Vladimir Yakunin confirmed his intention to stand down as President of Russian Railways and enter politics on August 17.
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Vladimir Yakunin has headed the railway monopoly for a decade, but was announced Monday as a candidate for senator in Russia’s upper house of parliament, which would appear to mean a substantial loss of power.
A nationalist and an unapologetic champion of a strong state, Yakunin is a fierce supporter of Putin and has described the president as someone who rescued Russian Federation from chaos and restored its sense of self-esteem.
In Yakunin’s tenure at Russian Railways, he has overseen wide-ranging changes, including the introduction of high-speed rail on selected routes, but the company has been forced to make major cost cuts during the economic downturn.
Yakunin, who was sanctioned by the United States as a member of Putin’s inner circle following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea last year, will step down to become a senator for Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic sea. He was nominated for the senator post by outgoing Kaliningrad Governor Nikolay Tsukanov, who filed for early retirement in June, prompting a by-election.
“I am planning to leave the company, as required, following [Kaliningrad region governor] elections”, Yakunin told RIA Novosti. During his visit to Crimea, Mr Putin also planned for an informal meeting with representatives of Crimeas ethnic public associations.
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An engineer by education, Yakunin served as a diplomat to the United Nations in the late Soviet era.
