Andrey Illarionov: biography, personal life, career, photo

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Faithful supporter of power after his dismissal suddenly became a fighter against the "bloody regime", maybe because it pays well. Andrei Illarionov's statements have recently been rather controversial. It's hard to believe a man who testifies against his country in the US Congress. Even if he says that his antipathies are directed exclusively against the secret police, Chekists and mafia bandits.

Early years

Andrey Illarionov was born on September 16, 1961 in Leningrad, in a family of teachers. It is believed that he did not like his father's surname (Plenkin), so he took his mother's surname.

After graduating from high school, he entered the Leningrad State University at the Faculty of Economics. He studied on the same course with another well-known economist Alexei Kudrin. In 1983 he graduated from the university, becoming a certified economist, remained to work as an assistant at his native university. defendedPhD thesis on state-monopoly capitalism. He continued to work at his native Leningrad State University, then moved to the University of Economics and Finance, where he worked at the Laboratory of Regional Economic Problems.

In the 80s he was a member of an informal society of young Leningrad economists, whose leader was Anatoly Chubais. In 1987, he participated in the work of the Sintez club, which united many city economists, including Alexei Miller, now the head of Gazprom.

In public service

In April 1992, following his head of the laboratory, he moved to work at the Working Center for Economic Reforms under the Government of the Russian Federation as First Deputy Director. At the same time, he became an economic adviser (according to some sources, freelance) to the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. Participated in the development of the government action program.

In 1993-1994, he headed an analysis and planning group working for the prime minister and the Russian government. Andrei Illarionov sharply condemned the exchange of banknotes and, after discussing this issue with Chernomyrdin, ended up in the hospital. Viktor Stepanovich did not give him any more instructions. Over the next six months, he met with his immediate supervisor only three times. And each time he raised the issue of the dismissal of the Chairman of the Central Bank Gerashchenko, considering him to be the culprit of high inflation. In February 1994, he resigned, but was fired under the article "For violation oflabor discipline". Illarionov left without the permission of his superiors to lecture in the UK.

In the private sector

Since 1994, he worked as director of the Institute for Economic Analysis, which he himself founded. In the same year, he took up the post of director of the Moscow branch of the International Center for Socio-Economic Research "Leontief Center". The following year, he became famous for an article co-authored with Boris Lvin, in which he proposed to immediately recognize the independence of the Chechen Republic and withdraw troops from there. According to the authors, there are no political, economic or other grounds for forcibly keeping the rebellious republic within Russia.

Although during these years he was characterized as an ardent "Gaidar", in the works of the Institute. Gaidar's views of Illarionov in the 1990s on the history and economy of Russia were criticized. In 1998, he again attacked the monetary policy of the Central Bank, predicting the inevitable devaluation of the ruble. He was a supporter of controlled devaluation of the national currency. In the same year, he was included in the government commission responsible for developing economic reforms.

At the pinnacle of power

In April 2000, Andrey Illarionov's work biography continued as Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on economic issues. Took part in the preparation of the budget message of the head of state for the next financial year.

New post provided to himample opportunity to criticize the actions of the government. In particular, in the fall of the same year, he said that the country's government was engaged in the division of additional income, instead of using a favorable external environment to stimulate economic growth. Constantly criticized Minister of Economics Gref and the top management of RAO "UES of Russia" for their plans to split the company. Once he even accused the financial and economic bloc of the government of deceiving the shareholders of UES of Russia. In 2001-2003, he became the winner and laureate of various competitions and awards, including being recognized as the "Financial Oracle of the Year" by the Russian Press Club.

YUKOS case

The presidential adviser has repeatedly called for leaving the largest oil company at that time alone, calling the case political. He described the sale of Yukos assets in 2004 as an expropriation of private property. This, Illarionov argued, would have long-term negative economic consequences for Russia. Later, he appeared as a witness in court on the side of the company's shareholders, claiming that he was telling only the truth about the defeat of Yukos and the theft of its assets. Lawyers for the Russian government accused Illarionov of receiving money in exchange for testifying that the evidence against Khodorkovsky and company was fabricated.

In 2004-2005, he repeatedly criticized the economic policy of the Russian government. Andrey Illarionov believed that the country's GDP is decreasing, while the stateThe statistics were on the rise. In 2005, he resigned, saying that a deep rebirth of the state had taken place.

In opposition

The following year Andrei Illarionov was hired by the Cato Institute in Washington because he has a reputation for democratic freedoms and knows how the Russian government works.

He continued to criticize the actions of the government, especially from him goes to his former boss - the President of Russia. In 2009, Illarionov addressed the US Congress, criticizing the "reset" policy proclaimed by the new US administration. The former Russian statesman said that improving relations with Russia would be a complete surrender to the siloviki regime. Now Andrei Illarionov participates in many initiatives of the opposition, writes articles for various publications and maintains a blog in LiveJournal.

His words

Some statements of this economist have long been known not only in his professional circle, but also among ordinary people of the country:

The regime is determined not only by the adopted laws, but also by the actions carried out by the authorities.

The current economic crisis is already the longest economic crisis. It's a recession, it's a depression - whatever you want to call it - stagnation, but it's a crisis, it's a fall. The longest in the history of Russia after the transitional crisis.

On the one hand, you are right, and this is also a topic for our discussions, maybe not today - next time - about the state of oursociety and about the diseases of our society, the psychological diseases of our society. One of them is the same one, it is kleptomania. And we have a tolerant attitude, actually, but we don't have a tolerant attitude towards what is usually talked about; we have a tolerant attitude towards kleptomania, to the fact that people who are in power, who are in power, suddenly, for no reason at all, get the right to steal state funds, state property.

Personal Information

Currently, Andrei Illarionov is divorced, previously married to an American citizen. While her husband was working for power in the administration of the President of Russia, his wife was engaged in housekeeping and raising children. Later she worked in the Moscow branch of the American investment bank Brunswick UBS Warburg. The former spouses have common children - a son and a daughter.

Everyone is interested in where Andrei Illarionov lives, who, after being fired from public service, began working for an American institute located in Washington. According to available information, he did not leave the country and lives in St. Petersburg.