From June 2005 to August 2015, Vladimir Yakunin was president of Russian Railways (Russian Railways). On August 20 of this year, Russian President Putin announced at a press conference that Yakunin had decided to resign.
Since 2012, Vladimir Yakunin has also been president of the International Union of Railways (UIC). On 26 August this year, UIC announced that until the next General Assembly of this union, the duties of its president will be performed by the vice president.
Childhood and youth
Where did Vladimir Yakunin start his life? His biography began in 1948 in the city of Melenki, Gus-Khrustalny District, Vladimir Region. In his vicinity, in the small village of Zakharovo, his grandfather and grandmother lived on his father, a military pilot who served in the border troops. Soon he was transferred to Parnu (Estonia), where Volodya lived until the age of 14. His mother worked as an accountant. In 1964, after his father was fired from the army, the family moved to Leningrad, which Vladimir Yakunin considers his hometown.
Years of study
Does Yakunin Vladimir Ivanovich have a special railway education? His biography after graduating from high school in 1966 continued at the famous Leningrad Military Mechanical Institute "Voenmekh", which he successfully graduated in 1972. As a mechanical engineer, he specialized in the design of long-range ballistic missiles. His professional career began at the State Institute of Applied Chemistry, where he worked from 1972 to 1975. The work was related to the development of rocket fuel technologies. In 1975, he was called up for military service, but held it again at a student desk - at the KGB Institute, which today has been transformed into the Academy of Foreign Intelligence.
The beginning of the state career
After service, since 1977, he worked for five years as a senior engineer in the department of the State Committee for Foreign Trade of the USSR Council of Ministers. Then, for three years, he was the head of the foreign department at the Leningrad Physicotechnical Institute named after A. Ioffe, USSR Academy of Sciences. There is reason to believe that its functions included scientific and technical intelligence related to the search for information on the latest inventions and technologies in the field of arms production. Yakunin himself in recent years has stated that he served in intelligence for 22 years.
What further did Vladimir Yakunin do in life? His biography, as befits a real Soviet intelligence officer, continued in the United States, where between 1985 and 1991 he was part of the Soviet diplomatic mission at the UN, and for the last three years - as the first secretary of the mission.
An attempt to build a business career
Could the life of such a person as Yakunin Vladimir Ivanovich pass in the 90s without trying to find himself in business? His biography continued again in Leningrad, where he returned at the beginning of 1991, having retired from the civil service. At first, Vladimir Yakunin, with a former colleague in the department of the Leningrad physical and technical department, Yuri Kovalchuk, set up NTP TEMP LLP and are trying to raise the then-unknown St. Petersburg bank Russia. In 1993, he became a co-founder of Semiconductor Devices CJSC, and in 1996, he became the CEO of the International Center for Business Cooperation business center.
His rapprochement with Vladimir Putin, with whom he had been familiar since the 80s, dates to this period. Apparently, on the recommendation of the latter, who became the head of the GKU under the President of the Russian Federation by 1997, Vladimir Yakunin returned to the civil service in the same year and took over the management of the North-Western District Inspectorate of the GKU.
From controller to transporters
From December 7, 2000 to February 2002, Yakunin, Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia Sergey Frank, is responsible for the development of the merchant fleet and seaports. On February 8, 2002, he became the first Deputy Minister of Transport Gennady Fadeev and curator of the railways. He held this position until the end of October 2003. In the same month, Yakunin became vice president of Russian Railways, led by Gennady Fadeev. Russian Railways was formed by Decree of the Russian Government No. 585 of September 18, 2003. The company was created as a result of the first stage of the reform of the railways.
In mid-June 2005, a new head of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin, was appointed. After that, he was reappointed to this position three more times until 2014 by orders of the Russian Government.
August 17, 2015 Yakunin announced his resignation from the post of head of Russian Railways. Prime Minister Medvedev appointed Oleg Belozerov as the new president of the company.
Vladimir Yakunin, whose photo in the last period of the leadership of Russian Railways is shown below, after his resignation, suggests focusing on scientific and social activities. His sphere of interests covers issues of international relations and relations, establishing dialogue with other countries.
Scientific work
Since the beginning of 2006, Yakunin has been listed as a scientific consultant and heads the Board of Trustees at the Center for Problem Analysis at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In 2005, he defended his Ph.D. thesis on a topic related to the principles of development of geostrategies in today's Russia (using transport and railways as an example). He has a doctorate in political science, in 2007 he defended a dissertation related to the principles of formation of state policy in Russia. He is the author of several monographs on the problems of geopolitics.
Since the end of 2010, he has been the head of the department of state policy at the faculty of political sciences at Moscow State University. The Stockholm School of Economics invited him as a professor.
Social and charitable activities
Vladimir Yakunin is a member of the board of directors of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Drama Theater named after Tovstonogov, and chairs the boards of trustees of two centers that finance projects related to the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church. He also runs trustees for a children's help fund called Spread Your Wings! The foundation supports disabled children, terminally ill and orphans.
Yakunin is vice president of the Geneva-based International Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations”, a member of the jury of the Rhodes Youth Forum, a member of the board of trustees of the Russkiy Mir Foundation and the Russian VIO.
Vladimir Yakunin and his family
Russian Railways played a decisive role in the life of their future leader. In his own words, the acquaintance with his future wife Natalia happened on the train, and he made an offer of a hand and heart in the train. Today Natalya Yakunina is retired, but she is a member of several business and charity projects.
The aforementioned Fund “Dialogue of Civilizations” was established jointly by the Yakunin couple, with Natalya being the head of it and Vladimir becoming her deputy.
They have two sons and four grandchildren. The eldest son Andrei lives in London and is engaged in the hotel business. Currently, he is implementing a large-scale project with foreign investments in Russia on the construction of a number of modern hotels. The youngest son, Igor, is also studying in London.