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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHYG
DE RUEHVK #0123/01 3010815
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270815Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1033
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 1130

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VLADIVOSTOK 000123 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV RS
SUBJECT: 'AMBITIOUS WORKAHOLIC' KOZHEMYAKO TAKES OVER IN AMURSKAYA 
OBLAST 
 
REF: VLADIVOSTOK 042 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000123  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  The Amurskaya Oblast Duma approved Oleg Kozhemyako as new 
governor of the region on October 20.  He replaces unpopular 
Governor Nikolay Kolesov, whom the Kremlin forced to resign 
after allegations of corruption and mismanagement.   Kozhemyako 
is a popular figure known for his crisis-management skills when 
Governor of Koryak Okrug. 
 
'Ambitious Workaholic' Kozhemyako Replaces Scandal-Plagued 
Kolesov 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
------- 
 
¶2.  On October 16, President Dmitriy Medvedev presented the Amur 
Oblast Duma with his nomination of Oleg Kozhemyako for Governor 
of the region.  Four days later, 21 of the thirty Duma members 
present -- including all Yedinaya Rossiya representatives -- 
voted to approve Kozhemyako for the position.  Amur residents 
view Kozhemyako as a welcome replacement to the largely 
unpopular former governor Nikolay Kolesov, who was forced to 
resign by the Kremlin because of allegations of official 
corruption and mismanagement.  Upon assuming the governorship, 
Kozhemyako quickly appointed Viktor Kapkanshchikov, who served 
as head of the RFE Emergency Response Committee from 2005 to 
2007, as First Vice Governor and Deputy Chairman of the Oblast 
Government.  Kozhemyako indicated that, unlike most governors, 
he does not plan to make large-scale changes to the existing 
administration. 
 
¶3.  The Kremlin had reportedly been dissatisfied with Kolesov's 
performance for a while.  A Kommersant journalist told Consulate 
staff that a member of the Presidential Administration 
characterized the decision to dismiss Kolesov as being "related 
to numerous scandals involving the governor himself and members 
of his team."  Polpred Oleg Safonov succinctly summarized the 
upcoming challenges for Kozhemyako thus:  "Amurskaya oblast is a 
depressed and heavily subsidized region.  The oblast's economic 
situation is among of the worst in the Federation.  Residents 
have lost confidence in the regional authorities." 
 
¶4.  Kozhemyako proved to be a strong and popular leader in 
Koryak Okrug when he successfully dealt with a 2005 winter 
heating oil shortage there.   When President Putin suddenly 
dismissed Koryak Governor Vladimir Loginov, then-Vice-Governor 
Kozhemyako assumed the Acting Governor role and successfully 
procured assistance from federal authorities to avoid a large 
scale winter crisis.  His management skills gained him notice 
from residents of neighboring Kamchatka, who pressed for him to 
serve as governor there.  He was unable to garner support from 
Moscow, which supported Aleksey Kuzmitskiy for the position 
instead. 
 
¶5.  Originally from Primorskiy Kray, Kozhemyako rose to 
prominence in the seafood industry.  His growing business proved 
to be a threat to Primorye Governor Sergey Darkin and 
then-Vladivostok Mayor Vladimir Nikolayev, who owned the two 
largest fishing fleets in Primorskiy Kray.  Kozhemyako 
eventually moved his business to Kamchatka due to increased 
pressure from authorities, reportedly directed by Governor 
Darkin who viewed him not only as a business rival, as a strong 
potential political contender.  Though he reportedly had some 
ties to organized crime during his Primorye fishing company 
days, most residents consider Kozhemyako relatively clean, 
writing off criminal connections as a necessary and unavoidable 
function of doing business in 1990's Russia.  Former Koryak 
Oblast Duma Chair Nina Solodyakova characterized Kozhemyako to 
the press as "a representative of the new generation of leaders: 
 he's an ambitious and knowledgeable workaholic hungry for 
recognition." 
 
Biographic Summary:  Oleg Nikolayevich Kozhemyako 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
Kozhemyako was born on March 17, 1962, in Chernigovka, 
Primorskiy Kray.  He graduated from Khabarovsk Construction 
Engineering School in 1982 and received a degree in economics 
from the Far Eastern State Academy of Economics and 
Administration in 1992.  He is married, and has one son and a 
daughter. 
 
1989 -- Established and ran food processing company. 
1995 -- Became Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of 
Preobrazhenskaya Fishing Company. 
1998 -- Elected Chairman of Preobrazhenskaya Fishing Company 
Board of Directors. 
2001 -- Elected Deputy of Primorskiy Kray Duma. 
2002 -- Elected Primorskiy Kray Senator to the Federation 
Council. 
2004 -- Resigned as Senator, ran for Kamchatka Governor.  Came 
 
VLADIVOSTO 00000123  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
in third. 
2005 -- Appointed Koryakskiy Autonomous Okrug Vice-Governor, 
responsible for housing and utilities infrastructure. 
2005 -- Appointed Okrug Governor by President Putin. 
2007 -- Lost governorship as a result of Okrug's merger with 
Kamchatka Oblast, then hired as Presidential Administration aide. 
October, 2008 -- Appointed Governor of Amurskaya Oblast 
GERSTEN