Millions on "Correct" Surveys. How the Wife of the Kremlin's Chief Court Sociologist Bathes in Luxury

The Anti-Corruption Foundation discovered real estate, cars, and luxury items totaling over 500 million Russian rubles (7 million dollars) in the family of Valery Fyodorov, director of the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), reports Meduza.

The authors of the investigation came to this conclusion after studying financial documents, leaked data, and the Instagram of 30-year-old Darya Vasilyeva — the second wife of the head of the sociological service.

Fyodorov has headed VTsIOM since 2003. VTsIOM is a state sociological center which, among other things, publishes research on Russians' trust in the current government. Independent media have repeatedly written about how the center manipulates public opinion through such publications. In fact, VTsIOM forms the perception that the "majority" of Russians support Vladimir Putin and his political decisions.

One of the latest examples is Putin's approval rating, which has been falling since late March amid mobile internet shutdowns in Russia, Telegram blockages, and rising food prices.

Against the backdrop of the declining rating, the center changed its survey methodology and began conducting not only telephone interviews but also door-to-door surveys — that is, asking people personally. But this did not help. According to survey data published on May 29, 67.5% of respondents approve of Putin's work as president. This is 1.9 percentage points lower compared to the results published a week earlier.

Fyodorov's wife until recently maintained an Instagram blog, sharing stories about her social life and travels abroad.

Yes, she and the head of VTsIOM traveled to France, Italy, Germany, and Azerbaijan back in 2018. At that time, Fyodorov was in his first marriage. He later divorced and married Vasilyeva in 2021. They have a child together.

On her Instagram, Fyodorov's wife, among other things, published photos and videos of expensive cars and other luxury items. As the FBK established, Vasilyeva owns:

* A Porsche Cayenne car for 175 thousand dollars,

* A Zeekr minivan for 125 thousand dollars,

* A collection of Hermès bags (at least 24 pieces) approximately 740 thousand dollars,

* A collection of Cartier and Bulgari jewelry for 265 thousand dollars.

In addition, Vasilyeva owns a 170 square meter apartment in the Moscow residential complex "Smolensky De Luxe" and four parking spaces with a total value of about 3 million dollars.

Fyodorov's family also invested in real estate in the Moscow residential complexes "Luzhniki Collection" and Slava Residences. These complexes are still under construction, so it is unknown exactly which apartments the Fyodorovs bought. The authors of the investigation estimated 75-meter apartments there at approximately 2.7 million dollars.

As the FBK notes, Vasilyeva has no significant income, and Fyodorov's official income is significantly lower than the value of his family's property.

The authors of the investigation believe that Fyodorov "enriches himself by serving the interests of the authorities" and "carries out machinations with contractors" using budget funds that the state allocates to VTsIOM for sociological research.

As the FBK established, the sociological center's structures transferred hundreds of millions of rubles to a network of individual entrepreneurs. Moreover, many of them, the investigation claims, are not connected to sociology at all. Among the recipients of payments are a photographer who now manages a water park, a pensioner, and employees of travel agencies and car dealerships.

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