A Pillar of the Putin Dictatorship
The Prosecutor’s Office in Russia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The prosecutor’s office in Russia looks back on a history spanning over 300 years. During the Yeltsin era in the 1990s, it fought a battle for its independence from the head of state. This battle reached its climax under Attorney General Yurii Skuratov, who investigated corruption in the highest Kremlin circles. By means of an intelligence operation to discredit Skuratov, then FSB chief Vladimir Putin contributed significantly to the prosecutor’s office losing this battle for the rule of law and independence. After that, the institution became a “pocket prosecutor’s office”, and the prosecutor general became a recipient of orders from the president. By fabricating criminal proceedings against Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, he helped to eliminate opponents of Putin’s rule. Today, the prosecutor’s office is a pillar of the dictatorship.
(Osteuropa 6-7/2024, pp. 59–86)