Zolotov, Victor Vasilievich

Boris Yeltsin (left), Alexander Korzhakov and Viktor Zolotov at the White House in August 1991

Born in a working class family. In his youth, he worked as a mechanic at the AZLK plant. An urgent military service was held in the border troops , a member of the CPSU . After he continued his service in the ninth department of the KGB of the USSR and then in 1991 in the new security service of the President of the RSFSR under the leadership of A. V. Korzhakov . ^[3]

August 19, 1991 was among those who guarded the President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin during his speech from the armor of the tank ^[4] .

In the 1990s, he was hired by the bodyguard of the mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak . At this work, I met with Vladimir Putin , who at that time was in the position of deputy mayor. Subsequently, became close to Putin, began to take part in sparring in boxing and judo .

In 1996, Zolotov was fired from the GUO of Russia (FSO of Russia), for some time worked at the security company Baltic Escort as the personal bodyguard of the Russian businessman Roman Tsepov (also a former bodyguard of Sobchak and a close friend of Putin).

In 2000—2013 - Head of the Security Service of the President of the Russian Federation - Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. He replaced Anatoly Kuznetsov in this position. Colonel General (2006).

He was chairman of the presidium of the all-Russian public organization Russian National Federation " Oyama Kyokushinkai karate-do ."

In September 2013, he was appointed deputy commander in chief of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

On May 12, 2014, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, he was appointed First Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation - Commander-in-Chief of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia ^[5] .

In August 2015, information was published on Zolotov’s income for 2014, which amounted to more than 6 million rubles ^[6] .

The military rank of General of the Army was awarded by decree of Russian President Putin on November 10, 2015 .

On April 5, 2016, by the Decree of the President of Russia, he was appointed Director of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation - Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation ^[7] . The position is equal in status to the federal minister. Viktor Zolotov is included in the Security Council of the Russian Federation as a permanent member. On April 12, 2016, by decree of the president, he was transferred to the Security Council ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} .

On April 6, 2018, the United States was included in the sanctioned “Kremlin List” of the United States among 17 officials and 7 businessmen from Russia close to Putin ^{[12] [13]} .

On March 15, 2019, Canada imposed sanctions on 114 individuals, including Viktor Zolotov, and 15 companies due to an incident in the Strait of Kerch ^[14] .

Wife - Valentina Nikolaevna Zolotova, born September 14, 1955, housewife .

Daughter - Zhanna Zolotova, born on January 25, 1976, married to producer Yuri Valerievich Chechikhin (born on November 5, 1976, produced the series Vorotily and the film Circumstances 2008-2009, since 2008 - Director General of Izvestia OJSC, Now - Deputy General Director for Prospective Development of the Center for Energy Efficiency of Inter RAO UES ) ^{[15] [16] [17]} .

Son - Roman Zolotov, born March 3, 1980, until 2014 he served in private security . He also produced films together with Chechikhin, and played one of the main roles in the 4-episode film “ I Have Honor! .. ”. In 2007-2015, he worked as Deputy General Director of FSUE Okhrana. Since 2017, he is the deputy head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the city of Moscow ^[18] .

Grandson - Artyom Chechikhin, born June 25, 1999, spent his childhood in Barvikha , lives in the UK , and studies at the Cranleigh School in Surrey . ^[19]

According to the 2014 tax return, Zolotov’s official income was 6.5 million rubles, and his wife’s 400,744 rubles. The property list includes two land plots with an area of ​​1.19 ha and 0.4 ha, as well as two residential buildings - 275 and 1070 m², an apartment with an area of ​​189 m². In addition, together with his wife, he owns one third of another apartment with an area of ​​179 m². The wife owns a plot of 0.5 hectares. ^[20] .

According to the editor of the Novaya Gazeta investigations department, Roman Anin , Viktor Zolotov owns several land plots, apartments, houses, sources of funds for the purchase of which are unknown, and Zolotov’s son and son-in-law own land in Barvikha with a total value of about 1.5 billion rubles ^{[ 21]} .

On October 18, 2018, Alexey Navalny estimated the value of the real estate of the Zolotov family at 3.5 billion rubles ^[22] .

Special services historian Boris Volodarsky noted: “In two terms of Putin, he advanced from a colonel to a colonel general. He entered the closest, closest circle of Putin ” ^[23] .

According to the assessment of the wife of Alexei Navalny, Julia Navalny, the video message made by the head of Rosguard Viktor Zolotov to her husband is a threat to the whole family. ^[24]

On August 23, 2018, politician Aleksey Navalny published an investigation on his website stating that the leadership of the Russian Guard was purchasing food for their employees at inflated prices, where Viktor Zolotov was the main defendant. ^[25] Shortly afterwards, the Rosgvard department called this a falsification , considering the investigation a “failed experiment” in which factors of production of goods were “not consciously taken into account” ^[26] . Two weeks later, the head of the Russian Guard, Viktor Zolotov, issued his video message in which he proposed a duel to Navalny and promised to make an “juicy chop” from the opposition, indicating that the founder of FBK made “insulting slanderous fabrications” against him that “it’s not customary to just forgive” ^{[27] [28]} . According to one of the authors of the newspaper Vedomosti, the head of the Russian Guard thus admitted for his part a direct threat of the use of force against his opponents ^[29] .

September 18, 2018 the purchase of uniforms for the troops of the National Guard at inflated prices was reported by the publication " Interlocutor " ^[30] .

In early October 2018, it became known that the procurement of the department, which is headed by Zolotov, will be checked by the Military Prosecutor's Office . The Chief Military Prosecutor Valery Petrov took control of the investigation under his personal control ^[31] .

On October 1, 2018, it became known that the Friendship of Peoples meat processing plant sued Navalny because of an FBK investigation ^[32] .

On October 18, 2018, Navalny, who was under arrest from August 25 to October 14, accepted Zolotov’s call and chose a place and “weapon”: a debate live on one of the federal television channels or on his YouTube channel , giving Zolotov a week to reply ^{[33] [34]} . Zolotov on October 19, 2018 refused to participate in the debate, saying that he invited Navalny to a “sports competition” ^[35] . On October 20, Zolotov announced that Navalny should be checked on a polygraph.

On December 11, 2018, Viktor Zolotov filed a lawsuit against Alexei Navalny with the Lublin Court of Moscow to protect honor, dignity and business reputation ^{[36] [37]} . In connection with a number of violations during the filing of the claim, he was left motionless by the court, and then returned to Zolotov ^[38] .

• Order of St. George IV degree ^{[39] [40]}
• Order of Merit to the Fatherland, III and IV degrees
• Order of Alexander Nevsky
• Order of Courage
• Order of Military Merit
• Order of Friendship
• Honored Employee of the State Guard of the Russian Federation
• Order named after Akhmad Kadyrov (2016) ^[41]
• The patriarchal badge "700th Anniversary of St. Sergius of Radonezh" ( July 28, 2014 ) - in consideration of the works for the benefit of the Holy Church ^[42]
• Krapovy beret - presented on May 7, 2015 by decision of the Council of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia with the right to wear a beret ^[43]
• Honorary Citizen of Sasovo ^[44] .

• Biography on the website of the Russian Guard.
• Biography on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
• Victor Zolotov - on the Peoples.ru website
• Putin's bodyguard - an article from the newspaper Leningradskaya Pravda .