Viktor Zubkov - Articles - Zimbio

Prime Minister Putin?

Mon, 11 Dec 2007 13:17:00 GMT

posted by russianelection2008
Dmitrii Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin’s designated successor, called for Putin to become prime minister after the March 2 election.

The Russian Constitution prohibits Putin for running for a third consecutive term, but Putin clearly wants to retain a powerful role once he steps down.

Medvedev's proposal provides such a role, especially if the constitution were amended to increase the prime minister's powers.

This is well within the realm of possibility as the pro-Putin faction in the newly elected Duma has enough votes to amend the Constitution.

Medvedev's support for Putin's policies and his proposal that he become prime minister caused some to ask whether he would be a genuinely independent president or essentially a figurehead, doing Putin's bidding.

Both Medvedev and Putin worked under St. Petersburg's Mayor Anatolii Sobchak in the early 1990s. After Putin became prime minister in 1999, he summoned Medvedev to Moscow to become deputy chief of staff of the Cabinet. He was appointed to head the board of state natural gas giant Gazprom in 2002 and became full presidential chief of staff in 2003.

Vladimir Putin’s Russia is a Plutocracy

Wed, 24 Apr 2008 01:56:28 GMT

posted by SocProf

Via Le Monde,

Le nombre de milliardaires russes a presque doublé en un an
LEMONDE.FR | 18.04.08

The number of Russian billionaires has doubled over the past year. And you have to be worth $1.1 billion if you want to be in the top 100 richest people in Russia (that threshold was at $660 million last year, some people are doing VERY well in Russia, these days, unlike the general population). These 100 richest Russians are worth a combined wealth of $522 billion.

How did these guys (because it seems that they are all guys, I know, big surprise) get so rich? They are almost all oligarch who got rich through the financial, real estate and metallurgic sectors. They have also benefited from the current weakness of the US dollar. A lot of them also got very rich right after the collapse of the USSR and remained so afterwards as wealth redistribution was rather nonexistent.

I just thought I’d throw that in in the context of the foot riots in the Global South.

Authored by SocProf. Hosted by Edublogs.

Vladimir Putin (Russia) and President Alexander Lukashenka (Belarus) [Flickr]

Sat, 16 Dec 2007 12:41:39 GMT

posted by bajaenergyblog

energyPICS posted a photo:

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka (R), and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov (L) meet during Putin's official visit to Minsk, December 14, 2007.

Viktor Zubkov (Russia) [Flickr]

Sat, 20 Jan 2008 16:56:39 GMT

posted by energyblog

Viktor Zubkov (Russia)

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Whether a new gas war will start will become clear next week when Yulia Timoshenko arrives in Moscow for talks with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov

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Alexei Gordeev: In Or Out?

Fri, 22 Sep 2007 13:32:00 GMT

posted by russianelection2008

Alexei Gordeev and Vladimir Putin have two things in common: a love of all things German and an interest in martial arts.

Gordeev, as Minister of Agriculture, oversees FKP SOYUZPLODOIMPORT, which manages trademarks of various Russian food and beverage products. FKP SOYUZPLODOIMPORT is managed by Gordeev's friend and former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Vladimir Loginov.

One of these products is Stolichnaya vodka. FKP SOYUZPLODOIMPORT is involved in litigation with SPI INTERNATIONAL over the distribution rights. This ligitation has been costly and not always successful.

Even though Gordeev's position seems secure for now, his long term viability may depend on Loginov's ability to maintain the profitability of FKP SOYUZPLODOIMPORT's vodka sales.