Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the North Caucasus Federal. Appointee from “alpha”: why a special forces veteran became a plenipotentiary representative in the North Caucasus Federal District
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Sergei Melikov spoke about how the region is fighting extremist movements and why the North Caucasus can still be considered a health resort and granary Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus federal district
Sergey Melikov
Photo courtesy of the press service Moscow. July 9. website - North Caucasian federal district occupies a key place in the security system southern borders Russia, being, at the same time, unique in its interethnic and interfaith composition. Over the past few years, a set of large-scale measures have been carried out in the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District to eliminate illegal armed groups that have destabilized the situation in the North Caucasus. Implementation in progress new system
regional management. Much attention is paid to establishing interaction between the authorities and civil society institutions. About the current situation in the North Caucasian Federal District, ensuring security, measures to improve efficiency government controlled
in the regions of the district, the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus Federal District, Sergei Melikov, told Interfax columnist Alexander Veklich.
Sergei Alimovich, has the federal center managed to ensure strategic stability in the North Caucasus, how do regional authorities contribute to this?
Strategic stability today can be fully ensured. Focusing on security, I emphasize: in the North Caucasus, the federal security forces have completed their task. This does not mean that such work will not be continued in the future, but today such a difficult task has been solved. I will not hide that the organizers of the terrorist underground had big plans for our regions. These plans were thwarted. The fight against the criminal underground, against groups of illegal armed groups that were active and escalating the situation, brought significant results - now there is no longer a need for large-scale special operations, only targeted measures are used. Today we need to solve another problem, work with potential sources who could join the ranks of the gang underground. about the support base, about those people who can become potential members of gang groups. We see what is happening today in Iraq, in Libya, what pressure is being put on Europe. Of course, terrorist emissaries do not leave our North Caucasus unattended.
I think we must pay tribute to all the heads of the subjects of the North Caucasian Federal District, our anti-terrorist commissions, which, with the active support of federal law enforcement agencies, are resisting attempts to shake up the situation. The all-Russian Comprehensive Plan for Countering the Ideology of Terrorism in the Russian Federation for 2013-2018 is being implemented on the territory of the district - its implementation is carried out through joint efforts.
- Do you agree that the fight against extremism and terrorism is not only the task of the security forces?
This problem exists. It’s one thing to not let someone in by force young man V extremist environment, but it’s another thing to convince him of the meaninglessness and harmfulness of such a step. I say absolutely frankly that, unfortunately, we have a whole category of those who could be among the potential accomplices of terrorists and extremists. These are relatives and, above all, children of liquidated members of the bandit underground. To ensure that they do not repeat the tragedy of their relatives, a lot is being done today by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is a great merit of the Russian Minister of Internal Affairs V.A. Kolokoltsev, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the North Caucasus. I am sure that their initiative should be supported not only by the security forces federal departments, but also the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Culture, Federal agency for youth affairs. We must say our weighty word regional government and public institutions.
Since the beginning of this year, courts have handed down a number of sentences to those who tried to join IS groups. What measures need to be taken so that young people from the regions North Caucasus under one pretext or another did not replenish the Islamist formations?
The task of power is to create everything the necessary conditions so that the Islamist extremist ideology is broken. Of course, the main attention needs to be paid to the education of young people, some of whom are potential targets for IS recruiters. This is a very serious threat. Today, according to various estimates, from 1.5 to 2 thousand people from the North Caucasus ended up in various groups in the Middle East.
By and large, these groups, like the so-called " islamic state"has nothing in common with traditional Islam. Islamic religious teaching calls for peacemaking, friendship, interaction, and not bloodshed. And such formations, which distort the essence of Islam, are man-made. They were created by the same hands as the Taliban" with al-Qaeda.
For us, the struggle for the ideology of reason, for moral values is very important. The heads of the regions of the North Caucasus and representatives of the public are aware of the urgent need to prevent our young people from being drawn into the Islamist ranks. The whole world must fight for these guys, for our future.
IN last years in Russia there has been an increase in patriotic sentiments, primarily in youth environment regions of the North Caucasus. Now it is necessary to turn patriotic feelings into real deeds. One of these practical transformations was the Mashuk youth forum. This is a good platform for young people to communicate, gain life experience, learned something new for myself and about others. Please note that Mashuk residents will stand out especially for their knowledge, their experience, experience of cooperation and, most importantly, sincere patriotism and friendship that arises on Mashuk.
Sergei Alimovich, assuming that the North Caucasus has unique opportunities for its development, how are they used?
The North Caucasus Federal District is one of the main “territories of opportunity” on the map of Russia. Remember the famous film by Leonid Gaidai, in which the famous movie character said “The Caucasus is a forge, a granary, and a health resort.” Indeed, a health resort is, without a doubt, a forge and a granary in equal measure. It’s time for everyone to understand what to continue creating about the North In the Caucasus, the illusion of an unattractive and unpromising region is absolutely inappropriate. The problems that the regions of the North Caucasus experienced from the mid-80s of the last century to the beginning of the 10s of the present century would hardly have been able to withstand any other territory of the country. could, and at the same time remained the most Russian, patriotic region. From a respectable elderly person or teenager to the head of the region - everyone is here together with Russia.
A characteristic feature of the district is the unique opportunities for the development of resorts. The necessary conditions for relaxation have already been created here. In terms of treatment and recovery, the capacity of the sanatorium-resort and recreational facilities of the North Caucasian Federal District can cover a significant part of our country’s needs.
Today, certain decisions are being made regarding Kislovodsk and the entire cluster of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody– the region that we will develop. To understand, it includes the territory of not only the Stavropol region, but also the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. A very promising area is also the tourist and recreational complex in the republics of the district. We already operate several tourist destinations at once, including the Elbrus region, Arkhyz, and Grozny. These tourist routes annually visited by thousands of tourists from all over Russia, countries far and near abroad.
The agro-industrial complex occupies the most important place in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus. The potential resource of the North Caucasian Federal District makes it possible to radically increase the production of grain, meat, milk, fruits and vegetables as part of the import substitution program. Our regions are actively working on this. Partnerships are being established with the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and are being further developed interregional connections. One of the tasks of the plenipotentiary mission today is to unite and coordinate the actions of all government bodies implementing development programs for the North Caucasus.
In terms of industrial development, we interact with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, joint projects with which we can count on serious positive changes in the labor market. And this is especially in demand, taking into account the demographic situation in our regions.
Undoubtedly, the closest cooperation is being built with the Ministry for North Caucasus Affairs. Strategically, its goal is to do everything necessary to qualitatively improve the lives of the population of the subjects of the North Caucasus Federal District.
- How effective is the implementation of the May decrees of the President of Russia in the North Caucasus?
The implementation of these initiatives is given priority at both the regional and district levels. For my part, I direct my colleagues to ensure that their work in implementing the decrees is carried out in accordance with the messages outlined by the President at the meeting on May 7 this year. In particular, this concerns the need to abandon attempts to time any measures to coincide with holidays, or to generate “smooth” performance reports. We need meaningful work, not campaignism.
In terms of implementing Presidential decrees, we are pursuing a coordinated policy with the Ministry of North Caucasus Affairs. Together we try to take into account as much as possible the capabilities of the district’s regions and their specifics in our work. The North Caucasus is big, but at the same time compact. This dictates the need for a thoughtful, differentiated approach - for example, is it necessary to build perinatal center or make it interregional, but more advanced. I think, given that the distance between the capitals of some of our regions does not exceed 100 km, the answer is quite obvious.
By the way, I would like to note the serious support that Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Gennadievich Khloponin, who oversees the district in the Russian government, provides us with. I believe that we have managed to establish very rich interaction, the results of which also affect the implementation of the President’s decrees.
A year ago, you named among your priorities improving the quality of work of the government apparatus, including through the fight against corruption. Has progress been made in this area?
Indeed, establishing systematic work to combat abuse of power, increase transparency and efficiency of the activities of government bodies at the regional and municipal levels became one of the key tasks for the institution of the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative.
As for corruption, I would like to note that in the regions of the district there is no more and no less of it than in other Russian regions. However, it is in the North Caucasus that it is dangerous at all levels, from municipal to federal. After all, even the smallest official personifies the power of the state. And looking, for example, at the leader municipality who is involved in some kind of corruption schemes, the population’s trust in the authorities, as one of the main institutions of public administration, is undermined.
We are fighting for the purity of the ranks of power in order to eliminate corruption, clanism, and closedness in the work of power structures. Today, not a single fact of corruption remains without our attention and without a prompt and tough response. law enforcement.
Opening the meeting, Sergei Melikov noted some features of the modern North Caucasus. According to him, in recent years the Caucasus has become attractive to tourists, and the level of security in the area has increased significantly. This was facilitated by the close cooperation of regional governments with security forces, the participation of heads as heads of anti-terrorist commissions in their subjects.
“Thanks to the efforts of the heads of the republics and the region, the North Caucasus now represents an all-Russian monolith on the southern borders of the country,” he said Sergey Melikov.
The former plenipotentiary thanked his colleagues for their joint work, noting that they managed to build the right working relationships with everyone. Sergei Melikov expressed confidence that the district’s development course will continue under the leadership of the new plenipotentiary and emphasized that now there will be one more Hero of Russia in the district’s leadership.
Oleg Belaventsev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasian Federal District, expressed gratitude to his predecessor and confidence that the successes achieved in previous years will be multiplied. As emphasized new plenipotentiary, it is united with its predecessor by a unified approach to implementation public policy in the North Caucasus.
“I am convinced that through joint efforts we will solve the tasks set by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The main thing is the strengthening of all-Russian statehood in the North Caucasus and the socio-economic development of the district,” said Oleg Belaventsev.
At the end of the event, an approach to the press took place. Answering questions from journalists, Oleg Belaventsev added that the priority tasks in the development of the district will also be maintaining interethnic peace and preventing the ideology of the terrorist group ISIS, banned in the Russian Federation, from penetrating into the territory of the North Caucasus. Sergei Melikov noted that the Caucasus managed to emerge from a period of stagnation onto the path of stable development.
Let us recall that on July 28, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Oleg Belaventsev, who previously held the position of plenipotentiary representative in the Crimean Federal District, was appointed to the post of Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus Federal District. Also on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Decree “On the First Deputy Director Federal service troops national guard Russian Federation - Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard of the Russian Federation." Sergei Melikov was appointed to this position. The appointment decrees were published on the official Kremlin website and came into force from the moment of their publication.
In Pyatigorsk, the introduction of the new plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus Federal District, Oleg Belaventsev, took place. The event was attended by the former plenipotentiary and now first deputy director of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation - Commander-in-Chief of the Russian National Guard troops Sergei Melikov, as well as the heads of the constituent entities of the North Caucasus Federal District, employees of the plenipotentiary's office and representatives of the district law enforcement agencies.
Opening the meeting, Sergei Melikov noted some features of the modern North Caucasus. According to him, in recent years the Caucasus has become attractive to tourists, and the level of security in the area has increased significantly. This was facilitated by the close cooperation of regional governments with law enforcement agencies, the participation of heads as heads of anti-terrorist commissions in their subjects.
“Thanks to the efforts of the heads of the republics and the region, the North Caucasus now represents an all-Russian monolith on the southern borders of the country,” said Sergei Melikov.
The former plenipotentiary thanked his colleagues for their joint work, noting that they managed to build the right working relationships with everyone. Sergei Melikov expressed confidence that the district’s development course will continue under the leadership of the new plenipotentiary and emphasized that now there will be one more Hero of Russia in the district’s leadership.
Oleg Belaventsev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasian Federal District, expressed gratitude to his predecessor and confidence that the successes achieved in previous years will be multiplied. As the new plenipotentiary emphasized, he and his predecessor are united by a common approach to the implementation of state policy in the North Caucasus.
“I am convinced that through joint efforts we will solve the tasks set by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The main thing is the strengthening of all-Russian statehood in the North Caucasus and the socio-economic development of the district,” said Oleg Belaventsev.
At the end of the event, an approach to the press took place. Answering questions from journalists, Ole Belaventsev added that the priority tasks in the development of the district will also be maintaining interethnic peace and preventing the ideology of the terrorist group ISIS, banned in the Russian Federation, from penetrating into the territory of the North Caucasus. Sergei Melikov noted that the Caucasus managed to emerge from a period of stagnation onto the path of stable development.
Let us recall that on July 28, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Oleg Belaventsev, who previously held the position of plenipotentiary representative in the Crimean Federal District, was appointed to the post of Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus Federal District. Also on the same day, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed the Decree “On the First Deputy Director of the Federal Service of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation - Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation.” Sergei Melikov was appointed to this position. The appointment decrees were published on the official Kremlin website and came into force from the moment of their publication.
Vladimir Putin appointed his new representatives in the federal districts. In the North Caucasus, he became Major General Alexander Matovnikov, who previously commanded the Forces special operations, officer for special assignments under the president
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Matovnikov (Photo: Alexey Druzhinin / RIA Novosti)
On Tuesday, June 26, the President of Russia conducted a rotation in the corps authorized representatives heads of state in federal districts. Decrees on the appointment of presidential envoys in the Central, Siberian, Ural, North Caucasus, Southern and Northwestern federal districts are posted on the Kremlin website. Presidential envoys in the Siberian Federal District Sergei Menyailo, in the Northwestern District - Alexander Beglov and in the Southern Federal District - Vladimir Ustinov retained their posts.
As RBC previously cited sources, former presidential assistants Igor Shchegolev and Nikolai Tsukanov became representatives in the Central and Ural Federal Districts. Instead of retired Vice Admiral Oleg Belaventsev, Major General Alexander Matovnikov, formerly the commander of the Special Operations Forces, became the presidential envoy in the North Caucasus Federal District.
Special purpose plenipotentiary
52-year-old Matovnikov served in Alpha from 1986 to 2014 - he went from a simple flyer to the first deputy head of department A, the vice-president told RBC International Association veterans of this unit Alexey Filatov. Matovnikov worked in the 4th department of Alpha, which was involved in the release of hostages in transport and indoors - this department is considered the most “combat”, another Alpha veteran told RBC. The publication "Spetsnaz of Russia" reported that the father of the future plenipotentiary was the deputy head of the secretariat of the 7th directorate ("outdoor traffic") of the KGB of the USSR and recommended that his son be accepted into group "A".
Matovnikov went through both Chechen campaigns and participated in a number of anti-terrorist operations, in particular to free hostages in Budennovsk in 1995 and in Dubrovka in 2002. Filatov called the new plenipotentiary representative a “real Russian officer” - coming from a family of military personnel with a classical military education (Golitsyn Border Institute of the FSB).
Like many Alfa members, Matovnikov then moved to new structure under the General Staff - Special Operations Forces (SSO), which, unlike conventional units of the armed forces, can act in secret military operations abroad without the sanction of the Federation Council. First, Matovnikov became deputy commander of the Special Operations Forces, then headed them after Alexei Dyumin left in December 2015 to the post of Deputy Minister of Defense. Matovnikov built the MTR structure in the image and likeness of Alpha - the equipment and requirements for employees were the same as for officers in their previous service, Filatov claims.
“As one of the leaders of the MTR, I took part in military operation in the Syrian Arab Republic against ISIS and al-Qaeda,” Russian Special Forces wrote about Matovnikov. In December 2017, Matovnikov received the title of Hero of Russia along with other participants in the military campaign in Syria.
The new plenipotentiary in the past participated in special operations in Syria, Africa and Ukraine, and also, in parallel with his service in the Special Forces, was an officer under the president on special assignments, noted Matovnikov’s former colleague. “In his circle they talk about him as one of the security officials close to the president - he regularly met Vladimir Putin at Vnukovo airport and enjoyed his personal trust. Perhaps they decided to test the combat officer on civil service, economic work, with an eye to the federal political career, as they did with Dyumin at one time,” one of the Alpha veterans told RBC (Alexey Dyumin was appointed governor of the Tula region at the beginning of 2016). The information that Matovnikov was an officer under the president on special assignments was confirmed to RBC by a source close to the embassy in the North Caucasus Federal District.
Auditor from the security forces
Political scientists associate Matovnikov’s appointment with the strengthening of anti-corruption rather than anti-terrorist activity in the North Caucasus Federal District. The district was placed under the control of the security forces in anticipation of a future rotation of Caucasian elites, suggested political scientist Alexander Larenkov. In his opinion, Matovnikov will have to ensure that the rotation of elites in the Caucasus takes place calmly and without incidents, and he will also have to oversee a large-scale and costly development program for the Caspian territory in accordance with the government’s plans. He will be able to work more effectively in conjunction with the head of Dagestan, Vladimir Vasiliev, who will likely remain in his post after September, Larenkov noted. (Vladimir Putin will nominate Vladimir Vasiliev for the post of head of Dagestan as part of the continuation of work on anti-corruption cleansing in the region, previously RBC sources.)
“This position cannot be called a civilian at all - two Chechen campaigns were not in vain, several generations of natives of the Caucasus grew up without schools with a machine gun in their hands, and there it is easy to find targets for recruiting terrorists,” says Filatov. In his opinion, the Caucasus is still a smoldering dot on the map of Russia, and after the end of the main phase of the war in Syria, many militants return there. “And Matovnikov knows all the leaders of the Caucasian republics personally, he ideal figure to represent the interests of the president in the region,” says the vice-president of the Alpha International Veterans Association.
A former colleague of Matovnikov confirms information about Matovnikov’s acquaintance with the leaders of the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District. In particular, the RBC source claims, the new plenipotentiary is well acquainted with the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov: “They often visit each other.”
Political consultant Dmitry Fetisov also sees this appointment as a signal of strengthening the position of security forces in the federal district. Matovnikov will coordinate the work of law enforcement agencies in the district in order to tighten control over the spending of budget money by the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District, the expert believes. “For the last two years, federal security officials have been auditing spending in the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District and were very unhappy. In addition, it is planned to launch a number of large-scale infrastructure projects in the Caucasus, such as a direct road to Sochi and the development of a tourism cluster. Matovnikov will control these projects.” Matovnikov is a person whom the president trusts and who was sent to restore order in the Caucasus, the expert summarizes.
Vice Admiral Expecting More
Over the past two years, two plenipotentiary representatives have been replaced in the North Caucasus Federal District. In July 2016, Sergei Melikov, who had held this post since May 2014, became deputy director of the Russian Guard. Previously, he was the first deputy commander of the troops of the Central and then the North Caucasus regional command internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, on the basis of which the Russian Guard was created.
Melikov was replaced by Oleg Belaventsev, formerly the presidential envoy to the Crimean Federal District, which later merged into the Southern Federal District. Belaventsev was close to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During the period when Shoigu headed the Ministry of Emergency Situations, he headed the Federal State Institution “Emercom Agency” of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, in 2012 he followed him to the administration of the Moscow region and later to the Ministry of Defense, where he headed the subordinate OJSC “Slavyanka”.
Belaventsev felt like “Zhukov in post-war Odessa” in the North Caucasus Federal District - he perceived the position of plenipotentiary representative as an exile, claimed an RBC source close to the plenipotentiary mission of the North Caucasus Federal District. “The resignation is due to his desire to leave the district. He wants more,” said RBC’s interlocutor. According to the source, Belaventsev devoted the lion’s share of his time to the fight against the mayor of Pyatigorsk, Lev Travnev, who eventually resigned in October 2017.