Viktor Vasilyevich Cherkesov (; 13 July 1950 – 8 November 2022) was a Russian security services official.
Biography
Cherkesov graduated from the Law Department of
Leningrad State University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...
in 1973. In 1975–1991, he worked in Leningrad and
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...
Directorate of
KGB
The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
and prosecuted
political dissidents
Political dissent is a dissatisfaction with or opposition to the policies of a governing body. Expressions of dissent may take forms from vocal disagreement to civil disobedience to the use of violence.Democratic Union.
From 1992 to August 1998, Cherkesov led
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
Directorate of MBR/FSK/ FSB, successor organization to KGB.
From August 1998 to May 2000, he was a First Deputy Director of FSB under
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
and
Nikolai Patrushev
Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev (; born 11 July 1951) is a Russian politician, security officer and former intelligence officer who served as the secretary of the Security Council of Russia from 2008 to 2024. He previously served as the director o ...
. From 18 May 2000 to 11 March 2003, he was President Vladimir Putin's plenipotentiary envoy to the
Northwestern Federal District
Northwestern Federal District ( rus, Северо-Западный федеральный округ, p=ˌsʲevʲɪrə ˈzapədnɨj fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnɨj ˈokrʊk) is one of the federal districts of Russia, eight federal districts of Russia. It ...
.
From 11 March 2003 until his death, he was head of the State Committee for the Control of the Circulation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances of the Russian Federation (since March 2004 –
Federal Drug Control Service of Russia
The Federal Drug Control Service of the Russian Federation or FSKN (in Russian language, Russian: Федеральная служба Российской Федерации по контролю за оборотом наркотиков, ФСК ...
).
In early October 2007, several senior officers of the Federal Drug Control Service were arrested by agents of the FSB, which was considered by analysts as part of a longtime battle between Viktor Cherkesov,
Igor Sechin
Igor Ivanovich Sechin (; born 7 September 1960) is a Russian entrepreneur and a government official, considered a close ally and "de facto deputy" of Vladimir Putin.
Sechin has been a confidant of Russian leader Vladimir Putin since the early ...
and other members of Vladimir Putin's inner circle.
On 9 October 2007, an article signed by Cherkesov was published in ''
Kommersant
(, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia certified July 2013 circulation of the daily ...
'', where it was claimed that the Russian Drug Enforcement Administration officials detained on criminal charges earlier that month are the exception rather than the rule, that the turf battle among the secret services could undermine the nation's stability, and that the only scenario for Russia that is both realistic enough and relatively favorable is to continue evolution into a corporativist state ruled by security services officials.
On 27 October 2007, two officers of Russian Drug Enforcement Administration were poisoned to death, which was a part of the power struggle between the clans of Russian
silovik
In the Russian political lexicon, a ''silovik'' ( rus, силовик, p=sʲɪlɐˈvʲik; plural: ''siloviki'', rus, силовики, p=sʲɪləvʲɪˈkʲi) is a person who works for any state organisation that is authorised to use force ag ...
s, according to Vladimir Pribylovsky. "The entire political system of Russia today is a struggle of various clans and groups fighting to see that Putin stays in power according to their scenario and not according to the scenario of their competitors," said economist Mikhail Delyagin.Russia Uncertainty Over Putin Succession Fuels 'Siloviki War' by Brian Whitmore, 9 November 2007,
RFE/RL
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
On 12 May 2008, he was sacked by President
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...
as Head of the State Committee for the Control of the Circulation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and appointed by Prime-Minister Vladimir Putin Head of the Federal Agency for the Procurement of Military and Special Equipment. This was perceived as retaliation for discussing infighting within Putin's inner circle in an op-ed in the ''
Kommersant
(, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia certified July 2013 circulation of the daily ...
'' newspaper.
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
had in turn chastised Cherkesov for the piece, saying during the TV program " Direct Line with Vladimir Putin" that "one who makes claims about the secret service war must first themselves be blameless."NEWSru.com">
Cherkesov died in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...