Russian president, Putin, designates alleged family members to Ministry of Defense roles.
In a shake-up at the Russian Defense Ministry, President Vladimir Putin appointed three fresh faces as deputy ministers, one of whom is a woman rumored to be a distant relative of Putin.
Anna Ziukina, formerly Putina, takes charge of housing and social welfare for the military personnel. She's accompanied by Pavel Fradkov, another new deputy minister, who'll manage the military's real estate and assets. Fradkov is the son of the ex-head of security services and former prime minister, Michail Fradkov. Leonid Gorin, the former vice finance minister, bags the position of the new first deputy defense minister, as per Putin's presidential decree.
According to Russian media, Ziukina (52) is Putin's kinsman through her dad. Her husband, Sergey Ziukin, is the Russian Energy Minister, and together they owned a substantial coal firm. Given their close ties to the Kremlin, they've landed on the EU, UK, and several other countries' sanctions lists. Prior to this appointment, Ziukina ran a state fund that supported soldiers involved in the conflict with Ukraine. She thanked Putin for the faith placed in her and the responsibilities assigned via a Telegram post, as per "Izvestia".
Putin started his new term in May and let go of his long-time defense minister, Sergey Shoigu. Reports suggest that investigations are underway against several of Shoigu's associates for corruption. Putin appointed the economist, Alexander Beloussov, as the new defense minister, with the aim of using state funds effectively. "Izvestia" consulted pro-Kremlin experts, who also viewed the new appointments in light of this objective.
Independent analysts emphasized that the new deputy ministers don't hail from Beloussov's crew but instead originate from Putin's inner circle. "Personal security trumps ongoing war for Putin," noted economist Konstantin Sonin on the X network.
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The appointment of Anna Ziukina as a deputy minister in the Russian Ministry of Defense, related to housing and social welfare for military personnel, follows President Vladimir Putin's designation of family members to Defense Ministry roles. Despite being a distant relative of Putin, Pavel Fradkov, another newly appointed deputy minister, oversees the military's real estate and assets.
Given Putin's recent dismissal of long-time defense minister Sergey Shoigu and the ongoing investigations against his associates for corruption, the new appointments of Ziukina and Fradkov can be seen as a reinforcement of his inner circle within the Ministry of Defense.
