Former Head of the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN Russia) Viktor Cherkessov died at the age of 72, said State Duma deputy Alexander Hinshtein, some Russian media indicated that he was seriously ill.
Victor Cherkesov was born in Leningrad. In the Podputin period, he made a career in the state security authorities – a detective, investigator, head of the department, deputy head of the department, head of the department, head of the investigative service of the Leningrad department of the KGB. Investigated cases of corruption, espionage, anti -Soviet activities, smuggling.
In 1992-1998, Cherkesov headed the Federal Security Service in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, and when Vladimir Putin headed the FSB, he became his deputy. In these years, he was one of Putin’s closest friends and associates, writes BBC with reference to political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky.
During the 2000 election campaign, Circassians actively participated in the Putin election campaign. From May 2000 to March 2003 he was the envoy of the President of the Russian Federation in the North-Western Federal District.
Subsequently, Cherkesov headed the Federal Drug Control Service. The Russian Federal District lasted from March 2003 to April 2016, after which its functions were transferred to the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Cherkesov headed the service from 2003 to 2008.
Circassians is considered a disgraced veteran of the FSB, notes BBC. As the head of the FSKN in October 2007, he published an article in Kommersant’s article that the soldiers turn into merchants. ” As Kommersant wrote, the text was “turned directly against the FSB, which is led by Nikolai Patrushev,” but at the same time he was a “manifesto, from which it follows that it was the“ Chekists ”security forces that saved Russia from decay and disappearance: the country flying into the abyss, Hard for the “Chekist hook”.
Putin was dissatisfied with the publication, the next year Circassov was removed from the post. “I consider this kind of problems in the media incorrect. And if someone acts in this way, makes such a claim about the war of the special services, he himself must first be impeccable,” the article Vladimir Putin commented on the article
Subsequently, Cherkessov was not long as the head of the dews and the State Duma deputy from the Communist Party.