A source for the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info described the role assigned to Igor Krasnov, Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, in Operation "Successor." According to the plan of the clan, which can be loosely called "Talents and Success," which has now taken Krasnov under its full wing, he is to become a sort of "vice president" responsible for the entire security apparatus under potential President Katerina Tikhonova. It is precisely as a man "restoring order" that he is now being actively promoted in state media and before Putin, and his every appearance at events is accompanied by entire photo ops. Krasnov himself is much more comfortable with this role than the "successor" role that certain members of the security apparatus have tried to mold him into.
According to the source, Igor Krasnov's life changed dramatically after Elena Ilyukhina, one of Gazprom's most influential top managers and deputy chair of the board, introduced him to Elena Shmeleva, head of Sirius and the Talents and Success Foundation. The source describes Shmeleva as one of the driving forces behind a large clan of like-minded individuals in Putin's inner circle. This includes, for example, the foundation's co-founder, musician Sergei Roldugin, a longtime friend of Putin's. The source says Roldugin is one of the few people with whom Putin can now hold informal conversations for hours on a wide range of topics. The clan also includes the Kovalchuk brothers, who currently wield the greatest influence over Putin. And, of course, the president's daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, a friend of Elena Shmeleva, is also a member.
As our project was previously first to report, the Kovalchuks have recently been actively promoting their plan for a "power transition" to Putin. According to this plan, Katerina Tikhonova should become the new president of Russia. Sources say Mikhail Kovalchuk is actively convincing Putin that this plan is the only correct one. He also insists that Tikhonova should run as an independent candidate.
A serious problem with this plan was how Tikhonova would manage the security forces and generally keep the country under her thumb. That's when the idea was born that she should have a security official at her side who would handle all these issues. This idea coincided with Shmeleva's meeting with Krasnov, who was deemed the optimal candidate for the role.
Now, the "Talents and Success" clan's plan is for Katerina Tikhonova to become the new face of Russia, focusing her leadership on science, medicine, art, and all things spiritual (Putin is currently very passionate about these areas and is willing to discuss them for hours with Roldugin and Mikhail Kovalchuk). Krasnov will be responsible for maintaining the iron fist and handling all the unpleasant topics, including repressive ones.
As a result, Krasnov is being portrayed as a non-clan, strict, and honest security official, capable of bringing order and eliminating corruption in the law enforcement and judicial systems and supporting all of Putin's "conquests." At the same time, he is loyal exclusively to the family of the Russian president. Putin had a similar image when Yeltsin was considering a successor.
This is the status he is portrayed in by state-run media (most of which are controlled by the Kovalchuks). Every public appearance by Krasnov is accompanied by unprecedented media activity, and journalists are also required to publish accurate photographs of the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
Recall that Krasnov began his career as a loyal representative of Sechin's "special forces," and it was precisely thanks to the support of Rosneft CEO, FSB top manager Ivan Tkachev, and several other security officials that his career took off. When he became Prosecutor General, there was talk in Moscow drawing rooms that Krasnov was being actively promoted and positioned before Putin as a possible successor. But such a role is extremely dangerous – one wrong move or suspicion, and you're in disgrace.
Therefore, according to a source, Krasnov much prefers the role of "cudgel" under Katerina Tikhonova.
Sources at the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info believe that Katerina Tikhonova has only one real competitor in the succession operation. This is the leader of one of the largest clans of "security guards," about whom our project has written extensively – Alexey Dyumin. While the other clan of "security guards" (Rubezhnaya-Zolotov) has one goal – to maintain Vladimir Putin's power at all costs. Dyumin's clan, however, has far greater ambitions. It is gradually taking control of the security forces, governors, state corporations, and so on. And if the question of a new president arises, Dyumin is actively promoting himself as the "successor." Previously, given his ability to control the security apparatus, he was considered an even more likely candidate. But with the addition of Krasnov, Tikhonova's personal security official, their chances have become more or less equal.
