Igor Sechin
Encyclopedia
Igor Ivanovich Sechin is a Russia
n official, considered a close ally of Vladimir Putin
. Sechin is often described as one of Putin's most conservative counselors and the leader of the Kremlin's Siloviki faction, a statist lobby gathering former security services agents. Igor Sechin has been likened to Darth Vader
and described as the scariest person on earth.
Igor Sechin currently is Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in Vladimir Putin
's cabinet.
and French
.
In the 1980s Igor Sechin worked in Mozambique
. He was officially a Soviet interpreter. It is believed that he was a resident spy.
According to Stratfor
, Sechin was "the USSR’s point man for weapons smuggling to much of Latin America and the Middle East" and he reportedly served with GRU agent and arms smuggler Viktor Bout
.
From 1991 to 1996, he worked at St. Petersburg mayor's office
, and became a chief of staff of the first deputy mayor, Vladimir Putin
in 1994. From 1996 to 1997, Sechin served as a deputy of Vladimir Putin, who worked in the presidential property management department.
From 1997 to 1998, Sechin was the chief of the general department of the main control directorate attached to the president, led by Putin. In August 1999, he was appointed head of the secretariat of the prime minister of Russia, Putin. From 24 November 1999, - 11 January 2000, Sechin was the first deputy chief of the Russian presidential administration.
Between 31 December 1999 and May 2008 he was deputy chief of Putin's administration.
In May 2008, he was appointed by President Dmitry Medvedev
as a deputy prime minister in a move considered as a demotion.
According to Stratfor, "Sechin acts as boss of Russia’s gigantic state oil company Rosneft and commands the loyalty of the FSB. Thus, he represents the FSB’s hand in Russia’s energy sector."
Since 27 July 2004 he has been the chairman of the board of directors of JSC Rosneft
, which swallowed up the assets of jailed tycoon Khodorkovsky's Yukos
. Khodorkovsky has accused Igor Sechin of plotting to have him arrested and plundering his oil company: "The second as well as the first case were organised by Igor Sechin. He orchestrated the first case against me out of greed and the second out of cowardice."
In 2008 Mr. Sechin allegedly blocked the replacement of the AAR consortium with Gazprom
in the TNK-BP
joint venture.
In 2008 Igor Sechin was involved with the BP
oil company and did private negotiations with BP CEO.
In 2008 Hugo Chávez
said that the idea for Venezuelan nuclear program came from Sechin. Sechin negotiated deals on weapons and nuclear technology deliveries to Venezuela.
In July 2009 he negotiated deals with Cuba that bring Russia into deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
.
Sechin also presides over the Board of Directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation
, and helped with negotiations with France over the purchase of four Mistral-class assault vessels. Sechin argued that two ships should be constructed in Russia and two in France, as opposed to the initial offer that only one be constructed in Russia. Piotr Żochowski, of the Polish Center for Eastern Studies, argued that "it cannot be ruled out that Sechin's stance on this issue results from his personal financial involvement in the St Petersburg shipbuilding industry".
Vladimir Ustinov
, in 2003. Inga and Dmitry had a son in 2005.
After the demotion of Vladimir Ustinov in 2006, Sechin reportedly instigated the appointment of Alexander Bastrykin
, another ally of his, as Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office in 2007 in order to retain his influence.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n official, considered a close ally of Vladimir Putin
Political groups during Vladimir Putin's presidency
A diverse variety of informal political groups emerged during the presidency of Vladimir Putin. They include remnants of the so-called the Yeltsin Family, Sankt Petersburg lawyers and -economists, and security-intelligence elements called the siloviki.-Background:...
. Sechin is often described as one of Putin's most conservative counselors and the leader of the Kremlin's Siloviki faction, a statist lobby gathering former security services agents. Igor Sechin has been likened to Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
and described as the scariest person on earth.
Igor Sechin currently is Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
's cabinet.
Career
Igor Sechin graduated from Leningrad State University in 1984 as a linguist fluent in PortuguesePortuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
In the 1980s Igor Sechin worked in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. He was officially a Soviet interpreter. It is believed that he was a resident spy.
According to Stratfor
Stratfor
Strategic Forecasting, Inc., more commonly known as STRATFOR, is a global intelligence company founded in 1996 in Austin, Texas by George Friedman who is the founder, chief intelligence officer, and CEO of the company...
, Sechin was "the USSR’s point man for weapons smuggling to much of Latin America and the Middle East" and he reportedly served with GRU agent and arms smuggler Viktor Bout
Viktor Bout
Viktor Anatolyevich Bout is a convicted arms smuggler. A citizen of Russia, he was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and was extradited in 2010 to the United States to stand trial on terrorism charges after being accused of smuggling arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to use against...
.
From 1991 to 1996, he worked at St. Petersburg mayor's office
Saint Petersburg City Administration
Saint Petersburg City Administration is the superior executive body of Saint Petersburg , Russian Federation. It is located in a historic building, Smolny....
, and became a chief of staff of the first deputy mayor, Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
in 1994. From 1996 to 1997, Sechin served as a deputy of Vladimir Putin, who worked in the presidential property management department.
From 1997 to 1998, Sechin was the chief of the general department of the main control directorate attached to the president, led by Putin. In August 1999, he was appointed head of the secretariat of the prime minister of Russia, Putin. From 24 November 1999, - 11 January 2000, Sechin was the first deputy chief of the Russian presidential administration.
Between 31 December 1999 and May 2008 he was deputy chief of Putin's administration.
In May 2008, he was appointed by President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
as a deputy prime minister in a move considered as a demotion.
According to Stratfor, "Sechin acts as boss of Russia’s gigantic state oil company Rosneft and commands the loyalty of the FSB. Thus, he represents the FSB’s hand in Russia’s energy sector."
Since 27 July 2004 he has been the chairman of the board of directors of JSC Rosneft
Rosneft
Rosneft is an integrated oil company majority owned by the Government of Russia. Rosneft is headquartered in Moscow’s Balchug district near the Kremlin, across the Moskva river...
, which swallowed up the assets of jailed tycoon Khodorkovsky's Yukos
YUKOS
OJSC "Yukos Oil Company" was a petroleum company in Russia which, until 2003, was controlled by Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and a number of other prominent Russian businessmen. After Yukos was bankrupted, Khodorkovsky was convicted and sent to prison.Yukos headquarters was located in...
. Khodorkovsky has accused Igor Sechin of plotting to have him arrested and plundering his oil company: "The second as well as the first case were organised by Igor Sechin. He orchestrated the first case against me out of greed and the second out of cowardice."
In 2008 Mr. Sechin allegedly blocked the replacement of the AAR consortium with Gazprom
Gazprom
Open Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...
in the TNK-BP
TNK-BP
TNK-BP is a major vertically integrated Russian oil company. It is Russia's third largest oil producer and among the ten largest private oil companies in the world. TNK-BP is Russia's third largest oil company in terms of reserves and crude oil production...
joint venture.
In 2008 Igor Sechin was involved with the BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
oil company and did private negotiations with BP CEO.
In 2008 Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
said that the idea for Venezuelan nuclear program came from Sechin. Sechin negotiated deals on weapons and nuclear technology deliveries to Venezuela.
In July 2009 he negotiated deals with Cuba that bring Russia into deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
Sechin also presides over the Board of Directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation
United Shipbuilding Corporation
United Shipbuilding Corporation is a open joint stock company in Russia which unite shipbuilding, repair and maintenance subsidiaries in western and northern Russia, and in the country's Far East, to streamline civilian shipbuilding using military facilities. The corporation was established by a...
, and helped with negotiations with France over the purchase of four Mistral-class assault vessels. Sechin argued that two ships should be constructed in Russia and two in France, as opposed to the initial offer that only one be constructed in Russia. Piotr Żochowski, of the Polish Center for Eastern Studies, argued that "it cannot be ruled out that Sechin's stance on this issue results from his personal financial involvement in the St Petersburg shipbuilding industry".
Personal life
Igor Sechin is married, and has a daughter, Inga. Inga married Dmitry Ustinov, son of former Prosecutor General and current Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Southern Federal DistrictSouthern Federal District
Southern Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its territory lies mostly on the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Its population was 13,856,700 according to the 2010 Census, living on an area of...
Vladimir Ustinov
Vladimir Ustinov
Vladimir Vasilyevich Ustinov is a Russian politician.He currently is the Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Southern Federal District. Until 2008, he was Russia's Minister of Justice....
, in 2003. Inga and Dmitry had a son in 2005.
After the demotion of Vladimir Ustinov in 2006, Sechin reportedly instigated the appointment of Alexander Bastrykin
Alexander Bastrykin
Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin is a Russian official, Former First Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia,and former Chairman of The Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office...
, another ally of his, as Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office in 2007 in order to retain his influence.