The softly-spoken Alexei Kudrin is a great survivor in the bare-knuckle world of Russian politics. Finance minister since 2000, and a deputy prime minister since last autumn, he is one of the longest-serving finance chiefs of the world’s big economies.
It has not been plain sailing. Moscow’s rumour mill suggests Kremlin hardliners tried to engineer the prominent liberal’s removal from the finance ministry last September. Though he survived the later arrest of his deputy, Sergei Storchak, on embezzlement charges, is seen by some as “revenge” against Mr Kudrin himself. Mr Kudrin has protested Mr Storchak’s innocence, though otherwise prefers not to comment.
