Putin’s cronyism: Russian dictator "employed" 24 relatives in lucrative government positions

Putin’s cronyism: Russian dictator "employed" 24 relatives in lucrative government positions

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has "found jobs" for at least 24 of his relatives in state positions associated with enormous sums of money. Among them are even his grandnephews, indicating that a third generation of Putins is already in power.

This was reported by a Russian publication.

According to the publication, 24 of Putin’s relatives holding state positions is an unprecedented figure for Russian rulers over the past hundred years. In the Soviet Union, similar "nepotism" was also practiced, but not on such a scale.

In particular, the families of all four known mistresses of Putin are profiting from state funds — his official wife Lyudmila Putina-Ocheretnaya, unofficial wife Alina Kabaeva, as well as Svetlana Krivonogikh and Alisa Kharcheva. The mistresses themselves also have access to money and positions. Lyudmila Putina-Ocheretnaya does not work anywhere but annually receives hundreds of millions of rubles.

Additionally, access to state funds has been granted to both of Putin’s official daughters — Maria Vorontsova and Ekaterina Tikhonova. Their husbands, both current and former, have not been left without "rewards": they have been given state positions and the opportunity to misappropriate Russian budget funds.

The list also includes cousins on his father’s side, Evgeniy Putin (now deceased) and Igor Putin, a cousin on his mother’s side, Lyubov Shelomova, and a cousin on his father’s side, Lyubov Kruglova.

Where can Putin be found?

Most of the positions obtained by Putin’s relatives are tied to significant state budgets. For example, Anna Tsivilyova, Sergey Tsivilyov, and Mikhail Putin, relatives of the late Evgeniy Putin, hold positions in the government and at "Gazprom."

Among others, the grandchildren of the late Evgeniy Putin have also received positions related to state funds. Denis Putin, Dmitriy Loginov, and Elena Zhidkova hold high-ranking positions in state structures and have access to significant financial resources. Thus, this is already the third generation of Putins in power.

Other members of the Putin family are not far behind. In particular, Mikhail Shelomov, a relative on his mother’s side, is one of the "wallets" of the Russian dictator, as is Roman Putin, a former FSB employee. Relatives on his father’s side control the company "RusHydro." Others work at Russian Railways (RZD), the sanctioned "Promsvyazbank," "Gazprom," "Sibur," and other highly profitable state structures for them.