Preceded by Vladimir Yakovlev Succeeded by Victor Basargin | Name Dmitry Kozak Role Russian Politician | |
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Born 7 November 1958 (age 65)
Bandurovo, Kirovograd, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union ( 1958-11-07 ) Education Saint Petersburg State University | ||
Russia warns against 'gay propaganda' during Olympics
Dmitry Nikolayevich Kozak (Russian: Дми́трий Никола́евич Коза́к; [ˈdmʲitrʲɪj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ kɐˈzak], Ukrainian: Козак Дмитро Миколайович; born November 7, 1958, Bandurovo, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR), is a Ukrainian-born Russian politician, serving since October 2008 as deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. He is known as the Cheshire Cat (Russian: Чеширский кот) because of his smile and is part of the Vlast' (Russian: Власть) or power group from St. Petersburg close to Putin.
Contents
- Russia warns against gay propaganda during Olympics
- Early life and career
- Political career
- Sanctions
- Honours and awards
- References
He was previously a regional development minister in the Russian cabinet, headed by Viktor Zubkov. From 2004 to 2007, he served as Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Southern Federal District (North Caucasus and Southern European Russia).
Dmitry Kozak is known as a close ally of Vladimir Putin, having worked with him in the St Petersburg city administration during the 1990s and later becoming one of the key figures in Putin's presidential team. During the 2004 Russian presidential election he was head of Putin’s election campaign team. Kozak was one of several members of Putin's circle touted in the media as a possible candidate to succeed Putin as president in 2008.
Kozak is married and has two sons. As of 2016, he lives in Moscow in the same house as Sergei Ivanov, Victor Ivanov, and German Gref.
Early life and career
Dmitry Kozak was born on 7 November 1958 in the village of Bandurovo, in the Kirovohrad region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (part of the USSR).
From 1976 to 1978, Kozak worked in the Soviet military's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
Kozak graduated from Leningrad State University (now St. Petersburg State University) in 1985 with a degree in law. From 1985 to 1989 he worked in the Leningrad prosecutor's office as a Prosecutor and Senior Prosecutor. He moved into the business sector in 1989, working as head of the legal department at Monolit-Kirovstroy construction company and chief legal consultant for the Association of Trade Ports.
Political career
Kozak worked as a public prosecutor in Leningrad and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, holding various legal offices in the city’s administration. In 1998 he became Deputy Governor of Saint Petersburg.
In 1999, along with other St. Petersburg city officials, he joined the government of Vladimir Putin. He was Chief of Staff from 1999 to 2000. Dmitry Kozak became deputy head of the presidential administration and remained in this position under various titles until 2004. In 2003 he briefly entered international politics and unsuccessfully attempted to solve the conflict between Transnistria and Moldova (see Kozak memorandum).
In September 2004, Kozak was appointed Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Southern Federal District, replacing Vladimir Yakovlev. On September 24, 2007 he was appointed to the new Russian cabinet headed by Viktor Zubkov as regional development minister, succeeding Vladimir Yakovlev again, and leaving his previous position. On October 14, 2008 he became deputy prime minister of Russia.
According to Stanislav Belkovsky, Kozak is not well liked by Putin's entourage, but Vladimir Putin does like Kozak apparently wanting to appoint Kozak as prime minister in 2004 and tapping Kozak as the successor to Putin as president in 2008, however, Dmitry Medvedev won the presidential race. Alexei Makarkin of the Center for Political Technologies said that Putin trusts Kozak as one of his men.
Dmitry Kozak was the main overseer for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
Following Russia's intervention into Crimea, Kozak was appointed to greatly strengthen Crimea's social, political, and economic ties to Russia.
Sanctions
On April 28, 2014, following the Crimean status referendum, the U.S. Treasury put Kozak on the Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN), a list of individuals sanctioned as “members of the Russian leadership’s inner circle.” The sanctions freeze any assets he holds in the US and ban him from entering the United States.
On April 29, 2014, Kozak was added to the European Union sanctions list due to his role in the 2014 Crimean crisis. He is barred from entering the EU countries, and his assets in the EU are frozen.