Putin Promotes ‘Cousin’ From Top Defense Role Amid Major Losses to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly appointed his family member Anna Tsivileva as state secretary, a role she will take on in addition to her previous title as deputy minister of defense.

According to the U.K. government, Tsivileva is the daughter of Yevgeny Mikhailovich Putin — the Russian leader’s cousin — making her his first cousin once removed.

The new role follows her recent appointment to the defense position on June 17 which was met with some criticism and accusations of nepotism as it gave her responsibilities for overseeing social and housing support for military personnel, Newsweek previously reported.

Tsivileva also manages the state fund “Defenders of the Fatherland” to support military veterans, though it is not yet clear if she will continue in that role alongside her new responsibilities.

This appointment comes after a series of Russian losses to Ukraine, especially in the Kursk region where Ukraine’s forces entered earlier this month and have made the most significant advancement into Russian territory since the war began in February 2022.

This followed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu being replaced by Andrei Belousov, a technocrat with a background in economics, Newsweek previously reported. Putin also dismissed the former state secretary and deputy minister of defense Nikolai Pankov, who had served since 2001 and used to serve in the Soviet KGB, according to Moscow Times.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that as of Thursday Ukraine controlled at least 80 settlements in Kursk. Reports on Monday suggest Ukraine destroyed a third bridge in the region, which could leave Russian soldiers cut off from supplies.

The independent investigative Russian publication Important Stories reported on Sunday that Russia has deployed so-called “space troops,” a regiment of its Aerospace Forces, to fight back amid manpower shortages.

The position of State Secretary, established by a 2005 decree from Putin, plays a crucial role within Russia’s federal executive bodies, including the Ministry of Defense. Individuals in this position are for example tasked with organizing legislative work or preparing proposals for new federal laws.

Anna Tsivileva, 52, has a professional background in medicine, having graduated from the Ivanovo State Medical Academy and the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. The Moscow Times reported that before Putin’s presidency, Tsivileva worked as a doctor in a psychiatric hospital in Ivanovo before moving to Moscow, where she transitioned into the business sector, focusing on medical equipment supply.

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