Viktor Zolotov

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Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov (in Russian: Виктор Васильевич Золотов, b. January 10, 1948, in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is the head of personal security service of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

[edit] Life and career

Zolotov was born in a working-class family and worked as a steelworker ^[1]. In the 1990s he was hired as a bodyguard of Saint Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. At this job he met Vladimir Putin who was a Vice Mayor at this time. Zolotov became a sparring partner of the future president in boxing and judo, and "whenever Putin appeared in public, Zolotov could be spotted walking directly behind him ^[1].

Zolotov also served in Roman Tsepov's private guard service Baltik-Eskort, prior to the poisoning of Tsepov by an unknown radioactive substance.

Since 1999 he has been the Chief of the Security of Prime Minister and President Vladimir Putin. He commands security officers that are known in Russia as "Men in Black" because they wore black sunglasses and dressed in all-black suits. The use a variety of weapons including portable rocket launchers ^[1].

[edit] Hit list controversy

A high-ranking SVR defector Sergei Tretyakov asserted that Zolotov and director of Putin's Federal Protection Service (FSO) General Murov openly discussed how to kill the former chief of Yeltsin's administration Alexander Voloshin ^[2]. They also made "a list of politicians and other influential Muscovites whom they would need to assassinate to give Putin unchecked power". However since the list was very long, Zolotov allegedly announced, "There are too many. It's too many to kill - even for us." This made SVR officers who knew about the story "uneasy", since FSO includes twenty thousand troops and controls the "black box" that can be used in the event of global nuclear war ^[1]

Tretyakov described his meeting with Zolotov and Murov in New York. During the meeting, Zolotov suddenly struck Tretyakov in his temple to demonstrate and practice the knowledge of martial arts. Tretyakov fell unconscious and awoke a few minutes later. Murov yelled: "You could have killed him!".

[edit] References and notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Pete Earley. Comrade J.: The Untold Secrets of Russia's Master Spy in America after the End of the Cold War, Putnam Adult (January 24, 2008), ISBN 0399154396, pages 298-301.
^ "One idea was to kill him and blame Chechen separatists. Another was to make his execution appear to be a hit by the Russian Mafia" (Comrade J., page 299)