Viktor Zolotov

Viktor Vasilyevich Zolotov (in Russian: Виктор Васильевич Золотов) (born 27 January 1954), is the current Director of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya) and a member of the Security Council of Russia.

Zolotov was born in Leningrad into a working-class family and worked as a steelworker. In the 1990s he was hired as a bodyguard of the Mayor of Saint Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak. At this job he met Vladimir Putin, who was a Vice Mayor at this time. Zolotov became a sparring partner of the future President of Russia in boxing and judo, and "whenever Putin appeared in public, Zolotov could be spotted walking directly behind him".

Zolotov also served in Roman Tsepov's private guard service Baltik-Eskort, prior to the poisoning of Tsepov by an unknown radioactive substance. The agency was created in 1992, based on the advice from Zolotov, who allegedly oversaw this agency later as a member of the active reserve, according to Yuri Felshtinsky and Vladimir Pribylovsky. The firm provided protection to high ranking Saint Petersburg officials, including the city mayor Anatoly Sobchak and his family, as well as the vice-mayor Vladimir Putin.

From 2000-2013, he was the Chief of the Security of Prime Minister of Russia and President of Russia Vladimir Putin commanding security officers that are known in Russia as "Men in Black" because they wore black sunglasses and dressed in all-black suits. They use a variety of weapons including portable rocket launchers.

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