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Vladimir Putin has reportedly appointed a relative to a top defense position.
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Her relative, Anna Tsivileva, is Russia’s new Deputy Defense Secretary.
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According to British intelligence, the appointment is even an attack on Russia’s tolerance for nepotism.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to appoint a relative to a top defense post tested “even Russia’s tolerance for corrupt practices,” according to the British Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The Kremlin announced in August that Putin had appointed a new president. Anna Tsivileva, the daughter of Putin’s cousin, as Undersecretary of Defense.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Tsivileva is often referred to in Russia as Putin’s niece.
Tsivileva was appointed to this new position after being appointed deputy minister in June.
The Ministry of Defense said Her new position is a high-profile role “above that of the regular deputy defense minister” that will see her oversee the Russian Defense Ministry’s relations with other government departments.
However, the UK Ministry of Defence pointed out that Tsivileva had “no known background or relationship with defence matters” before last year.
“She trained as a psychiatrist and then went on to earn money at a number of companies that supplied medical supplies.”
“Tsivileva’s original appointment in June drew mild criticism from the Russian press for nepotism that tested even Russia’s tolerance for corrupt practices,” the Defense Ministry said.
Sources close to the Kremlin Bloomberg told in June that Tsivileva still had personal contact with Putin, which placed her above other officials, while the Russian president became increasingly isolated and paranoid.
According to Tsivileva, an independent Russian media outlet, is married to Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev and trained as a psychiatrist before running a mining company and a tourism business.
Before her appointment as a government official, she headed an organization called Defenders of the Fatherland, which was responsible for raising money for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, Putin has taken steps in recent months to reform the Russian military and appoint loyalists to key positions.
After the humiliating invasion of Kursk by the Ukrainian soldiers, Putin appointed his former bodyguard, Alexei Dyumin, to oversee the military operation to repel the invasion.
In May, he nominated economist Andrei Belousov, a staunch supporter of the country, as defense minister, as part of efforts to make the ministry more efficient amid a large budgetdo not increase.
On Tsivileva’s new role, the British Ministry of Defence said: “There is a real possibility that her further promotion is an indication of the increasing insularity of the Russian elite.”
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