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Home , Alexander Babakov, Alexander Prokhanov, Dmitry Livanov, Dmitry Rogozin, Igor Girkin, Maxim Kalashnikov

ANALYTICAL PROJECT ‘S

August. 19th, 2014 No. 2

Dmitry Rogozin’s Clan: Visionaries and Executors Behind Aggression Towards By Marius Laurinavičius, Senior Analyst, EESC

Researching the role, actions and interests of of state programs related to force structures, so various most powerful officials of the Russian some even started calling him the curator of all government can provide a gilmse into the force structures in Russia. Though he is something more than just the state’s decision- hardly that powerful, his actual influence is making mechanism. pretty well reflected by the title of that he holds. It also allows to at least make assumptions about how aggression against Ukraine was On the other hand, there are seven deputy prime initiated, why it is so “unusual”, and why the ministers in the Russian government. One - Igor Kremlin's actions often seem illogical at first Shuvalov - is the first Deputy Prime Minister. glance. But can you say that Rogozin’s influence is less than that of Shuvalov who, as mentioned in the Starting from deputy prime minister Dmitry previous essay, can be called one of the power Rogozin is a natural choice because, based on a centres of the “liberal” wing? number of facts, this extremely influential power player can reasonably be titled the main Or maybe Rogozin’s powers are just as potent visionary and executor behind aggression as any other deputy prime minister’s? Maybe towards Ukraine. even comparable to other ministers’? In July’s rankings of Russia’s most influential politicians, Title is not everything traditionally held by the “Nezavisimaja gazeta” newspaper, Rogozin ranked lower than other In the last essay, which reviewed all the current Government members: Prime Minister Dmitry structures of the Russian government, we have Medvedev (second spot), Defence Minister already noted that official positions in Putin’s Sergey Shoigu (seventh place), Minister of system do not necessary reflect their holders’ Foreign Affairs and First Deputy true power. Prime Minister . Rogozin was ranked only 14th. Rogozin’s (born in in 1963) official title is a really influential one. He is the deputy It is difficult to assess the methodology of this prime minister in charge of the military popular ranking, but I believe that it does not industrial complex, nuclear power, reflect the true influence of Rogozin and most shipbuilding, aviation and radio electronics other players. The reason behind it might be the industry, even of the border policy. Last summer, he was assigned to oversee a number 1

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VLADIMIR PUTIN‘S RUSSIA fact that this ranking takes into account only the advisor who is yet another of Rogozin’s official powers of various individuals without colleagues and current companions. considering their off-the-record influence in The fact that this structure is called a “club” various power clans. In the Russian government should not confuse one. It is more than just a system, the “shadow influence” can be even “think tank” (so common in the Western world) more important than the official one. In recent because it has a much greater direct influence years, Rogozin has strengthened his position on government decisions. Formal or informal significantly. representatives of the club in the presidential administration include the above- The power of the “Izborsk club” mentioned Glazyev and Putin’s assistant Igor Shchyogolev. Apart from Rogozin, the club’s The informal influence of Rogozin is well ideas are also supported in the government by reflected by several formal structures. First of Vladimir Medinski, the Minister of Culture. all, Rogozin is the leader of the so-called informal “Izborsk club” which helped unite a The Izborsk club develops and publishes a wide big part of influential Russian nationalists. variety of state development strategies - from defence to economic or social issues. The Truth be told, you won’t find Rogozin’s name highlight of the club’s presence can be among the club members. He was there at the considered the Russian president’s infamous very beginning of the club, but apparently “conservative doctrine” that was presented in decided to remain behind the scenes. Even the his address to the Federal Assembly in “Evrazia” portal, which is directly related to December 2013. This language was generally Alexander Dugin, one of the leaders of the written by the Izborsk club, or at least directly Izborsk club and nationalist ideologist, wrote influenced by its ideas. after the club’s inaugural meeting on 8 September 2012: “The club united such Russian The Izborsk club has also provided the patriots as , Mikhail ideological basis for Russia’s aggression in Leontyev, Mikhail Shevchenka, Alexander Ukraine with their manifesto “Saving Ukraine”, Dugin, Nikolay Starikov, Vitaly Averyanov and published on 13 February this year (more than a .” week before the revolution victory in Kiev). The main thesis of the manifesto became part of the On the other hand, the Izborsk club brought public rhetoric of many Russian politicians and together more than just the members of diplomats from the outset of the aggression. But Rogozin’s clan. For example, one of its true we will return to that later. members is Mikhail Leontyev, vice president of “Rosneft” and PR general at a rival clan, the Return to the power Olympus very powerful group of Igor Sechin. Leontyev still calls himself a journalist. The most interesting and eloquent is the fact that Rogozin is like a risen phoenix in the However, at least half of the Izborsk club State’s political scene. It was Putin’s own order member can be considered members of (Rogozin has openly complained about it to Rogozin’s clan or at least his companions. numerous Lithuanian representatives) to break Furthermore, the club’s main ideologists, editors up and disperse Rogozin’s clan less than a of the ultranationalist paper “Zavtra” Alexander decade ago which significantly reduced the Prokhanov and Alexander Dugin, are Rogozin’s clan’s influence. And in 2008, Rogozin was sent old comrades from the very early days of the to political exile when he was appointed as “Rodina” party. And the real founder of the Russia’s ambassador to NATO. Izborsk club is , a presidential

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Putin's balancing policy in 2011 showed the his comrades to the during need of Rogozin’s impact on the nationalist December’s elections. Some of Rogozin’s other wing and the military-industrial complex. As companions were elected as representatives of you may recall, after Putin and Medvedev other political parties. announced that they were “swapping posts” (Putin becoming the president again), an As a result, Rogozin now has a number of unprecedented wave of protests swept across influential supporters in Parliament. Among Russia. them are Equity Committee Chairman Sergey Gavrilov (Russian Communist Party fraction), Putin, however, was not threatened by those First Vice-President of the Committee of tens or even hundreds of thousands of protesters Defence Sergei Zhigarev (Russian Liberal in the streets of the country’s most populous Democratic Party fraction), “Rodina’s” cities. He saw a much greater danger - at the Chairman Alexei Zhuravlyov (“United time, the nationalist forces began to work hand- Russia”), a member of the Foreign Affairs in-hand and coordinate their actions with the Committee, the chairman of Duma’s legal protesters that demanded democratic change. support for developing military-industrial And such a union could in fact be potentially complex organizations, the Russian president's dangerous. special envoy for relations with compatriots abroad , Deputy Chairman That is why, to everyone’s surprise, in of Communal and Religious Organizations December 2011 Rogozin was recalled from Committee Mikhail Markelov (“United political exile straight to the post of deputy Russia”), First Vice-President at the Nationality prime minister. His main task was to rally Affairs Committee Mikhail Starshinov nationalist forces under Putin’s flag. Rogozin’s (“”), and Deputy Chairman at the efforts were fruitful and he significantly Labour, Social and Veteran Affairs Committee strengthened his position. Mikhail Moiseyev (“United Russia”).

It is important to note that Rogozin’s return Supported by generals from exile straight to the post of deputy prime minister could seem surprising only at the first Apart from the aforementioned Minister of glance. Rogozin was already preparing for his Culture, Medinski, Rogozin even has a family- return to the political arena - his comrades were related supporter in the Government. Education directly (while he himself indirectly) related to and Science Minister Dmitry Livanov is the the origins of the “All-Russia People’s Front”. son of Rogozin’s brother-in-law Viktor Livanov Creating such an organization was suggested by who died last May and who was once a vice- Putin himself back in May 2011. Many minister of Russia’s military industry and speculated as to the need of such an alternative recently held the position of the CEO at to the ruling “United Russia” party. Ilushin’s Aviation Complex.

Be that as it may, Rogozin (informally at first, Livanon, like many other representatives of and then publicly), supported Putin and the Russia’s military-industrial complex, has been “All-Russia People's Front” in September’s Rogozin’s supporter for a long time. The remedial meeting of the “Rodina” party. influence the current deputy prime minister Moreover, Rogozin (who could hardly be called exerts on the military-industrial complex dates Medvedev’s proponent) and a couple of his back to his father Oleg Rogozin. This companions joined the Committee of the lieutenant general, military engineer, Russian president’s public sponsors. And and doctor of technical sciences held a high according to the quota of the “All-Russia position in the Ministry of Defence of the Soviet People's Front”, he managed to “push” some of Union, and was in charge of the Army.

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The truth is that Rogozin is forced to constantly influential at first glance, the impression can be compete for his power over the military- quickly modified by the list of Russia’s military industrial complex, and sometimes literally fight organizations that are official partners of the with Sergey Chemezov, another extremely community. Among its strategic partners are influential leader of a Russian government clan such organizations as the Russian Military and head of the Russian state corporation Commanders Club, and even the DOSAAF “Rostech”. (Voluntary Society for the Army, Air Force and Navy support) that dates back to the Soviet Therefore, immediately after returning to the times. Therefore, it is in fact a crucial tool for power Olympus, Rogozin started to strengthen expanding Rogozin’s powers. his position in this area. Using the “All-Russia People's Front”, he created one more very However, in the context of aggression in important pillar of his personal influence – the Ukraine, Russia’s military-historical community Special-purpose voluntary movement for should grab attention for yet another reason. It is supporting the army, the fleet and the no secret that the leading commander of military-industrial complex. Russian-sent saboteurs in Ukraine - (Strelkov) - is not only a former high-ranking A public relations campaign immediately officer of the FSB anti-terrorist unit, but also an labelled this movement the “special forces of active participant of the military-historical President Putin”, however, the fact that a very reconstructions. No need to mention that the similar organization already exists in Russia for Russian military-historical community stages quite some time shows that Rogozin only re-enactments of former battles. created it to advance his personal interests, i.e., strengthen his influence. Rogozin was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Cossack Affairs Council under the Russian The movement for supporting the army, the President in February 2012, and in April 2012, defence industry and military sciences is he launched a massive validation process for managed by Vladimir Komoyedov, chairman of Cossack paramilitary structures. Rogozin’s the Duma Defence Committee. However, this name is linked to the initiative to create a structure did not work for Rogozin. He created Cossack security service that would patrol with his own and extended this influence not only the police and protect public places and even the over the military-industrial complex, but also Russian border. the army. For example, the Union of Russian Paratroopers now became close allies of Many of these initiatives are already legally- Rogozin. established and formally launched. In addition to this, as it is known, Cossacks are among Cossacks and the history of war Russian saboteurs warring in the Donbass region. Two other important structures to beef up Rogozin’s powers in the military or paramilitary Much broader influence field are the Russian Military-Historical Community and the Cossack Affairs Council All the aforementioned structures illustrate under the Russian President. In the first perfectly Rogozin’s influence to military and structure, Rogozin was elected the chairman of industrial structures or paramilitary groups. the board of trustees, while in the second one he However, the influence of Rogozin’s clan is a deputy chairman. reaches far beyond these limits.

Although Russia’s military-historical As noted above, the Izborsk club and the community might not appear particularly ideology of Alexander Dugin and Alexander

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Prokhanov basically defined Putin's Moreover, the Russian president’s special envoy “conservative doctrine”. Glazyev, Mikhail to Rogozin is sometimes referred Delyagin and other economists of the Izborsk to, tout court, as the “-general”. And it club, or at least the ones close to it, try to have a perhaps best reflects his influence in an significant impact on Russia’s economic policy. unrecognized territory. It was recently reported The recently retired deputy minister of that Rogozin met with Transnistrian leaders in economic development Andrei Klepach is to discuss the collaboration between considered to be Rogozin’s man. The Ministers Transnistria and the so-called and of Education and Culture, Medinski and Lugansk People’s Republic (particularly support Livanov, have titles that accurately reflect their for them). The structures of the “Russian influence in those fields. Community Congress“ (predecessor of the “Rodina” party) in the post-Soviet space allows Rogozin is especially active in the science field. Rogozin to retain considerable influence on Recently, he proposed that the entire field of Russia’s policy in this region. science and technology in the country be controlled by the State Committee for Science Deep footprints of the KGB and Technology, based on the ’s example. Remembering Livanov’s previous How did Rogozin obtain such power? Some long struggle against the Russian Academy of publicly-known facts from his biography can Sciences, this proposal does not seem like an help answer not only this question about the impossible dream. Especially having in mind current deputy prime minister of Russia, but that Rogozin’s already had a similar proposal also provide a glance at the development of the implemented - to create a Russian Military so-called “siloviki” clans in this country. Research Projects Agency (analogous to DARPA) based on the US example. The It has already been mentioned that Rogozin’s Russian Special Research Fund not only father was a high-ranking official at the USSR works, but has Rogozin as the chairman of the Ministry of Defence. The biography of the Board of Trustees. current deputy prime minister could also raise suspicions, especially the fact that he started his Even the energy field (which is of exceptional career from cooperation with the KGB during importance to Russia), where the clan of the stagnation years, because he became a “Rosneft” leader and Deputy Prime Minister student in 1981 when ’s Igor Sechin competes with Arkady reforms had not been launched yet. Dvorkovich’s clan, has a man who is close to Rogozin. That man is Deputy Minister of In fact, Rogozin himself has only talked about Energy Yuri Sentyurin. his KGB past in vague hints. Allegedly, during his fourth year as international journalism Rogozin’s influence is also strong in the student in , he was regions. Close to him are the governor of recruited by KGB head-hunters. He took the job Nizhny Novgorod Valery Shantsev, Samara but informed his recruiter about a long business leader Nikolay Merkushkin, Volgograd trip to Cuba. And in Cuba, it is alleged, he was Governor Andrei Bokhyarov, Voronezh leader not contacted by anyone. Alexei Gordeyev, Chelyabinsk Governor Boris Dubrovsky, Kurgan leader Alexei Kokorin and Rogozin has also acknowledged that, during his others. Among Rogozin’s supporters is the work in the Youth Organizations Committee, he president’s authorized representative in the Ural had to work closely with representatives of federal district Igor Kholmanskikh. special services, but the KGB is not mentioned anywhere in Rogozin’s official biography. Nevertheless, witnesses say that at the very

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VLADIMIR PUTIN‘S RUSSIA beginning of his career, many thought that he Brotherhood”. In January 2014, former KGB was working “under cover”. Many publicly colonel Valery Vdovenko (who was among the available facts support such suspicions. first employees of the Russian-American University) was sentenced to 2.5 years of Moreover, it is important to mention in this imprisonment. context Rogozin’s wife Tatyana, because her father Genady Serebryakov was the colonel of Knowing that Vdovenko, according to the the first Board of the KGB (foreign prosecution, was suspected not only of creating intelligence). However, the clearest and almost an extremist organization but also planning a undeniable evidence of Rogozin’s connection revolution in Russia and a government takeover, with the Soviet special service clans is his vice- the punishment is ridiculously lenient. But the president position in the so-called Russian- most interesting aspect is the biography that American University that he got in August Vdovenko himself presented to the 1990. Oleg Grechenevski, one of the interrogators. This former KGB agent is a son of investigators of KGB clans, has aptly called this Zakhar Vdovenko, the former assistant to the institution a “chekist-patriotic” organization in chairman of the Soviet KGB, who decided to his study “The Origins of Our Democratic follow his father’s footsteps and work for the Movement”. KGB’s first board. However, in 1990, the KGB sent him to the Russian-American University. When reviewing the list of the founders of this so-called University, one gets the impression In 2003, according to the Vdovenko, it was he that many of them are KGB foreign intelligence who picked his old acquaintances Rogozin and agents, “under cover” diplomats or servicemen. Sergei Glazyev to be the leaders of the Russian I will mention only a few. Firstly, the chargé Regional Party. The founding of this party, as d’affaires in Ivan Silayevo’s government, claimed by Vdovenko, was personally overseen assistant of former vice president Alexander by the then-deputy director of the FSB, Rutskoy, KGB major general – Alexander Vladimir Shults. However, in 2005, Vdovenko Sterligov. By the way, it looks like the entire admitted to having contributed to the operation Russian-American University worked for of Rogozin’s suspension from the party (which Rutskoy, at least at the beginning. Apart from by the time had already been renamed to Rogozin, Aleksei Bolshov (a colonel at the “Rodina”). KGB counter-terrorism units) was also a deputy for the Russian-American University president Later Vdovenko created “The Truthful Russia”, Alexei Podberyozkin whose official biography which essentially lured away Rogozin’s also raises many suspicions about his close comrades, many of whom, by the way, are now relations with the KGB. returning to the camp of the current deputy prime minister. Later Vdovenko allegedly To this day Rogozin counts among his comrades retired from politics. He denies he is the founder Andrei Zhukov (“Rodina’s” deputy in the State of the “Northern Brotherhood”, but Pyotr Duma, employee of the Russian-American Khomyakov (who is Rogozin’s former deputy University and officer at the first Board of the in “Rodina”), the ideologue of the KGB) and others. aforementioned extremist organization, claimed that Vdovenko took care of the “Northern The openness of one mysterious colonel Brotherhood’s” funding and promotion.

Many revelations about the development of It is interesting to note that, during the those clans came to light during the scandalous interrogation, Vdovenko kept on naming people investigation and trial of the extremist who were or still are close to Rogozin at one or nationalist organization “Northern another point in his career.

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By the way, in this regard, his testimony was at companion general , had an least partially reiterated by Khomyakov. Even important role in detaching Transnistria from father Vsevolod Chaplin, the priest and head . With this in mind, Rogozin’s of the Church and Society Cooperation activities and rhetoric should not come as a Department, who became a priest essentially to surprise. For example, he posted a support “Rodina” and the special-purpose massage saying he wanted to “give up all his voluntary movement to support the army, fleet posts in exchange for the happiness to be in the and the military-industrial complex, was already trenches with Slavyansk defenders”. visible in Vdovevko’s entourage back then. Bearing in mind the old and close ties between Similar ideology can be perceived in the the Russian Orthodox Church and the KGB, “Russian Doctrine” which, according to those testimonies do not seem implausible. Rogozin, was published back in 2005 by Izborsk club members Andrei Kobyakov, Consistent ideology Vitaly Averyanov and Vladimir Kucherenko (better known as Maxim Kalashnikov). Footprints of Vdovenko and Khomiakov in Knowing that they are all Dugin’s followers, we Rogozin’s biography are also important when it can draw a conclusion that the standpoint of this comes to his ideology. True, Rogozin has long ideologue behind Evrasia, Russian been considered a “moderate nationalist”, which and conflicts with the US was always similar to might lead to thinking that the turn of former Rogozin’s views. comrades towards extremist nationalistic activities does not reflect Rogozin’s own Stay tuned for the next chapter which will ideology. uncover the real architects behind events in Ukraine and why Putin’s actions often Moreover, some Lithuanian politicians and appeared controversial. diplomats, who have interacted with Rogozin during negotiations on transit to or when he was the ambassador to NATO, seem to have the so-called George W. Bush syndrome. Just like Bush, who once said that he “looked into the soul” of Putin and saw that it was possible to cooperate with him, many Lithuanians also believe that Rogozin, a charismatic Russian nationalist, can be a reliable partner.

Even now, when Rogozin has publicly come out as the leader of the so-called “war party” in Kremlin, there are people in Lithuania who think that this is an unexpected role for him. But looking more closely, it must be admitted that Rogozin’s ideology has always been consistent. It can be called aggressive nationalism.

During the 1990s, Rogozin’s “Congress of Russian Communities” took care of the rights of Russian speakers in the entire former Soviet Union using methods that were not entirely innocent. Rogozin, together with former

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