Little in Anna Tsivileva’s public resume, which includes a stint as a psychiatrist in a mental hospital and selling medical supplies before she became a coal tycoon, suggested Vladimir Putin would appoint her as Russian deputy defence minister earlier this week.
Instead, Tsivileva’s key qualification appears to be an open secret: according to UK/EU sanctions, she is Putin’s first cousin once removed, part of a close-knit family the Russian president rarely acknowledges.
The meteoric rise of Tsivileva, 52, is part of a wave of senior appointments for the children and other close relatives of senior Russian officials following Putin’s re-election in March, which extended his rule until at least 2030.
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