Background and career
Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev (Russian: Николай Платонович Патрушев; born 11 July 1951) is a Russian politician, security officer and former intelligence officer who served as the secretary of the Security Council of Russia from 2008 to 2024. He previously served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) from 1999 to 2008.
Belonging to the siloviki faction of president Vladimir Putin's inner circle, Patrushev is believed to be one of the closest advisors to Putin and a leading figure behind Russia's national security affairs. Patrushev has spoken favorably of the rise of KGB stalwarts to the highest echelons of power of Russia, referring to them as the "new nobility".
He played a key role in the decisions to seize and then annex Crimea in 2014 and to invade Ukraine in 2022.
.jpg?width=480)
.jpg?width=480)
.jpg?width=480)
.jpg?width=480)