Vladimir Ivanovich Yakunin (russian: Владимир Иванович Якунин; born 30 June 1948) is a Russian businessman and close Vladimir Putin confidant. He was president of
Russian Railways from June 2005 to August 2015.
In March 2014, he was placed on the US State Department's list of Russian officials and businessmen sanctioned in the wake the annexation of Crimea.
Early life
Yakunin was born in
Melenki Melenki (russian: Меленки) is the name of several types of inhabited localities in Russia, inhabited localities in Russia.
Ivanovo Oblast
As of 2010, one rural locality in Ivanovo Oblast bears this name:
*Melenki, Ivanovo Oblast, a village#R ...
in
Gus-Khrustalny District,
Vladimir Oblast
Vladimir Oblast (russian: Влади́мирская о́бласть, ''Vladimirskaya oblast'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its closest border 66 Meter, km east of central Moscow, the administrative cen ...
. In 1972, Yakunin graduated from the
Leningrad Mechanical Institute
Baltic State Technical University "Voenmeh" D.F. Ustinov (russian: Балтийский государственный технический университет "Военмех" им. Д.Ф.Устинова; abbreviated BGTU) is a Russian tec ...
where he studied aircraft construction, and specialized in engineering and the maintenance of long-range ballistic missiles. Yakunin's career began in the State Institute for Applied Chemistry in Leningrad, where he worked from 1972 to 1975. In 1975, he joined the Soviet Army.
Career
Between 1985 and 1991, Yakunin was part of the Soviet diplomatic mission to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, becoming the Mission's First Secretary in 1988.
He served in the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
during the Soviet era.
In the early 1990s, he owned a
dacha in Solovyovka, Priozersky district of
Leningrad region
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...
, on the eastern shore of the Komsomol'skoye lake on the
Karelian Isthmus
The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...
near St. Petersburg. His neighbours there included
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
,
Andrei Fursenko
Andrei Aleksandrovich Fursenko (russian: Андрей Александрович Фурсенко; ; born 17 July 1949 in Leningrad) is a Russian politician, scientist and businessman. He was the Minister of Education and Science of the Russian ...
,
Sergey Fursenko
Sergey Aleksandrovich Fursenko (russian: Серге́й Александрович Фурсенко) (born 1954 in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Russian businessman.
He is a brother of Andrei Fursenko.
Career
Since the early 1990s, Fursenko has ...
,
Yuriy Kovalchuk
Yury Valentinovich Kovalchuk (russian: Ю́рий Валенти́нович Ковальчу́к; born 25 July 1951) is a Russian billionaire businessman and financier who is "reputed to be Vladimir Putin's personal banker". The Panama Papers l ...
,
Viktor Myachin
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
,
Vladimir Smirnov and
Nikolay Shamalov
Nikolai Terent'yevich Shamalov, Nikolai Terent'evich Shamalov or Nikolai Terentievich Shamalov (russian: link=no, Николай Терентьевич Шамалов; born 24 January 1950) is a Belarusian-born Russian dentist, businessman, and a ...
. On 10 November 1996, together they set up the co-operative society
Ozero
Ozero (russian: О́зеро, lit. ''lake'') (full name: дачный потребительский кооператив «Озеро», Dacha consumer cooperative "Ozero") is a dacha cooperative associated with Vladimir Putin's inner circl ...
covering their properties.
Yakunin was the president of
Russian Railways from 2005 until 2015.
On 12 December 2012 in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, the
International Union of Railways
The International Union of Railways (UIC, french: Union internationale des wikt:chemin de fer, chemins de fer) is an international rail transport industry body.
History
The railways of Europe originated as many separate concerns, and there wer ...
General Assembly appointed Yakunin Chairman of the Union. He was unanimously reappointed on 3 December 2014 and continued to serve as head until his retirement.
Yakunin is President of the World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations", an International NGO registered in Vienna, Austria, which he co-founded with C. Kapur of India and N. Papanikolao from
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
/
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. Before it was transformed into a DOC research Institute, World Public Forum "Dialogue of Civilizations" was an initiative to link people from different backgrounds, civilizations, traditions and religions. It organizes the annual
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
Forum on Dialogue of Civilizations.
Sanctions
On 20 March 2014, the United States government issued
sanctions in response to what it saw as the Russian government's role in ongoing
unrest in Ukraine. The
Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN) imposes a travel ban to the United States, the freezing of all Yakunin's U.S. assets, and a ban on business transactions between American citizens and corporations and Yakunin and any businesses he owns.
The Australian Government announced on 19 March 2014 that it would impose a sanctions regime in response to the Russian threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Yakunin was placed on Australia's DFAT consolidated list on 19 June 2014, described as a 'close personal and financial associate of Vladimir Putin'.
Retired from Russian Railways
In August 2015, media reports said Yakunin has retired as head of Russian Railways, but in October, further reports suggested he had been dismissed. Russian and British media have alleged that Yakunin's dismissal was a direct result of his son
Andrey Yakunin
Andrey Yakunin (Андрей Владимирович Якунин) (born 1975) is a Russian businessman. He is the eldest son of Vladimir Yakunin, the former head of Russian Railways and a close Vladimir Putin associate.
Early life and family
His ...
's decision to apply for UK citizenship.
Personal life
His son
Andrey Yakunin
Andrey Yakunin (Андрей Владимирович Якунин) (born 1975) is a Russian businessman. He is the eldest son of Vladimir Yakunin, the former head of Russian Railways and a close Vladimir Putin associate.
Early life and family
His ...
owns property in the UK.
Andrey ran a UK-based venture capital firm: Venture Investments & Yield Management LLP.
See also
*
List of individuals sanctioned during the Ukrainian crisis
References
Books
*''The Treacherous Path: An Insider's Account of Modern Russia'' (Biteback Publishing Ltd, 2018)
hard bound
Hard may refer to:
* Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture
* Hard water, water with high mineral content
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hard'' (TV series), a French TV series
* Hard (band), a Hungarian hard rock supe ...
External links
Vladimir Yakunin's blogYakunin: Crowds do not define public will*
ttps://www.wsj.com/articles/excerpts-from-the-interview-with-vladimir-yakunin-1412008333 Excerpts From the Interview With Vladimir Yakuninbr>
Q & A: Vladimir YakuninVladimir Yakunin, President of Russian RailwaysKFAS Interview : Vladimir YakuninIBNA Interview: Vladimir YakuninFormer Kremlin insider expects 2-year economic downturnModifying Russia according to Western patterns impossible — Russian Railways ex-CEORussian Railways ex-chief sets up international think tank to 'reduce tensions worldwide'Message of UIC Chairman V. Yakunin on the occasion of the UN Climate Summit 2014Message by V. Yakunin, UIC Chairman, on the occasion of the UIC General Assembly, Portoroz, 27 June 2014Address by UIC Chairman Mr. Vladimir Yakunin June 2014Message by Vladimir Yakunin, UIC Chairman, on the occasion of the UIC General Assembly Paris, 3 December 2014Vladimir Yakunin: We should stop playing innocent September 29Under US sanctions, Russian patriot Yakunin speaks in Berlin For Putin Ally, U.S. Sanctions Only Add to Anti-Russia Conspiracy TheoryRussia's Yakunin Blasts "Global Financial Oligarchy" on Ukrainian CrisisVladimir Iakounine: "Nous avons besoin de garder un partenaire français dans Gefco"France 24, Business Interview*
ttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/06/1b21919a-faf5-4d77-9b84-4a195bbff915.html Victor J. Yasmann "Russia: Could Yakunin Be 'First-Called' As Putin's Successor?" Radio Free Europe, 21 June 2006.
Yambaeva, Renata. The Railwayman Kommersant, 15 June 2005.
An interview with Dr. Vladimir Yakunin Helsinki Times
''Helsinki Times'' is the first English language daily online newspaper in Finland providing news about Finland and the world for English-speaking readers resident in the country. A weekly printed edition was issued between 2007 and 2015.
Histor ...
, 7 November 2018/
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakunin, Vladimir
1948 births
Living people
1st class Active State Councillors of the Russian Federation
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Russian Federation)
People from Vladimir Oblast
Russian politicians
Russian people in rail transport
Russian businesspeople in transport
Commander's Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)
Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria
Grand Officers of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Recipients of the Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow
Grand Crosses of the Order of St. Sava
Stockholm School of Economics faculty
Russian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions