Contrary to the expectations of journalists and the public, deputies of the Supreme Khural of Tuva at a recent meeting did not consider the issue of delegating the former first deputy minister of defense to the Federation Council Ruslana Tsalikovawho entered the republican parliament on the United Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) list. The people’s representatives themselves say that the deadline for vesting senatorial powers is October 25, which means there is still enough time. The network explains the “freezing” of Tsalikov’s candidacy, among other things, by the refusal of its approval by the federal center due to the excessive “toxicity” of the former team of the ex-head of the Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigua significant part of which is already under investigation as part of investigations criminal cases related to corruption. Ruslan Tsalikov is a longtime ally of Shoigu, who began working with him back in the Ministry of Emergency Situations. At the Ministry of Defense, he was responsible for construction and overhaul issues, financial control, housing provision, property management, etc., that is, for the most corrupt area. In addition, Tsalikov oversaw the activities of JSC Garrison (formerly Oboronservis), an enterprise through which the Ministry of Defense exercised control over the Main Directorate for the Arrangement of Troops (GUOV). This Department together with the company “Olympsitistroy” and its co-owner Alexander Fomin “showed up” in the high-profile criminal case of another former deputy of Shoigu – Timur Ivanovaccused of receiving a billion-dollar bribe. At one time, Ivanov served as general director of GUOV, and in 2021, another former head of the Department Evgeny Gorbachev was arrested on charges of theft of 232 million rubles allocated for the construction of Ministry of Defense facilities in the Arctic. Publications appeared online about Ruslan Tsalikov’s luxury real estate in Moscow and the Moscow region, including a palace on Rublyovka worth up to 2 billion rubles. The political future of Shoigu’s former first deputy largely depends on further investigations “Ivanov’s case” and appointments to the Federation Council, but the senator’s mandate does not provide one hundred percent insurance against criminal prosecution.
Ruslan Tsalikov’s senatorial position was “frozen”
Contrary to expectations, at the first meeting of the new convocation of the Supreme Khural of Tuva, deputies did not rush to appoint the former first deputy minister of defense Ruslana Tsalikova representative of the region in the Federation Council. Parliamentarians dealt with workers questions: elected a speaker, formed factions of four political parties, decided on the candidacies of committee chairmen, etc.
Answering questions from journalists, parliamentarians referred on federal legislation and regulations, emphasizing that the deadline for vesting the powers of a senator is October 25. Meanwhile, in accordance with current legislation, only a deputy of this body who has been permanently residing in the region for five years immediately preceding his nomination as a candidate, or in total for 20 years preceding such nomination, can become a senator from the legislative body of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism).
At the same time, the so-called “residence qualification” does not apply to senior officers or persons with a corresponding class rank, as well as to federal government civil servants who have the class rank of first class active state adviser of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism). That is, Tsalikov, who has never lived in Tuva, but has a class rank corresponding to his military rank of army general, may well receive a senatorial mandate, and with it immunity from possible criminal prosecution.
The media and telegram channels are voicing various assumptions about the “freezing” of the candidacy of the ex-deputy minister, up to and including the refusal of its approval by the federal center. Allegedly, against the backdrop of a series of criminal cases involving a number of former high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense, Tsalikov’s senatorial position has rather illusory prospects, and the head of the region Vladislav Khovalyg supposedly he can get his own candidate into the Federation Council. A similar point of view recently voiced to the publication “Regional Comments”, deputy of the Supreme Khural of Tuva from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) Roman Tamoev:
“The candidacy of a specific person for the post of senator, including Ruslan Tsalikov, was not even considered. So far there is no talk about this behind the scenes. It is necessary that the republic be represented in the post of senator by a person living in Tuva, who knows and understands it from the inside. I see that there is a resource struggle ahead. Our party also plans to stand as a candidate for this position.”.
“Eternal” deputy of Sergei Shoigu
Reports about the possible granting of senatorial powers to Tsalikov appeared simultaneously in several federalpublications at the beginning of July. It is possible that the reason was the presence of the ex-deputy minister in the top three of the list “United Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism)” in the September elections to the republican parliament. At the same time, Tsalikov did not participate in the internal party primaries: solution United Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) members accepted his nomination at a conference of the regional branch.
However, it was clearly not by chance that Tsalikov “showed up” in Tuva: in his “small homeland” Sergei Shoigu he was definitely promised maximum support. But the position of the former Minister of Defense himself, who headed the Security Council after his resignation, is not particularly strong. In addition, as mentioned above, Vladislav Khovalyg can play his own “game”, into which Tsalikov does not fit in at all.
It would be appropriate to recall here that a native of North Ossetia, Sergei Tsalikov, began working with Shoigu back in 1994, when the latter headed the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and here he also held the posts of deputy minister and first deputy minister, and in addition led first by the Main Financial and Economic Directorate, and then by the Department of Financial and Economic Activities.
Soon after Shoigu was elected governor of the Moscow region, Tsalikov became vice-governor. When Shoigu headed the Ministry of Defense, a subordinate followed him like a thread on a needle, and immediately in rank deputy minister. In the military department he supervised issues of troop quartering, housing, construction and major repairs, property management, financial control, medical support, as well as activities JSC “Garrison” (former “Oboronservis”). Simply put, the most corrupt direction.
After Shoigu’s scandalous dismissal from the ministry, Tsalikov did not stay long: June 17 by decree President, he was dismissed along with three other deputy ministers – Nikolai Pankov, Tatiana Shevtsova and general Pavel Popov. At first glance, it is surprising that the former boss once again did not bother to employ the protégé, with whom he had worked for almost 30 years, under his “wing.” Apparently, one “toxic” Shoigu in the Security Council is more than enough.
Who will Timur Ivanov pull behind him?
The first thing that catches your eye when you get acquainted with biography Ruslana Tsalikova: he did not serve in the army; to put it simply, he is not familiar with the everyday life of a soldier. However, this also applies to his now former boss Shoigu. But Tsalikov always tried to stay close to money: after graduating from graduate school at the Moscow Institute of National Economy. G.V. Plekhanov and having worked for three years at different positions at North Ossetian State University, he became deputy general director for economic issues of a furniture production association “Kazbek” in his native Vladikavkaz.
Having spent a short time as the chief controller-auditor of the Control and Audit Directorate of the Ministry of Finance of the RSFSR for the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Tsalikov for four years – until moving to work at the Ministry of Emergency Situations – led Republican Ministry of Finance. In the media it called no other way than “chief financier” under Minister Shoigu, who also helped “build a rigid vertical”.
At the Ministry of Defense, Tsalikov also had his finger on the financial “pulse”. Therefore, one should not be surprised that he interrogated as a witness in investigations a high-profile criminal case against another deputy minister, who oversaw the work of the military-construction complex Timur Ivanovwho, we recall, is accused of receiving bribes totaling a billion rubles. Taking into account the scale of anti-corruption purges in the military department, will the figure of Tsalikov cause closer attention from the security forces? In this case, even a seat in the Federation Council will not become one hundred percent insurance against criminal prosecution: ex-senators Rauf Arashukov And Dmitry Savelyev They won’t let you lie!
The companies involved in the Ivanov case “Olympsitistroy” and her co-owner Alexander Fominfrom whom the deputy minister took kickbacks for assistance in obtaining billion-dollar contracts. Main customer “Olympsitistroya” performed “Main Directorate of Troop Arrangement” (JSC “GUOV”)on whose contracts the company mastered more 6 billion rubles. “GUOV” controlled The Ministry of Defense through the above-mentioned JSC Gornizon, whose activities, in turn, were supervised by Ruslan Tsalikov.
At the end of August, the RBC portal reported that “GUOV” is in the process of reorganization in the form of merging other legal entities with it. In addition, it became known about the intention of the IT company “Softline” apply to arbitration with a claim for bankruptcy of the Office, whose contractor she also acted. From the outside, these processes resemble attempts to “hide the ends in the water,” especially since the Department has already appeared in criminal chronicles.
So, in 2021, the former head of the institutionEvgenia Gorbacheva was arrested on charges of especially large-scale fraud: he was charged with theft 232 million rublesallocated for the creation of Ministry of Defense facilities in the Arctic. In 2015-2016 fast general director “GUOV” was occupied by Timur Ivanov. Here, as they say, no comments at all. I just want to ask: whose protégé was Gorbachev, who went to the pre-trial detention center?
Tsalikov Jr. “under the roof” of Rostec
Returning to the “financier” Tsalikov, it is worth recalling the revealing articles that contained information about the expensive property that belonged to him. Edition “Life“, in particular, wrote about the luxurious palace of the ex-official in the village of Razdory on Rublyovka with tennis courts and guest houses costing up to 2 billion rublesa country mansion in Barvikha priced up to 500 million and apartments in a historic house on Patriarch’s Ponds, the cost of which can reach 50 million rubles.
“In turn, calculating Tsalikov’s earnings (being an official, he annually submitted a declaration of income and property) shows that since 2009 he has received a total of 74 million rubles. It is reasonable that the question arose: if everything is so in reality, where did a person who spent his whole life in the service of the state get the money for the Rublev estate?”– was asked rhetorically question publication “Our Version”.
You can find information about the children of the former deputy minister online mentionsas about “successful businessmen”. Indeed, brothers Zauru And Danielu Tsalikov since April 2021 belongs capital company “Dominus Zed”specializing in rental and property management. At the end of 2023, this company with a single employee on staff declared revenue V 34.5 million and profit in the amount 9.8 million rubles (revenue a year earlier – 31.3 million, profit – 7.7 million rubles).
This is not to say that Dominus Z has particularly outstanding financial performance. However, in one of the network publications refers to the company’s purchase for 520 million rubles two land plots in Domodedovo and five office premises owned by it in Moscow with a total value of up to 2 billion. Considering that there are no other commercial structures registered in the brothers’ name, doubts arise about the acquisition of assets with income from the activities of Dominus Zed.
There is an interesting nuance. At one time, the same “Our Version” wrote O Daniel Tsalikova as the head of the sales department JSC Sukhoi Civil Aircraftwhose successor is PJSC “Yakovlev” (until August 2023 it was called Research and Production Corporation “Irkut”), through “United Aircraft Corporation” controlled “Rostec”. PJSC “Yakovlev” “masters” billions of rubles for government contractsincluding those received from the Ministry of Defense.
In general, the ex-deputy minister advantageously placed his son under his wing Sergei Chemezov. In the meantime, Timur Ivanov whiles away his days on a prison bunk, his former colleague Ruslan Tsalikov, with the help of patrons, is making a place for himself in the Federation Council. True, at the first meeting the deputies of the Supreme Khural gave him a ride. But the final “no” has not yet been said. Apparently, bargaining over the appointment continues?
