Putin's cousin appointed as Russian Deputy Minister of Defence
Anna Tsiwileva became the Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. According to the independent portal Meduza, Tsiwileva is a cousin of the Russian president Vladimir Putin and the owner of one of the largest coal companies in Russia, known for the "Iron Masks" investigation. Previously, she headed the state fund supporting participants in the "special military operation".
On Monday afternoon, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed four deputy defence ministers. According to the decree, the dismissed officials are Nikolai Pankov, Ruslan Tsalikov, Tatiana Shevtsova, and Pavel Popov. The president also allowed the Ministry of Defence 12 deputy ministers, including two first deputies.
Putin's cousin in the Ministry of Defence
Among others, Anna Tsiwileva, Vladimir Putin's cousin, who previously headed the state fund supporting participants of the "special military operation," was appointed as Deputy Minister of Defence.
"Iron Masks" investigation: network of mines and a whole region
The links between Putin and Tsiwileva were investigated in Russia in January 2022 by "Agents. Media". Tsiwileva was the protagonist of the "Iron Masks" scandal. Journalists described how Putin's family "acquired 2.6 million serfs and a business worth billions of pounds".
"Vladimir Putin rules Russia like a feudal state, distributing resources to relatives and friends. The scheme uncovered by 'Agents. Media' looks incredible: the country's president gave his family a huge business, and then a whole region with 2.6 million residents," the publication reads.
According to the investigation's authors, Anna's maiden name is Putin. She was born in Ivanovo, and her father is a cousin of the Russian president. In the 1990s, she worked as a psychiatrist at the local psychiatric hospital. After Putin became president, she moved to Moscow and began supplying medical equipment. In 2007, she married Sergey Tsiwilev.
In 2012, the couple became shareholders in the Kolmar coal company. "Agents.Media" notes that previously neither spouse was involved in the coal industry and could not have earned in such a company (its total value at that time was about £314 million).
Gigantic cash injection from the state budget
In the past, Kolmar had "enormous financial difficulties," but in recent years the state began to assist the company. After coming under the control of the Tsiwilevs, the firm received about £115 million in direct support from the budget, as well as a preferential loan of about £42 million and tax preferences.
In 2018, Sergey Tsiwilev became the governor of the Kemerovo region. Agents and media sources report that she was directly involved in discussions on regional issues and "stands behind many of her husband's important actions."
