Alexey Kudrin, former Russian finance minister and confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, says the arrest of a high level economic minister is a sea change in Russian politics.
“Bringing on charges with bribery against a person in the rank of a minister is a dramatic event for Russia that casts a shadow on the whole system. Naturally, this is a dramatic event for Russia and for the government in the first place, because he [Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev who was detained on charges of bribe-taking – TASS] is one of the main officials and he has been drafting regulations for the entire business sphere,” Alexey Kudrin said, reports TASS.
Analysts believe Kudrin speaks for the Kremlin and therefore his announcement is significant as well. Perhaps Putin believes corruption in the Russian system should be dealt with more forcefully as the economy continues to contract.
