The head of the presidential administration in conditions of strict centralized power is considered one of the powerful people in Russian politics. He heads the apparatus, which in its capabilities is in no way inferior to the government, directly interacts with the head of state and largely determines his policy. Not so long ago, this position was held by Sergey Ivanov, one of the most powerful and influential people in Russian politics.
Behind Enemy Lines and at Home
Sergey Borisovich was born in Leningrad in 1953. He studied at a specialized school with in-depth study of foreign languages and planned to become a diplomat in the future. On the way to this goal, he entered Leningrad State University, where he began to study at the translation department of the Faculty of Philology. However, here, among other talented students, he was distinguished by vigilant recruits of the powerful KGB.
In 1974, Sergei Ivanov went to the UK, where he improved his English at Ealing Technical College. After returning to their homeland, the future head of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation successfully completes his studies at Leningrad State University and goes to special KGB courses in Minsk, where he has been trained for another year.
Then he is distributed to his hometown, to serve in the First Department of the KGB of the Leningrad Region. It is here that he intersects with Vladimir Putin, who served in the same administration.
After several years of work, Sergey Ivanov goes on an increase to the First Main Directorate of the KGB, which was engaged in foreign intelligence. Until 1985, he established a residency in Finland, then, due to the disclosure of the network, he was transferred to Kenya.
New Age Service
The collapse of the USSR greatly undermined the power of the once omnipotent Committee. After 1991, he underwent continuous and controversial reforms, as a result of which a huge number of professionals left the ranks of the state security service.
However, the future head of the presidential administration remained faithful to the oath and conscientiously continued to serve in his First Main Directorate, which was separated into a separate structure and became known as the Foreign Intelligence Service. Here he gradually rises up the career ladder and ends his career as Deputy Director of the European Department in 1998.
Just at that time, Vladimir Putin was triumphantly returning to his native state security organs. He left the structure in the early nineties, leaving for politics. However, after several years he decided to appoint the FSB director, relying on his vast experience in this specific activity. The new leader decided to appoint Sergey Ivanov as his deputy, whose working qualities he was able to evaluate while still serving in the Leningrad Directorate of the KGB.
Government work
In 2000, Sergei Borisovich was ousted from his military service after years of service, having risen to the rank of colonel general. Thus began his political career. A year earlier, he had already become Secretary of the National Security Council, and in 2001 became the first Minister of Defense in the history of Russia to be a non-military man. In this post, he zealously took up the matter, tackling the most sensitive issues.
The former intelligence officer repeatedly publicly spoke out in favor of reducing the size of the army, gradually changing the conscription service to contract, and shortening the service life. He became the first Minister of Defense to publicly promise not to send conscripts to Chechnya and other war zones. Sergei Ivanov also restored the practice of large-scale military exercises, often conducted jointly with the armies of other countries.
However, under Ivanov, there were a number of high-profile incidents related to hazing in the army. One of the victims of bullying was Private Andrey Sychev, as a result of which he remained disabled for life.
Ivanov - head of the presidential administration
In 2007, a veteran of domestic foreign intelligence was appointed to the post of First Deputy Prime Minister in the government of Viktor Zubkov. Dmitry Medvedev got a similar position, and for a long time political scientists wondered which of them would become the most likely successor to Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin kept the intrigue until the last moment, months before the election, announcing the nomination of Medvedev. Ivanov also supported his government counterpart.
After the 2008 presidential election, the government was headed by Vladimir Putin, and Sergey Ivanov took the post of first deputy in his cabinet.
Four years later, there was a kind of castling in power, as a result of which Vladimir Vladimirovich returned to the presidency, and Medvedev became prime minister. Putin chose a trusted ally as head of the presidential administration, taking Sergei Ivanov to the Kremlin with him. The presidential administration in Russian realities is not a simple bureaucratic apparatus. Its head exercises control over the decrees of the first person of the state, is the main channel of communication with the president.
The powers and responsibilities of Sergei Ivanov were enormous, and he faithfully served in this post until 2016. According to the president, Sergei Borisovich asked for his resignation due to the accumulated fatigue and tragedy that occurred in his family. Now Ivanov holds the post of special representative of the president on environmental issues.