Mikhail Fradkov facts for kids

In this article, the patronymic is Yefimovich and the family name is Fradkov.

Quick facts for kids Mikhail Fradkov
Михаил Фрадков
Fradkov in 2016

Director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 January 2017
Preceded by	Leonid Reshetnikov
Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service
In office 6 October 2007 – 5 October 2016
President	Vladimir Putin Dimitry Medvedev Vladimir Putin
Preceded by	Sergei Lebedev
Succeeded by	Sergey Naryshkin
Prime Minister of Russia
In office 5 March 2004 – 14 September 2007
President	Vladimir Putin
Preceded by	Mikhail Kasyanov
Succeeded by	Viktor Zubkov
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union State
In office 11 March 2004 – 15 October 2007
Preceded by	Mikhail Kasyanov
Succeeded by	Viktor Zubkov

Personal details
Born	Mikhail Yefimovich Fradkov (1950-09-01) 1 September 1950 (age 74) Kuybyshev, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship	Russia
Political party	CPSU (until 1991) Fatherland – All Russia (1998—2002) United Russia (from 2004)
Spouse	Elena Ludenko-Fradkova
Children	Petr, Pavel
Alma mater	STANKIN
Awards	Order of Honour

Mikhail Yefimovich Fradkov (Russian: Михаи́л Ефи́мович Фрадко́в; born on September 1, 1950) is a well-known Russian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Russia from 2004 to 2007. He was also the longest-serving director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service from 2007 to 2016. Since 2017, Fradkov has been the Director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies.

Mikhail Fradkov's government was the first in Russian history to resign voluntarily. This happened according to the country's constitution. He holds a high rank in the government, similar to a top civil servant.

Early Life and Education
Political Career Highlights
- Becoming Prime Minister
- Resignation and New Role
Key Actions as Prime Minister (2004-2007)
Sanctions
Honours and Awards
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Mikhail Fradkov was born near Samara, a city in Russia. He went to two important universities. In 1972, he graduated from the Moscow Machine Tool Design Institute. Later, in 1981, he finished his studies at the Foreign Trade Academy.

In 1973, he worked in the economic section of the Soviet Union's embassy in India for two years. After that, he held several jobs back in Russia. In 1991, he represented Russia at the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in Geneva.

Political Career Highlights

Fradkov's political journey began in late 1992 when he became the Deputy Minister for Foreign Economic Relations. By October 1993, he was promoted to First Deputy Minister.

In 1997, President Boris Yeltsin appointed him Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade. He held this position for almost a year. In 1999, he became the Minister of Trade.

In 2001, President Vladimir Putin made him the director of the Federal Tax Police. Before this, he was the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council. In 2003, he became Russia's representative to the European Union.

Becoming Prime Minister

On March 1, 2004, President Putin nominated Fradkov to be the next prime minister. The Duma, which is like Russia's parliament, approved his appointment on March 5.

Many people were surprised by Fradkov's nomination. He was not seen as being very close to President Putin. Some experts believed Putin chose him because he was not connected to any of the powerful groups in the Kremlin. Former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin described Fradkov as "absolutely independent" from any political group. However, Putin and his supporters praised Fradkov for his experience, professionalism, and honesty.

On May 12, 2004, Fradkov was appointed prime minister for a second time. This happened after Vladimir Putin won the presidential election and started his new term.

Resignation and New Role

On September 12, 2007, Fradkov told President Putin that he wanted to resign. Putin accepted his resignation and nominated Viktor Zubkov to take his place. Putin also gave Fradkov an award and asked him to stay in office until the Duma confirmed the new prime minister. Zubkov was confirmed on September 14, 2007.

On October 6, 2007, President Putin announced that Fradkov would become the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. This is a very important role in Russia's intelligence community.

Mikhail Fradkov's son, Pavel Fradkov, also holds a government position. He is a deputy head of the state property watchdog called Rosimushchestvo.

Key Actions as Prime Minister (2004-2007)

Mikhail Fradkov took over as Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation in March 2004, replacing Mikhail Kasyanov.

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Fradkov. 28 May 2004.

In early March 2004, the State Duma strongly supported Fradkov's appointment. The United Russia and LDPR parties, along with some others, voted for him. The Communist Party opposed his appointment. Outside of parliament, the Union of Right Forces also supported him, noting his experience and international standing.

Many experts believed that Fradkov was a "technical prime minister." This means he mostly carried out policies decided by the President's Administration, rather than creating his own.

During Fradkov's time as prime minister, his government took several important steps:

Administrative Reform: In 2004, the government reorganized its departments.
Monetization of Social Benefits: In 2004, the government changed how some social benefits were given. Instead of providing goods or services, people received money. This led to protests in early 2005.
National Projects: The government started major projects to improve housing, healthcare, and education for citizens.
- The project "affordable and comfortable housing for the citizens of Russia" began.
- The National Project "Health" was launched.
- The National Project "Education" was also started.
Housing and Utilities Reform: This reform aimed to bring businesses into the housing and public services sector. It also focused on building more homes and making mortgages easier to get. However, by the time the government resigned, only about 15% of Russians could afford a mortgage.
EGAIS System: A system called EGAIS was put in place to track the production and sale of alcohol. When it was first introduced, there were technical problems that caused an "alcohol crisis" in early 2006.

In November 2005, President Vladimir Putin created two new positions in the government. This reduced the prime minister's powers even more. Dmitry Medvedev became the first deputy chairman, in charge of major national projects. Sergei Ivanov became the deputy chairman, overseeing defense.

Mikhail Fradkov during a visit to Belarus, 2007

When Fradkov resigned, President Putin thanked him for his work. Putin mentioned that the government had achieved good economic growth, lower inflation, and higher incomes for people. He also noted the start of important social projects.

After Fradkov resigned, a poll showed that most Russians could not name any specific achievements or failures of his time as prime minister.

Sanctions

In April 2018, the United States placed sanctions on Mikhail Fradkov and 23 other Russian citizens. This means certain financial and travel restrictions were put in place against them.

In 2022, the UK government also put sanctions on him. These sanctions were related to the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Honours and Awards

Mikhail Fradkov has received several important awards for his service:

Order of Merit for the Fatherland;
- 1st class (September 12, 2007) – for his great work in social and economic policy.
- 2nd class (September 1, 2005) – for his significant contribution to the country's economic policy and many years of dedicated work.
Order of Honour
Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"
Medal "For Valiant Labour. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lenin's birth"
Award from Russian counter-intelligence – for strengthening ties between the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and the Federal Counterintelligence Service.