Zolotov.

This is coolbert:

"Anyone seen Viktor?"

As extracted from "Finnish Intelligence Officer Explains the Russian Mindset".

Comments on the the commander of the Russian National Guard. Viktor Zolotov. 

"Viktor Zolotov is a lathe operator by profession but he’s one of Putin’s judo friends. Putin fears internal unrest, so he elevated Zolotov as a boyar. He’s now the Commander of the National Guard, a three-star general. I have been in military school for six years and I retired at the rank of Colonel. But Putin trusts his judo buddy. Putin cannot rely on the armed forces so he empowered the National Guard to protect him. They are allowed to use violence to quell internal unrest. They are allowed to fire at protesters" [as long as it is not a pregnant woman]

"Zolotov is high on the scale of the boyars, so is entitled to high levels of corruption. He has a pretty large amount of assets." 

"boyar: A member of a class of higher Russian nobility that until the time of Peter I headed the civil and military administration of the country and participated in an early duma [legislator].  A personal title given to the highest class of Russian officials previous to the reign of Peter the Great."

Viktor a modern-day boyar? See previous blog entry the topic Viktor.

Article as referenced very long and I imagine hard to follow for the uninitiated. HAS anybody seen Viktor? Out of favor as they used to say in the old Soviet Union?

coolbert.