Biography

Sergei Yastrezhembsky was born on 4^th December 1953. He graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR in 1976. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from the Institute of the International Labour Movement of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

1976-1981: a junior researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences within the Central Committee of the CPSU.

In 1981-1989, he worked for the magazine “Problems of Peace and Socialism” (often referred to as “World Marxist Review”) as a senior reviewer, consulting editor and an executive secretary.

1989-1990: a senior reviewer of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

1990-1992: deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine “Megapolis”, editor-in-chief of the magazine “VIP”, deputy director general of the Foundation for Socio-Political Studies.

In 1992-1996, Yastrzhembsky pursued a diplomatic career, becoming the director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and later on, the Russian ambassador to the Slovak Republic.

1996-1998: press secretary of the RF President, deputy head of the Presidential Staff.

1998-2000: deputy head of the government of Moscow City.

2000-2008: assistant to the RF President, special representative of the RF President to the EU, responsible for developing of the relations with the European Union.

In 2009, he founded the film company “Yastreb-Film”.

In 2010, he debuted as a film director with the documentary “Sacred Fire of the Himba” that was nominated for the Golden Eagle Award of the Russian National Academy of Motion Picture Arts.

Since 2011, host of the programme “Magic of Adventures” on the TV channel “Moya Planeta”.

Source: Russian Wikipedia

Dossier

Sergei Yastrzhembsky and Alisher Usmanov were both students of Moscow State Institute of International Relations and since that time have maintained business relationships. Once, when Yastrzhembsky was sent to Slovakia as the Russian ambassador, Usmanov lived in his flat. It was rumoured, that Yastrzhembsky asked for payment.

Source: Vremia, 20 June 2000

In 1999, when the battle between the Kremlin and the mayor of Moscow came to a head, one of key figures in Luzhkov’s retinue, deputy head of the city’s government Sergei Yastrzhembsky asked the mayor Luzhkov for a lengthy leave of absence. Assuming that if his right-hand man asked for a leave during the most important time of the election campaign he might have had a very serious reason, Luzhkov approved without hesitation. So, what reasons did Yastrzhembsky have to go on a leave? Later on, he was spotted… on safari! Having received a licence for killing an elephant and allegedly a lion as a gift from the well-known political analyst Sergei Karaganov, the deputy head of the government of Moscow posed with the shot animals.

Source: Novaya Gazeta, 16 August 1999

Yastrembsky was always loyal to Luzhkov. During the political crisis in 1999, when Luzhkov was about to become a prime minister, it was the deputy head of the Presidential Staff Yastrzhembsky who lobbied the Kremlin for Luzhkov. At that time, Yastrzhembsky and Andrei Kokoshin, who also worked with the Presidential Staff, approached Valentin Yumashev, Yeltsin’s son-in-law. Yasterzhembsky spoke, whereas Kokoshin was silent for the most of the conversation. However, Yumashev did not dare to entrust Luzhkov with fate of “the family” (Yeltsin’s clan). Yastrzhembsky and Kokoshin’s meeting with Yeltsin was also unsuccessful with both mediators being dismissed.

Later on, Yasterzhembsky managed to make it into the Kremlin for the second time. Moreover, he became an official whose service Putin valued. Yastrzhembsky has always trimmed his sails to the wind by winning his bosses’ favour and by always doing exactly what they wanted him to do.

Source: Profil, 16 April 2001

In 2004, the nuptial took place in an ordinary district registry office in Moscow. Deputy head of the Presidential Staff Sergei Yastrzhembsky entered into a legal marriage with young Muscovite Nastya. It turned out Yastrzhembsky married a woman almost 20 years younger.

The couple celebrated their wedding in a luxury restaurant “Savoy” in Moscow.

First wife of the senior Kremlin’s official, Tatyana Viktorovna Yastrzhembskaya (nee Bichel) heads the Centre of Contemporary Medicine “Medikor”. She brings up two sons, Vladimir and Stanislav. Sergei and Tatiana’s marriage was hard and ended up on the rocks. The showy official was famous for his weakness for young women, and had a reputation of a womanizer. However, they lived together for almost twenty years.

Source: Russky kuryer, 25 February 2004

In 2012, the ten influential and famous Russians established a non-commercial partnership “Vremena Goda”. The organisation was registered in January. Andrei Malev, an aide to the director general of “Russian Technologies” Sergei Chemezov, headed the partnership.

In his first interview, Malev said that his friends and he loved hunting and their partnership might have something to do with their hobby. “They do not know for sure what they want and what size their enterprise will be. They are common people, united by the shared love for their native land’s nature, travel, tourism and active leisure,” said Malev. According to the Unified State Register of the Legal Persons, these people are among the founders: former aide to two presidents Sergei Yastrzhembsky, president of “Troika Dialog” Ruben Vardanyan, head of the “Russian Technologies” Corporation Sergei Chemezov, Chemezov’s deputy Igor Zavyalov, chief obstetrician-gynaecologist of Moscow Mark Kurtser, member of the Federation Council representing the Kurgan Region Igor Lisovsky, FC CSKA president Evgeny Giner, head of the aluminium holding “Vimetco” Vitaly Mashchitsky, co-owner of “Karo Film” Oleg Andreev, and governor of the Samara Region Vladimir Artyakov.

Source: Marker, 3 March 2012