information on all financial transactions that were either suspicious or exceeded 600,000 Rub. In 2003, the Financial Monitoring Committee (FMC) compiled a list of 1,623 individuals and 133 companies suspected of terrorist, extremist or criminal activity. The FMC succeeded in amending laws that now obligated real estate agencies, notaries and financial consultants to inform Victor Zubkov’s agency of their clients’ transactions. 

The same year, Sergei Serdyukov (LenTransGas LLC director) resigned after a tax dispute with Zubkov, and Sergei Fursenko (Gennady Timchenko’s business partner and Ozero cooperative member) took over as LenTransGas director. LenTransGas is close to Gazpom.

Following Victor Zubkov’s 2004 statement that the Russian Financial Monitoring Service suspects 10 banks of violating money laundering laws, a number of financial institutions lost clients, while Guta-Bank was taken over by VTB Bank.

Family:

Wife Zoya Mikhailovna Zubkova, retired, former deputy chief accountant at Pervomaisky State Farm Association, which was run by her husband. In 2007, Zubkova managed St. Petersburg’s Salon Nefertiti LLC beauty and health center. She later formally resigned from the salon, and Victor Mikhailovich Smirnov is now the official owner, according to SPARK Interfax. Zoya Zubkova’s 2010 income was 6.58 Mln. Rub.; her husband’s was 5.94 Mln. Rub. Victor Zubkov owns four land lots: 0.35 ha., 0.27 ha., 0.25 ha. and 0.22 ha.; a 263.3 m² house; two country homes: 239.5 m² and 48 m²; and a Volga GAZ-24 automobile. Zoya Zubkova owns three land lots: 26.3 ha., 16.5 ha. and 9.5 ha.; two apartments: 154.4 m² and 150.5 m²; and two automobiles – a BMW-6 and a Toyota RAN-4.

Daughter Yulia Victorovna Pokhlebenina (Zubkova), manager. Previously married to Nikolai Pokhlebenin (son of Gennady Pokhlebenin, former first secretary of Priozersk CPSU city committee, closely tied to Zubkov through work). Together with her first husband, she founded Sever [North] CHC. She is now married to RF Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. Pokhlebenina previously managed Parus [Sail] water fitness club, designed by Kinef project authors.

Closest Partners:

Now, as before, Victor Zubkov, who oversees the agricultural sector for the government, looks solely to Vladimir Putin. Minister of Agriculture Elena Skrynnik is believed to be Victor Zubkov’s main competitor within the government.