New investigation reveals how the Putin regime ‘reproduces itself’ through ruling dynasties
Three out of four top Russian officials have relatives working in government or at state-linked companies, according to a new investigation by the media outlet Proekt.
The report focuses on civil servants “who likely received their posts thanks to their fathers and grandfathers, or who installed their spouses, children, grandchildren, and other relatives in the civil service or in well-paid positions at state-funded institutions, or helped them start businesses that thrive on government contracts.”
Analyzing 1,329 people who hold key positions — from President Vladimir Putin to government ministers, security officials, and the heads of state-owned companies and institutions such as major museums, media outlets, and universities — Proekt found that 76 percent (1,012 individuals) have relatives employed in the public sector.
“This is a huge proportion — three out of every four Russian leaders either inherited [their positions] from other officials or set up their descendants’ lives on the government’s dime,” the investigation says.
Proekt also released a searchable database comparing the “nepotism index” across different state bodies. In the Russian Supreme Court and the Defense Ministry, every high-ranking official has relatives employed in public administration or state-linked companies. Among members of the Federation Council, the index stands at 86 percent, compared to 84 percent in the State Duma and 68 percent in the presidential administration.
In addition, all the presidents and board members of Sberbank, VTB Bank, Gazprom, the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank), VEB, Rostelecom, Russian Highways (Avtodor), and Russian Railways have placed their relatives in state or state-linked jobs.
Proekt also found that some Russian elites have created “ruling dynasties,” in which multiple family members occupy high-level positions — often resulting in direct conflicts of interest.
The journalists identified 25 “ruling dynasties” in total. The governor of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, tops the list, with 96 of his relatives and friends holding plum positions, mainly within the republic. Kadyrov’s relatives occupy nine of Chechnya’s 20 cabinet posts, and at least eight people from his inner circle hold high-level federal positions, including State Duma lawmaker Adam Delimakhanov and Senator Suleiman Geremeyev.
President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has found public sector jobs for 27 of his relations. These reportedly include two alleged romantic partners — former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva and Rossiya Bank shareholder Svetlana Krivonogikh — as well as his ex-wife, Lyudmila Ocheretnaya; his cousin’s daughter, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivileva; and her husband, Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev, among others.
Other “ruling dynasties” have formed around Senator Arsen Kanokov (19 relatives), Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov (16), presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev (15), Federal Financial Monitoring Service Director Yuri Chikhanchin (15), and VTB Bank president Andrey Kostin (12).
According to Proekt’s findings, 293 of the 1,012 government officials in the sample — roughly 29 percent — are members of Russia’s security services. By contrast, that share drops to 21 percent in civilian agencies. More than one-fifth of the officials examined have close relatives who currently or formerly served in law enforcement or intelligence. Proekt estimates that 58 percent of today’s Russian bureaucrats are either descendants of Soviet-era officials or former Soviet civil servants themselves. “The Putin regime is reproducing itself — as the old guard is replaced by their descendants and even by the descendants of their descendants,” the investigation concludes.
“They pass us down like property,” said Roman Badanin, Proekt’s editor-in-chief, in a video accompanying the report.