Head of Russian Railways steps down, replaced by Transportation Ministry deputy
Vladimir Yakunin has stepped down from his post as the head of Russian Railways. He will be replaced by the First Deputy Transportation Minister, Oleg Belozerov. The appointment was made by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on August 20.
Yakunin has announced his plans to seek a post in the Federation Council (the upper house of Russia's parliament) as a senator from Kaliningrad. Since Yakunin has never resided in the Kaliningrad region, he can only take up a Federation Council position in the event that he holds the highest diplomatic rank (“ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary”). On August 20, elections officials in the Kaliningrad region announced that Yakunin has indeed held the highest diplomatic rank since 2014.
“You know the sphere fairly well, as was evidenced in our conversation about the current economic situation of the Russian railway system, with all its advantages, its problems, the budget situation, and investments,” said Medvedev [to Belozerov].
- Russian Railways is a state-owned company and Russia’s largest employer.
- Oleg Belozerov has served as Deputy Transportation Minister since 2009. According to Russia’s official audit chamber, the Ministry of Transportation has misallocated 9.3 billion rubles ($136.4 million) in the first half of 2015 alone.
- Russian newspaper Vedomosti has reported that Belozerov is a close associate of businessmen Arkady and Boris Rotenberg. A source close to the government told Vedomosti that the Rotenbergs had a say in Belozerov’s appointment.
- Yakunin headed Russian Railways since 2005. His diplomatic experience dates to 1985-1991, when he served as the first and second secretary to the Soviet representative at the UN. He is currently on a US sanctions list for Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He is also known for his political stance, conspiratorial view of world affairs, and writings on international relations.
- For a look into Yakunin's politics, see *Globalization, postcapitalism, and American conspiracy: Why the head of the Russian Railways is very worried about the new world order*