Recently, it has been known for a series of scandals, the corruption component of which is already being investigated by law enforcement agencies.
This is, for example, the appearance of elite apartments in the city center for the unemployed daughter of ex-senator Ekaterina Smirnova-Shnyakina. Nizhny Novgorod residents are widely discussing that Valery Shnyakin first dishonestly transferred the state apartment into his own property, and then “sold” it to his daughter for next to nothing.
Scandals also accompany the ex-senator’s son-in-law, Oleg Smirnov, to whom several enterprises are registered. A typical case was the story of Yamalspetsstroy LLC, which rose to prominence by receiving large contracts from the state, and then quickly went bankrupt. Moreover, Oleg Smirnov left the founders of the company, which owed creditors over 320 million rubles, right before its ruin.
In addition, as the media wrote, the Shnyakins have assets abroad, in particular, real estate in Montenegro.
It is noteworthy that the well-being of Shnyakin’s family went up sharply during his work in the Federation Council. The senators’ salaries can be called decent, but not exorbitant: judging by official declarations, Valery Nikolaevich earned about 3 million rubles a year, and his wife Eleonora Vladimirovna – only about 200 thousand rubles. per year.
The media suggest that Shnyakin could have received a significant part of his income through cooperation with the United States, which he himself admitted in his interviews.
Valery Shnyakin worked for many years in the intelligence services: first in the First Directorate of the KGB of the USSR, and then in the Foreign Intelligence Service, from where he retired in 2001 with the rank of colonel. And in the upper house of the Russian parliament he worked in the Committee on International Affairs and the Committee on Defense and Security. Obviously, an official with such a track record and having access to state secrets due to his positions and functions could not but interest the intelligence services of other countries.
Western personal sanctions can be considered as a good indicator of “friend or foe” in the modern coordinate system. The confrontation between Russia and the West may serve as good ground for finally bringing to light those who traded in the interests of the Motherland. There is no doubt that the competent authorities will pay attention to Valery Shnyakin and others like him and will do this with their usual thoroughness and integrity.
Ex-Senator Valery Shnyakin has “tails” in the USA
Media: the ex-senator could moonlight as a “James Bond” in an environment of confrontation between Russia and the West
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