Career
In 1987–1988 as a KGB officer he took part in the Soviet–Afghan War.[9]
In December 1990 together with Boris Gryzlov and Valentin Chuykin he founded the small-scale enterprise Blok engaged in various businesses and became its director.[10]
He has strong links to the Tambov Russian mafia.[10][11][12][13] He supported Vladimir Kumarin's Tambovskaya OGG in their war against the Malyshevskaya OGG for control of the Saint Petersburg sea port and the trafficking of Colombian narcotics through the Saint Petersburg sea port to Europe.[10]
In October 1994 he resigned from FSK and, upon Vladimir Putin's recommendation to Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, was appointed Chief of the Administrative Staff of the Saint Petersburg Mayor Office until Sobchak lost the election in 1996.[10]
Ivanov headed the Russian-United States firm Teleplus CJSC also spelled Tele+ or Teleplyus in 1996 and served as its CEO until 1998.[4][7][18][19] "Teleplus" CJSC is a United States-Russia company which was engaged in broadcasting and installation of transmitters and receivers for both satellite and terrestrial communications. It had 30 channels including CNN and Euronews. Telcell, which was a subsidiary of the John Kluge's Metromedia and later formed in 1984 in Mexico City and owned by Carlos Slim's América Móvil, had a 45% stake in Teleplus.[20]
In 1999 he succeeded Nikolai Patrushev as the head of the Internal Security Department of Russia's FSB. As of 2007, he had been a Deputy Head of the Presidential Staff for personnel appointed by Vladimir Putin since January 5, 2000. Viktor Ivanov is considered one of Putin's closest allies.[22]
In September 2001 Russia's prime minister appointed Ivanov representative of the state in the boards of directors of the Antei Corporation and Almaz Scientific Industrial Corporation, developing and producing air defence systems, including S-300. On November 22, 2001, he was elected chairman of the board of directors of Almaz and initiated the merger of Almaz and Antei. Since June 2002 Ivanov has been the chairman of the board of directors of the result of the merger, OJSC Almaz-Antei Air Defense Concern.
Since November 4, 2004, he has also been the chairman of the board of directors of JSC Aeroflot airline.[10]
