Viktor Zubkov Explained

Birth Name:Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov
Viktor Zubkov
Office:Prime Minister of Russia
President1:Vladimir Putin
Deputy1:Igor Shuvalov
Term Start1:14 September 2007
Term End1:8 May 2008
Predecessor1:Mikhail Fradkov
Successor1:Vladimir Putin
President:Dmitry Medvedev
Term Start:7 May 2012
Term End:8 May 2012
Predecessor:Vladimir Putin
Successor:Dmitry Medvedev
Office3:First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
Primeminister3:Vladimir Putin
Dmitry Medvedev
Alongside3:Igor Shuvalov
Term Start3:12 May 2008
Term End3:21 May 2012
Predecessor3:Dmitry Medvedev
Sergei Ivanov
Successor3:Igor Shuvalov
Office4:Chairman of the Council of Ministers
of the Union State
Term End4:27 May 2008
Term Start4:15 October 2007
Predecessor4:Mikhail Fradkov
Successor4:Vladimir Putin
Birth Date:15 September 1941
Birth Place:Kushva, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Occupation:Politician, businessman
Spouse:Zoe Zubkova
Children:Julia Serdyukova
Nationality:Russian
Signature:Signature of Viktor Zubkov.png

Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov (Russian: Ви́ктор Алексе́евич Зубко́в|p=ˈvʲiktər ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ zʊpˈkof; born 15 September 1941) is a Russian civil servant, politician and businessman who served as the 36th Prime Minister of Russia from September 2007 to May 2008. He was Vladimir Putin's First Deputy Prime Minister during the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev.

A civil servant who held various positions in the Leningrad Oblast under the Soviet regime, he later served as advisor to Cabinet Ministers. Zubkov was a financial crime investigator until he was nominated on 12 September 2007 by President Vladimir Putin to replace Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, who had resigned earlier that day.[1] [2] The nomination was approved in the Duma on 14 September 2007.[3] On 7 May 2008 Zubkov's cabinet was automatically dismissed. This procedure, following an inauguration of the President of Russia is required by the Russian Constitution. After Putin became Prime Minister, Zubkov was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.

He has the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation.[4]

Now in his 80's Zubkov is still the current chairman of the board of directors of Gazprom, Russia's largest corporation and one of the largest oil and natural gas companies in the world.

Life and career

Born in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Zubkov graduated from the Economic Department of the Leningrad Agriculture Institute in 1972.

In 1966, he was drafted to the Soviet Army for an 18-month term. From 1967 to 1985, he worked on leading positions in kolkhozes of Leningrad Oblast. From 1985 to 1991, he occupied several leading positions in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Leningrad Oblast: Chairman of the Priozersk City Executive Committee, First Secretary of the Priozersk City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and head of the Department of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Agricultural Department of the Regional Committee of the CPSU. He was also First Deputy Chairman of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee from 1989 to 1991.

In January 1992 to November 1993, he was a deputy Chairman of the External Relations Committee of the Saint Petersburg Mayor Office led by Vladimir Putin. From 3 November 1993, to 30 November 1998, Zubkov was the Chief of the Saint Petersburg Department of the State Tax Inspection and simultaneously a Deputy Chairman of the State Tax Inspection for Saint Petersburg.

In December 1998, during the term of Yevgeny Primakov's Cabinet the State Tax Inspection was reorganized into the Tax Ministry of Russia and Zubkov's deputy head position was abolished, but he was immediately reappointed Chief of the Saint Petersburg Directorate of the Tax Ministry. On 23 July 1999, Zubkov was appointed Deputy Tax Minister of Russia for the Northwestern region. In a few days he was also appointed Chief of the Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast Directorate of the Tax Ministry.

On 12 August 1999, he was registered as a contender in the Leningrad Oblast governor election, assisted by Boris Gryzlov as his election campaign manager, but lost the election to Valeriy Serdyukov on 19 September 1999, with 8.64 percent of the vote (4th place out of 16).

On 5 November 2001, he left his positions in the Tax Ministry and was appointed First Deputy Finance Minister of Russia and Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Committee of the ministry, aimed to fight money laundering.

On 16 March 2004, after the dismissal of Mikhail Kasyanov's Cabinet, the Financial Monitoring Committee was renamed to Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Finance Ministry, but Zubkov retained his position in Mikhail Fradkov's First Cabinet and Mikhail Fradkov's Second Cabinet.

In a 2006 survey of political experts, Zubkov was ranked as Russia's 84th most influential politician.[5]

Zubkov's daughter is married to Anatoly Serdyukov, the former Russian Defense Minister.[6]

Prime Minister

See main article: Viktor Zubkov's Cabinet. On 12 September 2007, President Vladimir Putin proposed his candidacy for the post of Prime Minister and on 14 September, the State Duma approved him in the post (he was voted 381 MP).[7] Zubkov resigned 8 May 2008, after Dmitry Medvedev became President.

Some Kremlinologists viewed Zubkov as one more technical Prime Minister, interpreting the move as a way to renew a competition between possible successors.[8] Another theory suggested that Putin chose a man of unquestioning loyalty to help him control powerful factions jostling for position inside the Kremlin. Another clue to his usefulness lies in Zubkov's experience under Putin as the man leading the fight against financial crime.Putin said that there were five people who can run for president and can be elected, including Zubkov. On 13 September, Zubkov himself said he might run for President of Russia in 2008.[9] However, in December 2007, Putin officially gave his support to Dmitry Medvedev for the 2008 presidential election, effectively dashing Zubkov's hopes for the presidency. After Medvedev took office, Zubkov succeeded him as Chairman of Gazprom.[10]

Sanction

Sanctioned by the UK government on 24 February 2023 in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian War.[11]

Honours and awards

External links

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Notes and References

  1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6991053.stm "Putin names next prime minister"
  2. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296505,00.html "Putin Dissolves Government, Nominates Viktor Zubkov as New Prime Minister"
  3. http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11871756&PageNum=0 Duma approves Zubkov for prime minister’s post, ITAR-TASS.
  4. Decree. 21. 10 January 2003. President of Russia. О присвоении квалификационных разрядов федеральным государственным служащим. ru.
  5. C. J. Chivers, "Putin Shuffles Government, Posing Mystery", The New York Times, 13 September 2007.
  6. http://www.lenta.ru/news/2007/09/12/zubkov/ Putin appoints Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov
  7. Web site: Виктор Зубков утвержден премьер-министром России. lenta.ru.
  8. Web site: Putin sets cat among succession pigeons, globeandmail.com. .
  9. Web site: Russia's new PM says could stand for president, sweissinfo.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20071205234801/http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Russia_s_new_PM_could_stand_for_president.html?siteSect=143&sid=8213717&cKey=1189678958000&ty=ti. dead. 5 December 2007.
  10. Web site: Executives . 2023-12-25.
  11. Web site: CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK . 16 April 2023.