Sergey Yevgenyevich Naryshkin ( rus, Серге́й Евге́ньевич Нары́шкин, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej jɪˈvɡʲenʲɪvʲɪtɕ nɐˈrɨʂkʲɪn; born 27 October 1954) is a Russian politician and businessman who has served as the
director of the
Foreign Intelligence Service since 2016. Previously, he was
Chairman of the State Duma (2011–2016) and
Kremlin Chief of Staff (2008–2012); he was also chairman of the
Historical Truth Commission
The Presidential Commission of the Russian Federation to Counter Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia's Interests (russian: комиссия при президенте Российской Федерации по противод ...
in May 2009 until it was dissolved in February 2012.
Early life and education
Sergei Yevgenyevich Naryshkin was born in Leningrad and graduated from
Leningrad Institute of Mechanics with a degree in engineering in 1978, and, in 1978, he was the first secretary of its
Komsomol
The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
which was the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
's youth wing. From 1978, Naryshkin studied at the Moscow
Higher School of the KGB
The FSB Academy (russian: Академия ФСБ), in full the Academy of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (), is an education and research institution federally chartered to prepare Russian intelligence personnel for the ...
(russian: Высшая школа КГБ) for two years in the French section while
Nikolay Tokarev
Nikolay Petrovich Tokarev (russian: Николай Петрович Токарев; 20 December 1950 in Karaganda, Kazakh SSR) is a Russian businessman and oligarch. He is the president of the Russian pipeline company Transneft.
Early life an ...
also studied at the Higher School of the KGB at the same time.
In the 1990s he also graduated from
with a degree in economics.
In 2015, Naryshkin's dissertation in economics was exposed as fraudulent in an investigation by
Dissernet
Dissernet (russian: Диссернет) is a volunteer community network working to clean Russian science of plagiarism. The core activity of the community is conducting examinations of doctoral and habilitation (higher doctorate) theses defended ...
, with more than half of the text plagiarized from other publications.
Career

In 1982, Naryshkin was appointed Deputy Vice-Rector of the
Leningrad Polytechnical Institute. From 1988 to 1992, he worked in the Soviet Embassy in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
as an expert in the State Committee on Science and Technologies in the office of the economic adviser, but Alexei Pastyukhov, a childhood friend, stated that Naryshkin worked as third secretary. Some sources suggest that while there he began to work for the
KGB after he had been at a group of the KGB Higher School where he and
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 m ...
were fellow students.
Municipal and Oblast political staffer (1992-2004)
From 1992 until 1995, he worked in the Committee for Economy and Finance of
Saint Petersburg Mayor Office. After he left, he became the chief of the external investment department of Promstroybank—a position he would hold until 1997. From 1997 until 1998, Naryshkin led the Investment Department of the
Leningrad Oblast
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 1 ...
government. From 1998 until 2004, he was the Chairman of the Committee for External Economic and International Relations of the government of Leningrad Oblast.
Deputy Prime Minister (External affairs) and siloviki (2004-2008)
In early 2004, he was a deputy head of the economic department of the
Russian presidential administration. From March through September 2004, Naryshkin was a deputy chief of staff of the
Russian government
The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...
.
Since 2004, he has been a member of the board of directors of
Sovkomflot and a deputy chairman of the board of directors of
Rosneft
PJSC Rosneft Oil Company ( stylized as ROSNEFT) is a Russian integrated energy company headquartered in Moscow. Rosneft specializes in the exploration, extraction, production, refining, transport, and sale of petroleum, natural gas, and petrol ...
. Since 31 August 2004, Naryshkin has also been Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Channel One of the Russian television.
Since 13 September 2004, he has been a Minister, Chief of Staff of the Government of Russia. On 15 February 2007, President
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 m ...
announced that Naryshkin had been appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for external economic activity, focusing on collaboration with the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
.
Presidential Chieftain (2008-2011)
In May 2008, Naryshkin was appointed chief of the
Presidential Administration of Russia
The Presidential Executive Office of Russia or the Presidential Administration of Russia ( rus, Администрация Президента Российской Федерации, Administratsiya Prezidenta Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the ex ...
.
In May 2009, President
Dmitry Medvedev appointed him chairman of the
Historical Truth Commission
The Presidential Commission of the Russian Federation to Counter Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia's Interests (russian: комиссия при президенте Российской Федерации по противод ...
.
Chairman of the State Duma (2011-2016)

Naryshkin
was elected to the
State Duma
The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...
, the
lower house of the
Russian parliament in December 2011. When the Duma began meeting for its new term on 21 December 2011, Naryshkin was elected as
Chairman of the State Duma; he received 238 votes in favor of his candidacy, while 88 deputies opposed him.
["Naryshkin named Russia’s parliamentary speaker"]
RIA Novosti, 21 December 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
In June 2012, Naryshkin signed a resolution on setting up a culture council under the State Duma speaker. The council is “a standing advisory body”. The tasks of the council are “the examination and drafting of initiatives on topical problems of legislative regulations in culture and associated industries, the development of recommendations on culture for the use in lawmaking”.
On 2 September 2013, Naryshkin stated that there are no political prisoners in today's Russia.
Since the rise of tensions between European Union and Russia in 2014, Naryshkin was perceived as one of the main coordinators of contacts with European far-right and far-left parties supporting Russian foreign policy in Europe.
2014 sanctions
As a result of the
2014 Crimean crisis
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War.
The events in Kyiv ...
, the federal government of the United States under Barack Obama blacklisted Naryshkin and other close friends of the
Russian president
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
, including
Sergei Ivanov
Sergei Borisovich Ivanov ( rus, Сергей Борисович Иванов, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈrʲisəvʲɪtɕ ɪvɐˈnof; born 31 January 1953) is a Russian senior official and politician who has served as the Special Representative of ...
and
Gennadi Timchenko
Gennady Nikolayevich Timchenko (russian: Геннадий Николаевич Тимченко, ''also spelled'' Guennadi Timtchenko; born 9 November 1952) is a Russian oligarch and billionaire businessman. He founded and owns the private inve ...
.
Nevertheless, he officially visited the U.S., along with other Russian top security chiefs, at the end of January 2018.
Chief of Foreign Intelligence Service (2016)
In September 2016, Naryshkin was appointed as chief of Russia's
Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
2022 Russo-Ukrainian conflict
In November 2021, Naryshkin dismissed reports of a possible
invasion of Ukraine asserting that it was "malicious propaganda by the US State Department".
Days before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Naryshkin received widespread attention in the global press
for visibly trembling and "stutter
nguncomfortably"
as Putin humiliated him publicly for "fumbling"
his response to the Russian President's questioning during a
Security Council of Russia
The Security Council of the Russian Federation (SCRF or Sovbez; russian: Совет безопасности Российской Федерации (СБРФ), Sovet bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii (SBRF)) is a constitutional consultative bo ...
meeting concerning recognizing the Russian-backed separatist regions
of
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loc ...
and
Luhansk
Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). ...
.
On 6 April 2022 in response to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the
Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the U.S. Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy ...
of the
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
added Naryshkin to its list of persons sanctioned pursuant to .
Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the U.S. Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy ...
.
Notice of OFAC Sanctions Actions
" Published 2022-0418.
Membership in advisory and scientific councils and commissions
Naryshkin is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).
Awards and honors
;Russia:
*
Order of Merit to the Fatherland
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
, 3rd class (2010)
*

Order of Merit to the Fatherland, 4th class (4 June 2008)
*
Order of Alexander Nevsky
The Order of Alexander Nevsky ( ''orden Alexandra Nevskogo'') is an order of merit of the Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious s ...
(27 October 2014)
*
Order of Honour (27 October 2004)
*
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...
(2016)
*
Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
The Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Медаль ордена «За заслуги перед Отечеством») was established on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree No.442. Its award criteria were modified on 6 J ...
, 2nd class (11 March 2003)
*
Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Honour (26 October 2009)
*

Honorary Diploma of the Government of the Russian Federation (26 October 2009)
*

Certificate of Honor of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation (2 April 2008)
*

Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 2nd class (2014)
*

Medal "In Memory of the 350th Anniversary of Irkutsk" (2011)
* Medal "For Contribution to Strengthening the Defense of the Russian Federation" (2021)
*
Order of Saint Anna
The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...
, 1st class (2009)
;Foreign countries:
*

Order of Honor (2015,
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...
)
*
Dostlug Order
“Dostlug” Order ( az, "Dostluq" ordeni) – translated as the ''Order of Friendship'', is the order of Azerbaijan Republic. The order is ratified by Ilham Aliyev-the President of Azerbaijan Republic on 16 February 2007 by the Decree No. 248-II ...
(2012,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
)
*
Order of Honor (2015,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
)
*
Order of the Friendship of Peoples
The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...
(2009, Belarus)
*

Officer of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
(2013,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
)
*
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...
, 2nd class (2016,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental coun ...
)
*

Order of Neutrality of the President of Turkmenistan (2012,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
)
*
Friendship Order (2021,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
)
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naryshkin, Sergey
1954 births
Living people
1st class Active State Councillors of the Russian Federation
Politicians from Saint Petersburg
Businesspeople from Saint Petersburg
Directors of the Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
Kremlin Chiefs of Staff
Medvedev Administration personnel
United Russia politicians
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class
Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
21st-century Russian politicians
Chairmen of the State Duma
Russian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions
Sixth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Seventh convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class
Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky
Recipients of the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II class
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class
Recipients of the Friendship Order