Three out of four members of Russia’s political elite use their influence to help their children and relatives get government jobs. Vladimir Putin tops the list of Kremlin leaders who have hired relatives in public administration, or in companies doing business with the Russian state, according to a study cited by the Moscow Times.
Cases of nepotism are present in almost all key areas in Russia: industry, finance, defense, energy, agriculture, media, and social networks.
The most common cases of nepotism that have led to the creation of real “clans” are found in the Federation Council of Russia (where 86% of Russian leaders have relatives in various positions or important functions), the State Duma (84%), the Department of Presidential Property Management (a structure similar to RAPPS – ed. note – 85%) and the Presidential Administration (68%).
Cases of nepotism are then found in 74% of the country’s security structures and judiciary (69%).
All these real “clans” have consolidated since the time of the former Soviet Union: 58% of the current officials of the Russian Federation are direct “heirs” of the “dynasties” of the former Soviet communist nomenclature.
Denis, Putin’s 25-year-old cousin: chief expert at Gazprom, then project manager with 8,500 euros/month
At the top of the list of Russian officials with the most cases of nepotism is Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has appointed 96 family members to various state structures.
The second largest “dynasty” at the Kremlin belongs to Vladimir Putin, who has appointed 27 relatives to government structures and various companies doing business with the Russian state.
Now, the “Putin clan” is expanding, in an attempt to include even the children of the Kremlin leader’s more distant relatives.
One such example is Denis Putin, 25 years old, the president’s cousin who became the chief expert of Gazprom’s export department in 2022.
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