At least 24 of Putin's relatives have government or state-linked roles, investigation finds
An investigation by the Russian media outlet Proekt has revealed that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has helped at least 24 of his relatives to secure positions at government or state-affiliated institutions.
Source: investigation by the Russian media outlet Agentstvo (Proekt)
Details: The investigation found that the families of all four of Putin's known partners – Lyudmila Putina-Ocheretnaya, Alina Kabaeva, Svetlana Krivonogikh and Alisa Kharchova – have benefited financially through ties with state institutions.
The so-called "dependants of the state" include Putin's two official daughters, Maria and Yekaterina, and his cousins Yevgeny and Igor Putin, Lyubov Shelomova and Lyubov Kruglova.
The investigation notes that family members linked to Putin's cousin Yevgeny Putin have received the most senior positions. His relatives Anna Tsivileva, Sergei Tsivilev and Mikhail Putin hold key roles in the Russian government and the state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
Another branch of the family, on Putin's father's side, controls the state-owned hydroelectricity company RusGidro, which is headed by Putin's nephew, Viktor Khmarin.
The investigation also names Igor Zelensky, the partner of Putin's daughter Yekaterina Tikhonova, who is responsible for a theatre building project in occupied Sevastopol, and Vsevolod Kharchov, the father of Alisa Kharchova, who works for Dialog, a state propaganda organisation.
The investigation is part of a broader research project by Proekt titled "Fathers and Grandfathers", which focuses on nepotism within Russia's ruling elite.
For reference: Proekt is a Russian-language online investigative media outlet founded in 2018 by journalist Roman Badanin, formerly head of Dozhd TV and other media.
In July 2021, Russian prosecutors labelled Proekt an "undesirable organisation", forcing it to shut down. The team launched Agentstvo in September 2021 as a new outlet to prevent its authors and readers from being persecuted in Russia.
On 31 March 2022, Proekt resumed operations under its original name. Editor-in-chief Roman Badanin said that after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, further self-censorship "no longer made sense". The Telegram channel Agentstvo.Novosti retained its name and continues to operate in a news format.
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