In Russia, eliminated the agency for drug control

Фото: Depositphotos

On June 1, Russia will liquidate the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN), which was headed by President Putin’s long-time ally, Viktor Ivanov. FSKN is one of the largest Russian federal agencies.

However, a number of media outlets, including TV channel "Rain"They consider the decision of the authorities to abolish the department as the result of another redistribution in the power environment of Vladimir Putin, which, among other things, led to the appointment of the ex-bodyguard of President Viktor Zolotov as head of the National Guard being created.

On May 10, Viktor Ivanov’s Facebook account published a statement allegedly on his behalf, which began with the words: “Comrades! My fighting friends! First of all, I want to apologize to you for not being able to defend the Service. Over the years of its glorious existence, the Federal Drug Control Service has proven its necessity and usefulness to Russia.”

However, after about an hour the post was removed, although by that time it had already been copied and republished on various sites and blogs. The press service of the Federal Drug Control Service called his appearance a provocation against the agency itself and its leader.

“Judging by information from various sources, including inside the government, Ivanov was kept in the dark about the plans [to liquidate the department] until the very end. This extremely unusual method of action in Putin’s entourage may indicate serious disagreements within the government,” writes former editor-in-chief of Russian Newsweek magazine Mikhail Fishman in Moscow Times.

According to the official version, the reason for the abolition of the drug control service was “budget optimization in the context of the economic crisis.” It is planned to transfer the functions of combating drug trafficking crimes to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and some additional functions to the drug police.

The name of Viktor Ivanov, a former KGB officer, was regularly mentioned in relation to the ascension of Vladimir Putin to the presidency of Russia. In the middle of 90, Ivanov arrived in St. Petersburg and, as is believed, on the recommendation of Putin, took up a position in the city administration. When Putin headed the FSB at the end of 90, Ivanov received a new appointment in the security department.

In 2008, Ivanov headed the Federal Drug Control Service, created in 2003 on the initiative of another official close to Putin, Viktor Cherkesov, following the example of the American Drug Enforcement Administration. Ivanov replaced Cherkesov amid the latter’s scandalous statements, which displeased Putin.

In a resonant article, опубликованной The Kommersant newspaper in October 2007 announced the existence of a conflict between the Russian intelligence services FSB and FSKN, calling on the “chekists” to renounce personal enrichment and take responsibility for the country.

“With his actions, Cherkesov violated Vladimir Putin’s rule number 1: “Never wash dirty linen in public.”

8 years have passed, and now the dismissal of Ivanov himself does not look very pious, because until now Putin was known for treating his comrades extremely carefully. However, this time, Putin, apparently, is changing his tactics.

Abandoning old friends, according to Fishman, is no longer a problem for the Russian president. Just a few months ago, another ex-KGB officer and “Putin’s friend,” Vladimir Yakunin, was removed from the leadership of Russian Railways (RZD).

“It feels like Putin’s long-time ally [Ivanov] has finally lost his immunity, as happened in the case of Yakunin,” says political scientist Alexei Makarkin. “Putin has begun purges of his inner circle. Now he gets rid of people without a second thought and without any compensation to them.”

It was reported that Viktor Ivanov proposed the post of deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and even were going to announce the appointment of the chief drug police of the country, who was supposedly in charge of international cooperation. But, according to the source, Ivanov refused.

Putin’s dissatisfaction with Ivanov, according to expert Alexei Makarkin, may come from the Spanish “mafia” scandal, which over the past few months has taken on a negative shape and cast a shadow on the Russian president’s associates.

National Court of Justice of Spain put on the international wanted list Deputy Director of Federal Drug Control Service, General Nikolai Aulov, who was suspected of having links with the Russian mafia. The name of Deputy Viktor Ivanov appears in the case, which has been investigated in Spain since 2008, regarding the authority of the Tambov criminal gang (OPG) Gennady Petrov.

The Federal Drug Control Service called the decision of the Spanish court on the search “unprofessional” and considered it the implementation of a “political order to discredit officials of the Russian Federation.”

“Aulov has a very bad reputation in the law enforcement community. For all those who know him, his name causes an allergic reaction,” says investigative journalist Roman Anin, according to whom the “Aulov factor” could have affected the fate of Viktor Ivanov.

Ivanov himself, in an interview with the British Guardian newspaper, confirmed that Aulov was in contact with Petrov, who provided important information on various topics. “The rest is fiction,” said the head of the Federal Drug Control Service.

Known for his opposition statements, the mayor of Yekaterinburg, Evgeny Roizman, who was at the forefront of creating the City Without Drugs Foundation, is convinced that the Federal Drug Control Service has established itself as a competent agency. According to Roizman, the import of narcotic drugs into Russia and their circulation within the country has finally begun to decline, largely thanks to Ivanov’s activities at the head of the Federal Drug Control Service.

Many experts, like Roizman, consider the elimination of the department a risky step that could adversely affect the effectiveness of all anti-drug activities in Russia.

“The Federal Drug Control Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs constantly argued on various issues and never came to a common denominator. Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs will know that no one will control them,” Roizman is convinced.

The statement, which was published on Facebook on behalf of Ivanov, also said that he considers the abolition of the Federal Drug Control Service “an erroneous decision” that was made “under pressure from individuals driven by non-state motives, who do not understand the essence of the drug problem, and who do not know its international aspects.”

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