Putin dismissed the chief keeper of Kremlin secrets. He was born in Asipovichy
Putin unexpectedly dismissed the head of the Kremlin chancery on June 12. Andrei Kazakov, a native of the Mogilev region, had access to documents of particular importance, but, as it turned out, he himself was an open book for foreign intelligence services. The Insider tells how the native of Asipovichy became the chief keeper of Russia's secrets.
The Kazakov couple
In conversations with relatives, Kazakov called himself the chief keeper of Kremlin secrets. And this is indeed true: Kazakov, like no one else, knew all the internal workings of the Kremlin, the mechanisms of making secret decisions, and who was involved in them.
He learned about new appointments and high-profile resignations sooner than others.
Kazakov demanded strict adherence to the secrecy regime from his subordinates. At the same time, even the most superficial search allows one to establish all possible information about him.
Kazakov was born in 1958 in the Belarusian city of Asipovichy, near Mogilev. After moving to Moscow, he graduated from a military school and served as a "secret agent" in the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense, which was closely linked to the GRU. There, he was noticed by Sergei Ivanov, a long-time comrade-in-arms of Putin from the First Chief Directorate of the KGB of the USSR, who at that time headed the military department.
Kazakov's career took off; he rose to deputy chief of staff to the Minister of Defense and by 2010 was able to afford an apartment in the elite premium-class residential complex "Smolenskaya Zastava" in Ruzheyny Lane in Khamovniki.
In 2011, Ivanov moved into the head of the Presidential Administration's chair and soon appointed Kazakov as deputy head of his secretariat.
Three years later, Kazakov bought and registered an even more expensive and spacious apartment in the Barkli Park residential complex (real estate there costs from 100 to 500 million rubles) in his daughter's name.
He began ordering food delivery from "Globus Gurme". Not only the official himself but also his relatives acquired expensive cars. Kazakov built a mansion near Mytishchi in the DNP "Voenkovets".
There, in the garage, stand rare "Moskvich" and "Zhiguli" cars, which he proudly shows to guests. For New Year's, the whole family gathers at the mansion, and in summer they celebrate holidays on a yacht on the Pirogovsky Reservoir.
On the Pirogovsky Reservoir
Family New Year
At an exhibition in Izmailovo
In 2016, Kazakov moved to the Chancery of the President of the Russian Federation, where in 2020 he replaced the long-time head of the chancery, Alexander Golubev, who died of coronavirus.
According to a source of The Insider on Staraya Ploshchad, from the very first days, the new head of the chancery began to demand increased vigilance from his subordinates:
"Andrei Anatolyevich is simply obsessed with secrecy. We are all already under non-disclosure agreements, and here we have constant checks. The atmosphere in the chancery is very nervous, snitching has become the norm. And there's no one to complain to — above us is only GDP [Putin]."
Regarding himself, he apparently did not adhere to this secrecy regime too strictly: he called the head of the GRU, Igor Kostyukov, via regular mobile communication and used Gmail, which is stored on American servers.
Through ordinary data-breaching bots, it's easy to find out all the details of his everyday life, from his taste preferences (for example, his family tends to buy lactose-free milk) to his personal dentist. This, by the way, is Dmitry Sergeev from the P. Mandryka Central Military Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Family of state secret keepers
In addition, Kazakov posted photographs of his family vacations in NATO countries in public access. To be fair, after the full-scale invasion, Kazakov's family began to vacation in Russia: at the "Primorye" Grand Hotel in Gelendzhik, "Rosa Springs" in Sochi, or the five-star "Grand Palace" in Svetlogorsk.
Kazakov in Germany
Kazakov in France
The last time Kazakov's family went abroad was four days before the start of the invasion of Ukraine — on February 20, 2022. He, his wife, daughter, and granddaughter flew to Serbia for a vacation. Apparently, the official, who had access to all state secrets, understood that this was his last chance to go abroad.
By the way, Kazakov's family is also "secret". His son, Konstantin, is an FSO employee. He headed the Department for the Protection of State Secrets of the Ministry of Finance, which corresponds to a general's position.
His son's wife, Darya, is also under a non-disclosure agreement for state secrets. By profession, she is a medic, but in 2022, her father-in-law arranged for her to work on Staraya Ploshchad as a consultant in the department for working with secret documents of the Presidential Directorate for State Awards.
Hundreds of secret decrees on awarding generals of the FSB, SVR, Ministry of Defense, "heroes" of the SMO, and spies carrying out covert operations abroad pass through her hands.
Contrary to FSB warnings about recruitment during foreign business trips, until 2025, she fearlessly posted photos of her travels in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain with her classified husband.
Daughter-in-law on a yacht
Son Konstantin with his wife
As a farewell, Putin awarded Kazakov the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" III degree. As stated in the decree, "for his contribution to ensuring the activities of the President of the Russian Federation and long-term conscientious work."
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