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» / Fradkov Mikhail Efimovich, Foreign Intelligence Service Director

Employed at: RF Foreign Intelligence Service

Positions held: 1992-98: Deputy Minister; Minister of Foreign Economic Relations; 1999: Trade Minister; 2000-2001: First Deputy Chairman of the RF Security Council; 2001-03: Head of Federal Tax Police Service, 2004-07: Chairman of the RF Government (RF Prime Minister); since 2007: RF Foreign Intelligence Service Director.

Business involvement: 1998-99 – chairman of the board of directors, then general director of “Ingosstrakh” OJSIC (open joint-stock insurance company) (successor to USSR Foreign Insurance Main Administration). While at Ingosstrakh, he headed the insurance division at the foreign investment advisory committee under RF Prime Minister Evgeny Primakov.

Influence on business: The press has called Fradkov a lobbyist for the so-called “Security, Defense and Law Enforcement Issues Academy.” The founding President of the Academy was Victor Shevchenko, former head of Strategic Missile Forces Central Headquarters’ military counterintelligence. Academy activities included issuing for-fee academic medals to businessmen; these medals looked almost identical to those issued by the State. While first deputy RF Security Council chairman, Fradkov sent a letter to Russia’s siloviki (defense and law enforcement agencies) seeking support for the Academy. Victor Shevchenko himself said that Fradkov appointed Academy head. In 2008, the Academy was liquidated by the RF Supreme Court per General Prosecutor’s Office request.

As head of Federal Tax Police Service (FTPS), Fradkov initiated the filming of a TV series about FTPS staff called “Maroseika [Street] 12,” managing to persuade businessmen controlled by FTPS to pay for the entire project.

As RF Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS) Director, Fradkov continues to influence business. In 2007, FIS staffer Alexander Blagov, who was close to Fradkov, became Deputy Head of Caspian Pipeline Consortium, an international corporation. The media noted Fradkov’s possible link to Ruslan Valitov, the entrepreneur and owner of the Investment and Social Development Commercial Bank (Investsocbank). Valitov was named in a case involving the investigation of embezzlement at Tomskneft (formerly owned by Yukos Oil Company). He was also the prosecution’s main witness in the case against Dmitry Dovgy, Director of the RF Prosecutor’s Office Investigative Committee Main Investigative Administration. Dovgy was convicted of bribery. Valitov was also referred to as former FIS division head, while his bank was referred to as the FIS’ unofficial financial center.

Property redistribution involvement: While Mikhail Fradkov was at the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations (MFER), the following USSR government-owned companies subordinate to MFER were privatized: Novoexport, Prodintorg, Soyuznefteexport, Techmashimport, Technopromimport, Technopromexport, and Tyazhpromexport, with [total] foreign property estimated at $1 Bln. These companies controlled over two-thirds of Soviet oil export contract volumes. Soyuznefteexport became Nafta-Moskva OJSC, with prominent entrepreneur Suleyman Kerimov handling its stock.

In 1995, a number of high-ranking MFER officers were suspected of misappropriating 4.9 Bln. Rubles of Ministry revenues and using the funds for their personal needs. An internal investigation uncovered documents indicating that Mikhail Fradkov received a loan of approximately 150 Mln. Rubles from MFER’s extra-budgetary fund to build a country home. An RF General Prosecutor’s Office investigation produced no practical results. The office where internal investigation materials related to financial violations at MFER were stored burned down “due to a short circuit” (according to the official version), while the main witness Alexander Koltzov (MFER’s General Accounting Office director) suddenly died. In the end, the case was closed, and when Minister Oleg Davydov resigned, Mikhail Fradkov took his place and repaid the country home construction loan before the due date.

In 2010, someone introducing himself as FIS Director Mikhail Fradkov called the National Reserve Bank (NRB, owned by former KGB officer Alexander Lebedev) requesting a meeting for his coworker. That coworker introduced himself as Konstantin Mikhailovich Yakovlev and said a criminal case had been initiated against NRB. As evidence, he produced case file documents and offered to assist in getting the case closed in exchange for $1 Mln. The Russian FIS did not comment on this incident, while the media discussed the opinion that this was a way to provoke NRB to pay a bribe. 

Spouse, Elena Olegovna Fradkova, economist. According to one of her [place of residence] registrations, she was a neighbor of former RF Federal Security Service head and RF Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev, and neighbor of State Duma chairman Boris Gryzlov. She was listed as International Trade Center (Sovincenter) OJSC’s lead marketing specialist, and also worked at Vnesheconombank and Gazprom (2). Currently she is officially retired. Her declared income for 2009 was 190,000 Rub.; property: a 1,466 m² land lot and part ownership of a 19 m² apartment. Her husband’s income is 5.53 Mln. Rub.; Mikhail Fradkov owns a 10,300 m² land lot, a 301 m² country home, and a 587 m² Moscow apartment.

Older son, Petr Mikhailovich Fradkov, banker. Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with the major in international economics. During 2000-2004, he held various positions at the Development and Foreign Economic Activity Bank, a state corporation (Vnesheconombank, VEB). In 2004, while deputy VEB’s representative in the US, he was appointed deputy general director of the Far East Shipping Company. In 2006, he returned to VEB, where he worked as deputy head of the investment banking operations directorate and director of the structural financing department. Currently Petr Fradkov is deputy chairman of the VEB board and member of the board of directors of Terminal OJSC (established by VEB, Aeroflot and VTB Bank), involved in the construction of [Moscow’s] Sheremetyevo-3 [Airport] Terminal. Terminal OJSC also employs Andrei Chikhanchin – the son of Yuri Chikhanchin, who heads the Federal Financial Monitoring Service. In 2009, Petr Fradkov’s income was 10,952,606.81 Rub. He owns a 219 m² apartment, a garage and a Lexus-350. Petr Fradkov’s [income tax] declaration does not list automobiles registered in his name – a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW 318iА. His wife lists an Alfa Romeo [automobile] and a Harley Davidson motorcycle as her property.

In December 1991, foreign economic cooperation minister Petr Aven gave permission to Vladimir Putin, then head of the St. Petersburg’s mayor’s office Foreign Relations Committee (FRC), to issue business licenses to sell raw materials abroad in exchange for supplying food to the city.  Later, a St. Petersburg legislative assembly working group discovered that some of the export companies were impossible to supervise, while most contracts deliberately contained serious errors that allow the exporters to eschew their obligations. Legislative assembly officials recommended Putin be removed as FRC chairman, but St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak refused to fire Putin. Petr Aven continued granting Putin the right to issue licenses, and tasked Mikhail Fradkov with overseeing this process on behalf of MFER. This was the start of ongoing financial collaboration between Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Fradkov and Petr Aven (who since 1994 co-owns the Alpha Group together with Mikhail Friedman and German Khan).

A number of experts believe Fradkov promoted this holding group’s interests while still at MFER in 1992-98. Alpha Bank obtained permission to buy Russian foreign debt at 25-30% of their value, then receive the full original amount from the state budget. The Alpha-Eco company was given the opportunity to buy imported goods to offset the producer countries’ debt to Russia. It was also awarded a government contract to provide 1.5 Mln. tons of Russian oil in exchange for 500,000 tons of Cuban sugar annually.

The press also noted Mikhail Fradkov’s likely involvement in Alpha-Eco’s purchase of 40% of Tyumen Oil Company OJSC stock. According to the RF Accounts Chamber, the price paid for the stock was no more than 46.8% of its actual value. The General Prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal case after the [stock purchase] auction, but the case was soon closed. Alpha-Eco also became the West Siberian Iron and Steel Works’ export agent, using this opportunity to export oil.