Mikhail Kutsik, one of the figures in the infamous 2010 U.S. spy scandal, landed a job in Gazprom's international business department, Interfax reported Monday, citing a source at the company.
Kutsik, who went by the name Michael Zottoli, was arrested as part of a presumed spy ring whose most famous member was Anna Chapman, a red-headed femme fatale who many believe acquired international fame due to her good looks. Besides them, eight others were arrested and later deported.
According to , Kutsik was appointed deputy head of planning for international economic activity. The gas monopoly, however, has not yet commented on the information.
Last year, it was reported that Kutsik's wife, Natalya Pereverzeva, had gotten a job as an adviser to Transneft head Nikolai Tokarev.
Tokarev denied that claim, saying Pereverzeva had not been accepted to any post at Transneft.
Another member of the ring, Andrei Bezrukov, or Donald Heathfield as he was known in the U.S., was reported to have found work at Rosneft in 2010, but Rosneft's president at the time, Eduard Khudainatov, quickly rejected that information.
Even if the report about Kutsik is true, though, he isn't the first member of the spy ring to find noteworthy work. On returning to Russia after deportation from the U.S., Chapman almost immediately began working as an aide to the president of FundServiceBank, and she later went on to host her own show on Ren TV.
Related articles:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.