Kovalchuk’s henchmen may take control of two large museums in Russia

Having taken control of most of television, science and the media, Vladimir Putin’s closest associate, Yuri Kovalchuk, decided to take control of Russia’s leading cultural institutions.

Dmitry Kozhanov, assistant to the president of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, was appointed director of the Polytechnic Museum yesterday, the Ministry of Culture reported. The president of the Institute since 2015 is Mikhail Kowalczuk, Yuri Kovalchuk’s brother.

Yesterday, Deputy Culture Minister Alla Manilova, representing Kozhanov, said that the ministry “has high hopes for the new boss.” The reconstruction of the University of Technology, which has already acquired criminal cases – auditors, has been underway for the fifth year found violations worth 2.5 billion rubles.

Manilova herself, according to Fontanka, will also leave her post in the coming days and head one of the museums in St. Petersburg (possibly the Russian Museum).

In the list of previous works, Manilova is a member of the board of directors of the Petersburg-Fifth Channel television and radio company, which is part of the Kovalchuk National Media Group.