Influence reform: putin replaces the head of “rossotrudnichestvo”
⚡️ vladimir putin has changed the leadership of “rossotrudnichestvo,” a key russian structure for projecting influence abroad. Instead of yevgeny primakov, the agency will now be headed by Igor Chaika — the son of russia’s former prosecutor general, known for corruption scandals and sanctions over interference in Moldova’s internal affairs.
▫️ This personnel shift continues the administrative reform of russia’s foreign policy activities. It began last year with the creation within the presidential administration of a new department for strategic partnership, overseen by sergey kiriyenko — one of the main architects of the kremlin’s propaganda machine. primakov’s dismissal indicates that the kremlin is dissatisfied with the results of its “soft power” efforts, and the agency, now closely aligned with kiriyenko, is likely to shift toward a more aggressive operational model.
❗️ In EU sanctions lists, chaika is explicitly identified as an fsb “wallet” who financed destabilization operations in Moldova. Given his experience in opaque financial schemes of the kremlin, his appointment may indicate an increased role of intelligence services within the agency and russia’s plans to fully transform it into a tool of hybrid warfare.
