Close Putin ally unveils new role in Russia's top tech firm

Aleksey Kudrin, who resigned as the head of Russia’s Audit Chamber last week, says he will now serve as an adviser at Yandex

Russia’s former finance minister and presidential adviser, Aleksey Kudrin, announced on Monday he had accepted an offer from the country’s top technology giant Yandex to become an adviser on corporate development.

According to the Russian outlet RBK, Kudrin agreed on his transition to the private sector with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 24.

“Together with the management team, I will develop the corporate structure of the new holding company, which will ensure the firm's long-term and sustainable development in all markets, including international ones,” Kudrin posted on his Telegram channel.

“One of the main tasks is to help preserve Yandex's unique management and technological culture, so that it remains independent and Russia's best IT company, where the most talented people strive to work,” he wrote.

Kudrin, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, resigned as head of the country's Audit Chamber last week. He served as finance minister for more than a decade between 2000 and 2011.

Yandex recently announced a corporate restructuring under which it plans to split its domestic and international businesses, and confirmed that Kudrin was joining the company.

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The tech firm revealed last month that its parent company in the Netherlands will soon separate and change its name, while control over the Russian part of the business will be transferred to local management.

Yandex is known for its internet browser, which is more popular than Google in Russia. The company also owns a major share of food delivery and taxi-hailing apps in the country.

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