FIDE President and former President of Kalmykia, businessman Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, arrived at the World Junior Chess Olympiad, which is being held this year for the first time this year in Mongolia. In Mongolia, he was greeted as a half-brother - Kirsan Nikolaevich is not the first time in this country, the mother of many nations, he represents Kalmykia and constantly conducts joint projects. The Mongolia Today newspaper recorded a very informative and extensive interview with him and offered to publish the ARD so that Russian readers could also read it.

August 2015, Mongolia. Photo mongolcom.mn

Mongolia is hosting the International Junior Chess Olympiad for the first time. The strongest teams from 23 countries of the world - China, India, Hungary, Russia, South Korea, America, Canada, etc. participate in it. Therefore, competition among rivals is strong. The opening ceremony of the Olympiad was attended by President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Minister of Health and Sports of Mongolia G. Shiylegdamba, Vice Minister of Education, Culture and Science B. Tulga, Member of Parliament, Vice President of the Mongolian Chess Association Y. Sanzhmyatav and others

We met with FIDE President, the first and only President of the Republic of Kalmykia, businessman Kirsan Nikolaevich Ilyumzhinov. This time he came to Mongolia together with his father, the famous writer Nikolai Dorzhinovich Ilyumzhinov and the people's poet of Kalmykia, chairman of the Writers' Union of Kalmykia, Erdni Antonovich Eldyshev. The father and son of the Ilyumzhinovs are proud that the Mongols and Kalmyks have the same roots, and our peoples are the descendants of the great Genghis Khan.

Photo echss-news.ru

Kirsan Nikolayevich, we welcome you and express our gratitude for taking time out of your busy schedule and meeting with us. You spoke about the construction of the Chess Palace in Mongolia. How is this issue progressing?

- I met with the mayor and governor of Ulaanbaatar, Mr. E. Bat-Uul, and expressed my request for a land plot for the construction of the Chess Palace promised to the Mongols. The Mongolian Chess Association does not have its own building, land plot, so this issue was discussed with the mayor. I hope that the request will be resolved positively.

Not only will chess be played in the Chess Palace, but the Chess Academy and a school will work here. There will also be a hotel for chess players, chess tournaments and championships will be constantly held. It will be a chess palace with constant activity.

- It will be a really big project. How much money will be needed for its construction?

- To date, I can not name specific numbers. Everything will become clearer with the start of construction. This will be a really big project.

In 2013, you said that Mongolia is a favorable country for attracting foreign investment. But today the number of foreign investors has declined, and our economy is also going through hard times. What can you say about this?

- The Mongolian economy, as well as the Russian economy, is part of a large organism called the world economy and system. Therefore, if one organ becomes ill, it will affect other organs as well.

Mongolia is part of the Asian market, the world market, so changes in the exchange rate of the US dollar, euro, yuan, as well as oil prices, have an impact on it. Mongolia's economy is inextricably linked to neighboring China. There are many Chinese people working in Mongolia, and the two sides are widely developing trade relations. Therefore, Mongolia is reflected in the fact that many Chinese companies are now in a crisis situation, and the volume of foreign investment is limited.

Mongolia's other neighbor is Russia. Recently, Russia is also in crisis due to sanctions imposed by Western countries. All this has an impact on the Mongolian economy. But any crisis is overcome.

In September this year, Turkey will host the G20 summit, where they will discuss topical issues about ways out of the crisis, increasing the number of jobs, and improving the standard of living of citizens.

I believe that Mongolia has great potential. Mongolia's two neighbors, Russia and China, are states with large populations and large economies. Therefore, Mongolia needs to use this advantage of its geographical location, and make a significant profit from the Chinese dragon and the Russian bear.

Of course, the lack of access to the sea and infrastructure exacerbates the problems. But during the inauguration, President Ts. Elbegdorj noted 10 points for the socio-economic development of Mongolia, and then it was no coincidence that he emphasized that one of the main ones would be the improvement of road and transport infrastructure.

Most of the natural wealth of Mongolia has been accumulated in the south of the country. But the proximity to China does not mean that everything should be exported towards the southern neighbor. Therefore, in order not to fall into excessive dependence, it is necessary to develop a multi-vector economy.

Natural resources can be exported both to the southern neighbor and the northern neighbor, and in parallel to be processed by ourselves. It is impossible to talk about full-fledged economic development without a railway, through which, for example, Tavan Tolgoi coal will be transported towards the Yellow Sea, etc. Therefore, the Government of Mongolia, investors, including my partners, are trying to attract capital.

Photo from Twitter Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. With Minister of Labor of Mongolia Yadamsuren Sanzhmyatav. Mongolia, Zavkhan aimag, September 2014.

This is a large project, so there are difficulties. The Government of Mongolia, in accordance with the law, provides all necessary guarantees to investors. But Mongolia is a parliamentary country, so, as I noticed, a lot of time is spent discussing a certain project. Excessively long discussion hinders the decision, some projects are idle, and this is wrong.

The economy does not stand still, so it is important to make decisions promptly and quickly. It is necessary to correctly feel the events, circumstances.

On August 12, 1998, when I was the President of the Republic of Kalmykia, I had a dream. At that time, one American dollar was equal to five rubles.

Of course, I did the research, but the main thing is that I felt in my gut, and I had a presentiment of the inevitable fall in the ruble exchange rate. Therefore, I instructed the government of Kalmykia, the Parliament, the Central Bank to give the people all the securities in the form of wages, prepayments, all the money that the state has.

Just a few days later, on August 17, 1 dollar was already equal to 50 rubles, Russia found itself in a difficult situation, so the authorities declared a technical default, and among the 93 regions of the Russian Federation, only Kalmykia did not face a crisis. It was a case that clearly showed how important it is to feel and anticipate, respectively, to take action.

- Maybe Mongolia just lacks the same leader who knows how to feel and foresee?

Mongolia has a parliamentary form of government, so it is impossible to have one specific leader. The Mongols voluntarily decided in the elections what kind of power they would have. And in Kalmykia there is presidential power. And only history will show which of the authorities is the best. However, Mongolian history shows that it is not bad to have a leader as strong as Genghis Khan.

- What are you doing now in Kalmykia, what is your position?

I have not lived in Kalmykia for 5 years already, and I have remained in the history of the Kalmyk people as the first and last - the only president of the country. Because according to the Constitution of Kalmykia, the head of the Republic, and not the President, acts in the country. We have changed the Constitution. From 1993 to 2010, there was presidential rule in Kalmykia.

- You had Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's charitable foundation. Is he working now?

In 1991, I created the Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Charitable Foundation, in honor of my uncle, my father's brother, who was a hero of the Civil War. Through this fund, I built many churches in Kalmykia.

In 1993, when I became the president of Kalmykia, we did not have a single Buddhist temple, although we are Buddhists. There was not a single Orthodox church, not a single mosque. Kalmykia is a multi-confessional republic, therefore, using the fund's money, the funds of our friends and partners, we built about 50 Buddhist temples.

On December 10, 2006, the Supreme Lama of Kalmykia, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, and the head of Kalmykia, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, presented His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the highest award of the Buddhist Republic in southern Russia - the Order of the White Lotus. Photo khurul.ru

We have built the largest Buddhist temple in Europe with a height of 64 meters. In order to complete it, I, together with a partner, sold my personal Falcon aircraft. They built an Orthodox church. I helped restore the Church of St. Nicholas in Moscow on Rozhdestvenka Street, 15. It is behind the Children's World building. It was a dilapidated church. I was friends with the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, and he asked me to restore it. I restored it.

The Foundation helped numerous children with treatment, because we have bad water in the republic, which is why they suffer from gastrointestinal diseases. The Fund paid for the treatment of 44,000 children in Kalmykia in sanatoriums in the North Caucasus, Germany, France, etc.

The fund also paid for the education of numerous Kalmyk students, including those in Moscow. The fund was used to buy equipment for medical institutions in Kalmykia, each school received a bus.

Kalmykia is the only region in the Russian Federation where in 2005, during the 60th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, each veteran received a free car. We donated six thousand cars to our veterans.

- Did your foundation also organize the World Chess Olympiad in Elista in 1998?

The Foundation also helped organize various international events. In 1998 we held the World Chess Olympiad. And on August 19 this year in Ulaanbaatar we opened the International Chess Olympiad among juniors. I met with the President of Mongolia, Ts. Elbegdorj, ministers, members of parliament, and told them that such international events should be held as often as possible, if, of course, funds are available. They support it.

Why did Kalmykia need the Olympics? In 1998, Kalmykia was not known, except that the Mongolian brothers knew. But we were not even known in neighboring regions. It was a small, provincial, backward republic. There was no money.

When I became president, in 1993 the republic collected taxes in the amount of 1 million 700 thousand dollars. And five years later, in 1998, we transferred $650 million in cash to the Russian budget in the form of taxes. You can see the difference yourself.

We created an offshore zone, built roads that we did not have. Where did we get the funds from? We attracted investors, worked hard to make the republic recognizable.

One of the cheapest sports is chess. Therefore, we announced that in 1998 the World Chess Olympiad would be held. 2000 chess players from 129 countries came to Kalmykia. We killed two birds with one stone.

When the Japanese, Germans, Americans, Mongols, French, British and others arrived in Kalmykia, they saw that in such a large Russia there is such a small Asia - Kalmykia. Everyone asked why everyone was so narrow-eyed. We then said that we came from Mongolia.

They saw that in Russia there are Asians, Buddhists. Naturally, they began to write articles. It was propaganda. After the articles, businessmen began to take an interest in Kalmykia and began to come to us. So we completed one task.

The second task had to be done in order to show our children that there are other countries. Most of them did not even go to neighboring provinces, not to mention Moscow and others. Seeing foreigners, our children began to learn foreign languages, academic performance became good. That is, through chess they saw a window to the world.

Through the World Chess Olympiad, we opened a window to the world for Kalmykia.

Perhaps the International Junior Chess Olympiad in Ulaanbaatar will also serve as a window for Mongolian children?

I also really hope that the International Junior Chess Olympiad will become a window into the world for Mongolian children. I am glad that I came to the opening of the Olympiad, and doubly glad that we gave Mongolia the right to organize it. The Mongolian Chess Association is active, the quality of athletes is growing, so Mongolia has received the right to gather young talented chess players.

Last year, I was in Zavkhan aimag, where a chess tournament was held with the participation of 10,000 children. I was pleasantly surprised by this event, I was overwhelmed with emotions. Then I saw with my own eyes how intensively chess is being developed in Mongolia. After Mongolia, I was in London, where I told about what I saw in your country and discussed the possibility of including chess in the Guinness Book of Records.

Last year's tournament in Zavkhan was a major event for the promotion and development of chess sports. And the current International Chess Olympiad among juniors is distinguished by the fact that the best of the best have come from different countries for the right to become champions.

Of course, in the future we will continue to actively cooperate with Mongolia in organizing Asian regional and international tournaments and chess championships.

In recent years, Mongolian chess players have shown great results in international tournaments and championships. Therefore, the question naturally arises, are there opportunities for them to get into the top five of the world ranking?

Certainly, there are opportunities.

They say that the 21st century is the century of the yellow race. The Chinese think that this is their age, but I believe that this is the age of the Mongols.

Scientists told me that they measured the brains of different peoples, and the Mongols had more, so the IQ of the Mongols is very high. Mongolia has the only intellectual puzzle museum or puzzle center in the world. There is no such unique museum anywhere in the world! Mongolian pastoralists invented rubik's cubes in order to occupy their brains in their free time from grazing cattle. Now children need to be developed with the help of chess, because the potential of the Mongols is very high.

I am grateful to the previous President of Mongolia N. Enkhbayar, as well as the current President Ts. Elbegdorzh, who visited our republic when I was the President of Kalmykia. These were the first presidents of Mongolia who came to Kalmykia.

With President of Mongolia Ts. Elbegdorj. Photo borshuvuu.wordpress.com

Earlier, Yu. Tsedenbal promised to come, but this did not happen. The presidents of Mongolia lived in the Chess City, which was built for the World Chess Olympiad. They saw the Chess Palace. Ts.Elbegdorj and I visited a children's school where small children play chess. Then Ts. Elbegdorj asked me to support young Mongolian chess players.

I, as FIDE President, have three quotas, which I manage at my own discretion. That is, these are three quotas that allow players to be included in certain tournaments. Therefore, I included the Mongolian chess players immediately in the final of the Grand Prix stage. Mongolian chess players began to grow more and more actively every year.

This Ulaanbaatar Olympiad will give an opportunity for young Mongolian chess players to play chess with their peers and see their level.

Last year in December I was in South Africa and presented gold, silver and bronze medals to chess players. Among them was a Mongolian boy who took 2nd place in this world championship among children. I think that this Olympiad in Ulaanbaatar will also reveal many talented chess players.

I am sure that Mongolian children will learn chess well by learning from others. Moreover, chess is not just a sport. In children who start playing chess, academic performance improves by 40%. Chess contributes to the development of logic, thinking, fantasy; children have good results in mathematics and literature.

You are also active in politics. As they write in the media, you are constantly on the road, today in one point of the earth, and tomorrow - in another, you meet with the leaders of the countries of the world. You even visited Ukraine and met with President Poroshenko. Can you please tell us about it?

- At the age of 27, I became the youngest member of parliament, and since then I have been in politics. I did not leave politics, and I continue to stay in it. For every person who has reached the age of 18 steps into politics - he participates in elections, makes his choice, a person is chosen, or he chooses someone, etc. I am the President of FIDE, I am also a member of many other international structures. In a week, on average, I communicate with the heads of 2-3 states, with the heads of governments. I visit different countries, ranging from Latin America, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua.

I met with Petro Poroshenko. I am a citizen of Russia, which now has very difficult relations with Ukraine. I offered to organize the world championship there. Because Maria Muzychuk, a grandmaster from Lviv, became the world champion. She will now play with the Chinese Hou Yifan, and China has offered to host the championship, and Lviv too.

Photo GLOBAL LOOK press

The city of Lvov is a traditional chess city, there are two grandmasters, a world champion. On the one hand, this will serve to popularize chess, and on the other hand, I want to constantly draw the attention of the leaders of countries to the fact that they are better engaged in physical education, sports, but do not fight, do not spend money on weapons.

Perhaps such efforts to hold international sporting events will allow us to move away from war. As they say, a bad peace is better than a good war.

- And what did Poroshenko answer you?

- He took my offer well. He appointed the head of his Administration, Boris Lozhkin, as chairman of the Organizing Committee, and one of these days I am flying to Kyiv again. There will be meetings on the World Cup. Of course, everyone was surprised that Ilyumzhinov went from Russia to Ukraine.

I am the first and only politician from Russia who, over the past year and a half since the conflict, went to Ukraine. The President of Ukraine told me that I am the first and only one. No one goes there, but you have to go.

Recently I was in North Korea, met with the leadership of the country and soon I plan to organize a chess match between North and South Korea on the 38th parallel, which separates them.

In South Korea, I met with the former President, the leadership of the Chess Federation, and we agreed that 100 children from Seoul would participate in the match. 100 children from Pyongyang will also participate in the match. I will organize the same match soon between Israel and Palestine at the border.

Besides the opening of the International Chess Olympiad among juniors, you probably had many other meetings in Ulaanbaatar?

- I have many meetings in Mongolia - with ministers, deputies, businessmen. On August 19, I had a meeting with the Minister of Health and Sports G. Shiylegdamba. We discussed issues related to the development of chess in Mongolia. The Ministry of Health and Sports of Mongolia expressed its readiness to support FIDE in the issue of including chess in the Olympic program.

We also discussed that I allocate five places for training for Mongolia every year. This year I singled out not five, but four. There are two universities in Moscow that train sports chess managers.

They will study for free for 5 years, they will receive a scholarship. And on September 1, the first five people from Mongolia will go to Moscow through FIDE. Thus, every year 5 people will be sent to study.

The 46th final of the All-Russian chess tournament of school teams "Belaya Ladya" with the participation of foreign teams in June 2015 in Dagomys. Photo ruchess.ru

FIDE is holding seminars here in Mongolia. On August 20, the ex-world champion, Bulgarian grandmaster Antoinetta Stefanova arrived in Ulaanbaatar. She gives a seminar for referees.

Kirsan Nikolayevich, how is your work on connecting Asia and Europe with a railway that will run through Mongolia?

- This is a 1850 km railway that will run along the south of Mongolia from the Tavan Tolgoi field to the Yellow Sea to China. This road will connect the fields, and will give impetus to the development of settlements, southern Russia, and will bring Mongolia to the sea.

This is a big multi-billion dollar project. We started its implementation a year ago, and at this time of the financial and economic crisis, I hope that our work will continue, attracting investments, etc. will continue.

It's easier to build a meat packing plant than a railroad. Because railways are state projects, and big funds are needed here. I hope that the development of the economy will make it possible to build a road. Of course, it is necessary that the road be profitable.

The Mongols were delighted that you defeated Garry Kasparov in Norway last year during the FIDE presidential election. Were these tough choices?

- The elections were really difficult. Because Garry Kasparov considers himself an oppositionist, opposes V. Putin, Russia. Therefore, the election of the FIDE President was not sporting, but political. He was supported by the State Department. The US openly supported him.

When I visited some countries, for example, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the US ambassadors openly asked the chess federations of these states to vote for Kasparov. And not because he is a great chess player. And because he regularly opposes Putin's policy, Russian policy in Syria, the Middle East, Asia, Ukraine.

Last year, there was just an unfavorable international situation during the election of the FIDE President. In March, the Crimea again went to Russia, the West and Kasparov said that this was a seizure. When I came to foreign countries on FIDE business, they asked me why Crimea was taken away, why you are at war with Ukraine, instead of discussing the development of chess with me. Although I am not the President of Russia, but I am the head of FIDE.

Vladimir Putin and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov open the Belaya Ladya tournament in Sochi in June 2014. Photo elista.org

If we analyze all Kasparov's speeches, then 99% were political topics, criticism of Russia. Since I have been in politics for 20 years, I worked with M. Gorbachev, B. Yeltsin, V. Putin, Kasparov always accused me of being, as it were, a Russian politician.

And I kept saying that FIDE unites 186 countries of the world, the organization has its own problems, and offered to discuss them. But Kasparov did not agree. And yet, despite this, including the sanctions against Russia, 110 countries voted for me, for my program. It was a convincing victory. There were twice as many votes for me as for Kasparov.

Taking this opportunity, through your newspaper I would like to thank the Mongolian Chess Association for their support, cooperation, and measures for the development of chess in the country.

P.S. In anticipation of an interview with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, we had the opportunity to meet with his father, the famous Kalmyk writer Nikolai Dorzhinovich Ilyumzhinov. He is 87 years old, but he continues to be active - he is the chairman of the Republican Fund for War and Labor Veterans, a member of the Union of Russian Writers, the author of many works dedicated to the fate of the generation scorched by the war and gone through the tragic years of deportation.

His stories and historical essays "Hurricane in the Steppe", "Escape to the Sea", "Volunteer Bembya", "At the Mazulsky Mine", "Senior Sergeant", the novels "Abil", "In the Taiga Territory", "Bread bitter years”, a book about the veterans of the Great Patriotic War “Soldiers’ Fates”, an autobiographical story “Ancestors. Data. Time" and many others.

The original work of the writer is a spiritual and moral understanding of the harsh lessons of the war, thirteen years of deportation. N.D. Ilyumzhinov's books are a baton of living memory of kindness, courage and patience, which has been handed down from generation to generation from time immemorial.

Nikolai Dorzhinovich said that he was very glad to have the opportunity to visit Mongolia, which he had dreamed of visiting since his student years, when he first read Yan's book about Genghis Khan.

“We flew to Ulaanbaatar for seven hours and during the flight I thought about the great Genghis Khan, about his era. I thought about how he crossed such wide expanses on horseback, how he reached Europe, how he conquered half the world. And I realized that such a great person in the history of mankind will not be born again, ”said Nikolai Dorzhinovich Ilyumzhinov.

“We spoke a lot of beautiful things about the friendship of the two peoples, who have the same roots, about cooperation, about the need to translate and publish works, books by Mongolian and Kalmyk authors as often as possible, so that our relations would strengthen even more through literature,” N.D. Ilyumzhinov.

Kirsan Nikolaevich Ilyumzhinov is a politician, well-known businessman, former head of the Republic of Kalmykia and president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). On April 5, 1962, in the historical city of Elista, Nikolai Dorzhinovich and his wife Rimma Alekseevna had a boy in the early morning, who was named Kirsan.

The entrepreneur often recalled that after his birth, a conflict arose between relatives. The stumbling block was that the family could not decide for a long time what name to give the child. Nikolai Dorzhinovich insisted that his son should be named after his uncle Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who distinguished himself during the civil war, and the grandmother of the future politician dreamed that her grandson would be called the same as her father - Badma. According to the Kalmyk tradition, the last word was left to the head of the family, but because of the feminine principles, the grandmother called the boy the name Badma until the first grade.

The young man, along with his brothers, grew up in an average exemplary family: his father, an engineer by education, was in the position of a party worker. Kirsan's mother worked as a veterinarian, raised children, and in her free time was fond of growing flowers (the politician said in his autobiography that Patriarch Alexy, who was visiting the Ilyumzhinovs, really liked Rimma Alekseevna's flower garden).

Ilyumzhinov grew up as an inquisitive child, he often preferred reading books to active outdoor games with yard boys. It is known that Kirsan's favorite work was the autobiographical novel How the Steel Was Tempered. Thanks to the analytical mind and diligence in the diary of the young man, there were only fives. Therefore, it is not surprising that in 1979 Kirsan graduated from Elista's third school with a gold medal.

After receiving a matriculation certificate, the future president of Kalmykia learned from his own experience what hard work is: a graduate worked as an assembly fitter at the Zvezda plant for one year, and in 1980 the young man reached military age and went to serve in the North Caucasian military district. While serving in the army, Kirsan gained invaluable experience with weapons and learned how to rationally use precious time, besides, the guy learned what it is like to work in a team and defend his personal interests when an unofficial hierarchical system dominates the troops - hazing.

Further, in 1982, Kirsan entered one of the most prestigious universities in Russia - the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where he showed himself not only as a diligent student, but also served as deputy secretary of the party committee.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in national costume

In 1988, following a false denunciation by two ill-wishers of classmates, the gifted student was expelled from MGIMO as an Afghan-Iranian spy. Ilyumzhinov was also falsely charged with drinking alcohol, drug addiction and possession of potassium cyanide. After repeated letters from Kirsan to his name and a six-month trial, the young man was reinstated at the university as a trustworthy citizen of Russia, and all charges were dropped.

After graduating from the university, Ilyumzhinov was hired as the manager of a division of the largest Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi (it is noteworthy that Kirsan speaks not only Russian and Kalmyk, but also Japanese, Mongolian and Chinese). According to the politician, this experience in foreign business was the first and fundamental for him. The fact is that Kirsan always set himself the goal of earning a million. However, when Ilyumzhinov, thanks to perseverance and hard work, hit the big jackpot, his passion disappeared: he realized that money should not be in the first place in a person's life.

Chess

Kirsan has been practicing mental gymnastics since childhood. Ilyumzhinov similarly manipulated sixteen pieces on a checkered board and beat his opponents on the spot with quick checks and childish checkmates. Therefore, it is not surprising that, as a 15-year-old teenager, Ilyumzhinov led the adult chess team of Kalmykia.

In the fall of 1995, Kirsan first became president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). According to Ilyumzhinov, going to France for the FIDE congress, he did not suspect that he would become the head of a sports organization. However, this alignment of events was predicted to him by a Bulgarian clairvoyant. In the fall of 2010, Kirsan re-occupied the chair of FIDE President. According to rumors, the world champion in chess sports claimed this post.

It is also known that Ilyumzhinov acquired the diamond crown of Garry Kasparov, which the latter won in 1990 from Anatoly Karpov in the match for the world title. According to the winner, the 7.5 kg piece of jewelry by Korloff was put up for sale by Harry in order to help the Armenian refugees with the proceeds.

Policy

In 1983, Kirsan Nikolaevich joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. After Ilyumzhinov earned his first million in 1990, the entrepreneur seriously engaged in commercial activities and began to head the international association Sun. Later, Kirsan became the founder of the Kalmyk Steppe Bank, and also placed his capital in textile enterprises and invested in the service sector - restaurants and hotels.

In the same 1990, Ilyumzhinov became an Honorary Cossack in the Union of Cossacks of Kalmykia under the leadership of Ataman Yuri Khakhulov. Three years later, the businessman was accepted as president of the Russian Chamber of Entrepreneurs, and also headed a similar position in Kalmykia. In 1991, Ilyumzhinov joined the ranks of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. At about the same time, the young man met the first president of Russia, who, in turn, was imbued with confidence in the Elista citizen.

On April 1, 1993, Kirsan Nikolaevich, gaining 65.4% of the vote, became president of the Republic of Kalmykia, overtaking his competitors: Vladimir Bambaev, president of the farmers' association, and General Valery Ochirov. In 1995, Ilyumzhinov was re-elected to the post of head of government ahead of schedule. The second term dragged on for 7 years, until 2002 (in 2002, Kirsan Nikolaevich again won the presidential race).

It is noteworthy that in the fall of 1998, Ilyumzhinov made a number of statements, judging by which Kalmykia was supposed to be separated from the Russian Federation (due to non-receipt of funds from the Russian treasury). Therefore, Ilyumzhinov was checked by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation.

Personal life

Vanga's predictions are not the last mystical incidents in the life of a Kalmyk entrepreneur. In 2001, speaking on Radio Liberty, the politician made a sensational statement: according to Kirsan, on September 18, 1997, he visited an intergalactic ship with aliens.

As for the family, Kirsan met his first wife Danara Davashkina at school. From this marriage, the son David was born, who, according to the politician, at one time was fond of chess and won first places in school competitions. The second chosen one of the millionaire was Lyudmila Razumova. Also, according to some information, Kirsan Nikolaevich has a daughter, Alina.

It is known that Ilyumzhinov loves to travel the world and do shopping: the ex-president of Kalmykia dresses immaculately, preferring popular brands such as Brioni and Bally. His favorites are light-colored shirts with a classic cut. He also likes to buy expensive watches and always carries a talisman stone - a 57-carat Indian sapphire.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov now

In 2016, Ilyumzhinov took part in the program "Alone with Everyone", where he talked about his work, about chess and how he came into politics.

In the spring of 2017, the International Chess Federation announced that Kirsan Nikolaevich was resigning. However, the ex-head of Kalmykia denied this information. The FIDE President's Board has confirmed that the resignation has been made and will be considered in the near future.

Achievements

• Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (March 17, 2011);
• Order of Friendship (April 3, 1997) - for services to the state and a great contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between peoples;
• Honorary Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation (December 12, 2008) - for active participation in the preparation of the draft Constitution of the Russian Federation and a great contribution to the development of the democratic foundations of the Russian Federation;
• Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology in 2008 (March 10, 2009) - for the development and implementation of a sustainable production system for obtaining beef based on Russian breeds of beef cattle;
• Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (August 12, 1996) - for active participation in organizing and conducting the election campaign of the President of the Russian Federation in 1996;
• Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (August 25, 2005) - for active participation in the work of the State Council of the Russian Federation;
• Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts;
• The title of "Hero of Kalmykia" with the award of the Order of the White Lotus (April 5, 2012);
• Honorary Doctor "PRUE" them. Plekhanov in Tashkent.

I was born on April 5, 1962, early in the morning - four minutes to six. My parents already had one son - Vyacheslav, and they really wanted a girl. But I was born. And after me, a few years later, another brother. God did not send daughters to parents.

With MY birth, the first conflict arose in our family - between father and grandmother. My father wanted to name me Kirsan - in honor of his uncle Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a hero of the Civil War. Grandmother - in honor of her father - Badmoy. But in a Kalmyk family, a man's word is decisive, and they named me Kirsan. Grandmother, out of female obstinacy, called me Badma, and until the first grade I responded to this name.

First million

I STILL consider the army the main school of my life (I served at the communications center in the North Caucasus Military District). I did not know how to wrap footcloths - and rubbed my legs into the blood. "Grandfathers" beat everyone in a row - brought up. I didn't want to give in - and with a few other first years, I dared to fight back against the "grandfathers". There were losses on both sides - swollen eyes, broken lips, torn tunics. "Grandfathers" promised to kill us soon. The guys were at the limit: a little more - and they will start shooting. I decided to go try to negotiate with the "grandfathers". And they left us alone. We survived. It was a victory. Six months later, I was already a sergeant.

Remained from the army and pleasant memories. For example, I learned to sleep with my eyes open. You stand on the nightstand and sleep. This is very helpful now. Sometimes in long and tedious meetings I sleep this way.

After graduating from MGIMO, from which I was expelled as an Afghan-Iranian spy and reinstated six months later as a completely reliable citizen and diplomat of Russia, I was hired as a manager in a large Japanese company.

It was the first experience of working in a foreign business. It has become fundamental to me. I had a dream - to become a millionaire. And there was a frenzy. I liked making money, being a businessman. And now the dream has come true. The bank told me that I had a million dollars in my account. I asked to cash out this amount, in excitement I went to the bank. They gave me ten packs of dollars. I came home, closed the door, laid out these packs on the table and looked at them for a long time, probably an hour or two, and thought: "Here is my million dollars, so what?" And all of a sudden I lost my passion. I realized that making money cannot be the goal of life.

March of Mendelssohn

With WIFE Danara we are classmates. We were friends since childhood, and I always liked this modest, quiet girl. But she had such an inner strength that made her be treated with great respect. I have always loved her. And I knew that we would be together. She was waiting for me. First, when I served in the army, then when I studied at MGIMO. We got married when we were 29 years old. The wedding was very quiet and modest - both of us are not lovers of noisy gatherings. In the same year, our son, David, was born. My family lives in Elista. David goes to school there. There are no nannies or governesses. Danara takes care of him herself. Well, of course, grandparents on both sides. When I am at home and there is an opportunity, I take part in the household as much as possible - I wash the dishes.

My wife is a completely unambitious woman. She likes to be just a wife and mistress of the house, to work with her son, to cook, to visit her parents, to help them. She never discusses my business. I am very grateful to her for this and love her very much. As for polygamy in our republic, if the parliament passes this law, then this is the will of the people. My wife, for example, reacted to this situation with humor - she said that if I suddenly decide to take a few more wives, she will be "senior in terms of personnel."

My son is fond of chess and football. Recently I played in Italy as part of the children's football team of Kalmykia. From all my foreign trips I bring him all sorts of football gadgets. Until recently, my son and wife lived in a two-room apartment. The parents were outraged. I had to buy a house with a small garden and vegetable garden. Now in the summer you can get together with your family and drink tea under the trees. In Moscow, I also have a two-room apartment and a country residence.

Mom, Rimma Sergeevna, is a veterinarian, father, Nikolai Dorzhinovich, is now retired. Parents have been living for almost forty years in a small house on 6 acres and do not want to move anywhere. Mom is fond of growing flowers. Patriarch Alexy really liked her flower garden when he was visiting us.

The owner of the stone

I dress mainly abroad. in hotel shops. There is no time to go elsewhere. Recently I prefer Brioni. His designs fit me perfectly. Shoes - from Bali. I like light shirts - there are a lot of official meetings. I choose ties intuitively. If I like something in a store of another company, I definitely buy it, I'm not conservative. However, now, when choosing clothes, I ask prices if they are not indicated. Recently, an incident occurred that left me with a slight unpleasant aftertaste. I went with Juan Antonio Samaranch to the store to buy myself a demi-season coat, well, at the same time I looked after myself a shirt and tie. The coat was the most ordinary, classic, shirt and tie - too. The vendors just fluttered over me. I paid with a card, and then looked at the check - and almost dropped the purchase from my hands: the total purchase amount was $ 25,000. The coat cost $20,000, the shirt $4,500, and the tie $500. If I were alone, I would return all this to them, but it was somehow inconvenient under Samaranch. At home I wear a T-shirt and jeans. I love beautiful clothes, but I'm not obsessed with them at all. Of precious stones, I wear sapphires - in cufflinks, in watches, in a small gold signet, and around my neck - my talisman - an Indian sapphire of 57 carats. A mystical story is connected with this sapphire. My assistant, while in India, walked around the bazaar. I went into one small shop and saw two large stones there - an uncut emerald and a sapphire. He turned to the owner: "How much is a sapphire?" "Ten thousand dollars," was the answer. He called me. I decided that I could not spend more than five thousand.

The assistant spoke with the owner - it turned out that the stones were not his, but his father, who retired. The owner was sorry to lose the buyer, and he went to consult his father. He, after listening to this story, looked somewhere into the distance and said to his son: "The Master came for the stone, give the sapphire for as much as they give for it, and thank that they came for it during my lifetime." So this sapphire ended up with me, and since then I have not removed it.

Like any man, I have a special relationship with watches. I love expensive watches with many features. Once I was sailing on a ship, I stood at the side, looked at my watch (worth 100 thousand dollars) and suddenly realized that in order for the voyage to be successful, I must pay tribute to the sea gods, as all navigators do in antiquity and now. I took off my watch and threw it into the sea. The swim went very well. And I bought myself a watch. Now I have a watch of one of the sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates, it costs about 200 thousand dollars - a collectible item. After negotiations in the UAE, we rested, drank tea with sheikhs, and the conversation turned to watches. One of the sheikhs really liked mine - and he offered to exchange. I did not refuse the offer, although my watch is exactly two times cheaper, but this did not bother anyone.

The media say that I collect expensive cars, but this is not true. I just have a fairly large fleet. But sometimes I just "catch" the car on the street, I really like it when they don't recognize me. There was one case when I was very late, the traffic flowed, and no one stopped. Suddenly a "Zaporozhets" rolled up. Imagine how the faces of the partners meeting me stretched out! “Well,” they said, “Ilyumzhinov is so full of cars, he has become quite cool - now he drives a Zaporozhets!” And I didn't care what to go on - just not to be late.

FIDE President

Ilyumzhinov, Kirsan

FIDE President

President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) since 1995. Member of the United Russia party. Creator of New-Vasyukov - an elite hotel complex on the outskirts of Elista. In 1993-2010 he headed the Republic of Kalmykia; during this time, he repeatedly dismissed his own government, in 1998 announced the intention of Kalmykia to secede from the Russian Federation, was repeatedly accused of numerous financial violations and violations of federal law, but was never held accountable.

Kirsan Nikolaevich Ilyumzhinov was born on April 5, 1962 in Elista, the capital of the Kalmyk ASSR,. Ilyumzhinov's father was a party worker, his mother was a veterinarian.

At the age of 14, Ilyumzhinov became the champion of Kalmykia in chess. In 1979 he graduated from high school with a gold medal. In 1979-1980 he worked as a fitter at the Zvezda (Odn) plant,. In 1980-1982 he served in the Soviet Army, in parts of the North Caucasian Military District,.

In 1982–1983, Ilyumzhinov returned to the Zvezda plant. He worked as a mechanic , was a foreman of the youth brigade . In 1983 he joined the CPSU.

In 1983, thanks to his work experience (more than two years), party membership and excellent recommendations, Ilyumzhinov entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). At the institute, he was deputy secretary of the party committee for ideology and captain of the institute's chess team.

In 1988, Ilyumzhinov was expelled from the fifth year, according to a number of online media - for drug use, addiction to visiting restaurants, alcoholism, and even possession of potassium cyanide). However, after a few months it was restored,. In 1989 he graduated from the institute, having received the qualification of "specialist in Japan and foreign economic relations with the countries of the East",.

In the same year, Ilyumzhinov became president of the Sun international corporation. He organized the Step bank in Kalmykia (in 1992, the turnover was 15 billion rubles). According to media reports, in 1992, Ilyumzhinov, as the head of the Steppe association, proposed to the Russian government to provide Russian factories with high-quality wool. He was given a loan of approximately 11 billion (according to other sources - 14 billion) non-denominated rubles. Having received the money, the Steppe association transferred it to firms that were supposed to buy wool (it was also indicated that it transferred it to firms at interest), but none of them delivered the wool, and most of the credit disappeared without a trace. According to other publications, it was Ilyumzhinov's fraud with 14 million rubles allocated by the government of the Russian Federation to the Eco-Rainbow corporation for the purchase of wool. Also mentioned were accusations that while working at the Eco-Rainbow Corporation, Ilyumzhinov received a bribe of $ 5 million for the illegal supply of oil to Japan,. A number of media published information about the disappearance of $ 5 million intended for the purchase of two lines of the Elmi wool washing factory.

On March 18, 1990, Ilyumzhinov was elected a people's deputy of the RSFSR from the Manych territorial district number 821 (Kalmykia). Ilyumzhinov was included in the Committee on International Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations, was a member of the deputy group "Sovereignty and Equality", in the "Change - New Policy" faction. He was also a member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the last convocation - until the collapse of the USSR,.

By April 1993, Ilyumzhinov headed more than 50 companies, banks and stock exchanges in the CIS countries and outside the former USSR (according to other sources, Ilyumzhinov was their founder). A number of media indicated that the annual turnover of these enterprises was $ 500 million,.

In January 1993, Ilyumzhinov was elected President of the Russian Chamber of Entrepreneurs and President of the Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kalmykia. In the same year, he put forward his candidacy for the election of the first president of the Republic of Kalmykia. Ilyumzhinov conducted his election campaign under the motto "A rich president is an incorruptible power".

In April 1993, Ilyumzhinov won the election with 65 percent of the vote,. According to a number of media reports, after winning the election, Ilyumzhinov made himself president of the Kalmykia state investment company, which owned controlling stakes in the republic's main industrial and commercial enterprises,.

During the events of October 1993 in Moscow, President Kalmyki led a group of six representatives of the Conference of the Subjects of the Federation, which entered the parliament building with a white flag, where, together with the President of Ingushetia Ruslan Aushev, he acted as an intermediary in the negotiations until the evening of October 4, when the parliament building was taken by storm by troops loyal to President Boris Yeltsin.

In November 1993, Ilyumzhinov was elected to the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the first convocation for the Kalmyk district number 8. In the Federation Council, he joined the committee on agrarian policy.

In April 1994, the Constitutional Assembly of Kalmykia adopted the Steppe Code, a new basic law in place of the constitution of Kalmykia that was in force before that. Not corresponding to the previous constitution in form, the Steppe Code was contrary to the basic federal law and in content,. According to media reports, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation sent a special certificate to the State Duma regarding the law on the election of candidates for deputies of the Kalmyk parliament - the People's Khural, in which it noted that in Kalmykia "the electoral right of citizens is limited." The certificate stated that a property qualification was introduced for candidates for deputies of the parliament of Kalmykia, a mandatory "electoral deposit" of 100 minimum wages, and a third of parliamentarians - nine people - are appointed directly by the president,.

In April 1995, Ilyumzhinov dismissed his government (later returned it back) after a commission from the Control Department of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation arrived in Kalmykia. The auditors, according to media reports, found many financial irregularities, in particular, they found out that in 1993-1995 a total of more than 40 billion rubles allocated from the state budget was spent. The head of the commission, Anatoly Dyatlenko, compiled a detailed report for the leadership, but this had no consequences for Ilyumzhinov. Shortly after the audit, Ilyumzhinov received a loan of 495 billion rubles allocated by the Russian government for the social and economic support of the republic. In May 1995, Ilyumzhinov became a member of the Our Home - Russia (NDR) movement.

On October 15, 1995, Ilyumzhinov was re-elected as President of the Republic of Kalmykia. In violation of federal law, he was elected for seven years, and the elections were held on an uncontested basis. By virtue of his position, he became a member of the Federation Council of the second convocation, was a member of the committee on international affairs. In 1998, Ilyumzhinov became deputy chairman of the committee.

In 1995, Ilyumzhinov abolished taxes for non-residents in his republic, replacing tax revenues with a system of quarterly payments to the Development and Cooperation Agency. The funds received by the Agency were managed by the Fund for Programs of the President of the Republic of Kalmykia controlled by Ilyumzhinov. However, the expected inflow of investments did not happen, since most of the companies registered in Kalmykia, according to media reports, worked in other regions.

In November 1995, Ilyumzhinov was elected president of the International Chess Federation (Federation Internationale des Echecs, FIDE). Subsequently, he was repeatedly re-elected to this post (the last time - in 2006),.

In 1995, the media wrote about the appearance in Kalmykia of an organized political opposition under the slogan "Down with Kirsan!" and on the creation of an opposition People's Party of Kalmykia (NPK) with branches in all districts and with cells in many state farms and with its own newspaper - "Soviet Kalmykia". Subsequently, a number of media outlets pointed out that the CPP, having failed to legitimize itself, soon left the political scene. Since 1998, the main ideological opponent of the authorities has become the regional branch of the Yabloko party, supported by the federal party and the faction of the same name in the State Duma.

In 1997, the media wrote that in Kalmykia, thanks to the patronage of Ilyumzhinov, all favorable conditions were created for the activities of the totalitarian sect of Moon Song Myung, whose activities are prohibited or limited in most civilized states. They pointed out that for several years, until the prosecutor's office intervened, the Moonist subject "My World and Me" was taught both in the classroom and outside the classroom in Kalmyk schools,. In 2003, at a press conference dedicated to the visit of the President of Kalmykia to the spiritual leader of the Buddhists, the Dalai Lama XIV, Ilyumzhinov emphasized that the Moon sect in Kalmykia was not registered and did not operate - "since the end of 1993, not a single Moonist has been seen in Kalmykia."

In February 1998, the head of Kalmykia issued a decree "On the optimization of the activities of government bodies, increasing the responsibility of leaders at all levels", according to which the staff of ministries, departments and executive bodies were to be reduced "by at least 50 percent" within a week. He resubordinated the structures of executive power directly to himself. Commenting on the decree of the President of Kalmykia for the media, a representative of his administration said that all ministers and deputy prime ministers would remain in place, and special commissions under their supervision would be created to resolve the vital issues of the republic, which would include former employees of the ministries,,. Already in November 1998, Viktor Baturin (brother-in-law of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov) was appointed chairman of the government, who held this post until January 1999. Until 2003, the government of Kalmykia changed several times,. Larisa Yudina, editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper Sovetskaya Kalmykiya Segodnya, wrote that the next resignation of the government was a sure sign of the high commission's imminent arrival in the republic.

In June 1998, Yudina, the author of numerous exposés about Ilyumzhinov, was killed. Ilyumzhinov's legal adviser Sergey Vaskin, who had previously been convicted several times, was accused of her murder. During the investigation, Ilyumzhinov repeatedly stated that the murdered journalist was engaged in commercial activities, and rejected the version of a political murder. Immediately after the murder of the journalist, the leaders of Yabloko stated that this crime had political overtones, since Yudina "actively fought against corruption in the leadership of Kalmykia."

On June 14, 1998, in an interview with the Obozrevatel news program (TV-6), Ilyumzhinov announced his intention to run for the presidency of the Russian Federation,.

In September 1998, the construction of New Vasyukov, or City Chess (City of Chess), initiated by Ilyumzhinov, was completed - a hotel complex on the southeastern outskirts of Elista. According to a number of media reports, the construction was carried out with budget money: Ilyumzhinov demanded that Khural approve the transfer of 236 million rubles from the account of the Russian Ministry of Finance to the account of the Ministry of Finance of the republic. In order to avoid such situations in the future, the Central Bank of Russia issued an order to stop financial transactions with the Bank of Kalmykia (the order was later suspended).

On November 17, 1998, Ilyumzhinov announced the republic's readiness to secede from the Russian Federation. According to representatives of the Yabloko party, Ilyumzhinov threatened that Kalmykia would secede from Russia if the audit group from the Accounts Chamber was not withdrawn from the republic. According to other sources, Ilyumzhinov called the blockade of Kalmykia by the Russian Ministry of Finance as the reason for his speech. On the same day, Russian President Yeltsin instructed the Security Council of the Russian Federation to consider Ilyumzhinov's statements, and the next day Ilyumzhinov said that he was making the statement in his capacity as a private individual. Finance Minister Mikhail Zadornov, at a hearing in the Duma, said that Ilyumzhinov actually carried out an issue in August in the amount of more than 200 million rubles, which he transferred not to the accounts of the National Bank of the Republic (an analogue of the Main Directorate of the Central Bank), but to the Kalmykia clearing bank,.

In March 2000, Ilyumzhinov became chairman of the board of directors of the Nostrak transcontinental corporation.

On October 27, 2002, Ilyumzhinov was elected to the post of President of the Republic of Kalmykia for a third term, and in January 2003 he headed the government of the Republic of Kalmykia.

In November 2004, when the State Duma passed a law allowing high-ranking officials to combine work with party activities, Ilyumzhinov joined the United Russia party.

In the summer of 2005, by decision of the People's Khural, the position of the highest official in the republic was renamed and became known as the "Head of the Republic of Kalmykia". In October 2005, Ilyumzhinov addressed the President of Russia with a statement in which he raised the issue of confidence and early resignation of his powers in accordance with the federal law "On Amendments to the Federal Law" On the General Principles of Organization of Legislative (Representative) and Executive Bodies of State Power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation "and to the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation"" dated December 11, 2004. On October 24, 2005, at the suggestion of Vladimir Putin, the People's Khural of Kalmykia vested Ilyumzhinov with the powers of the head of the Republic of Kalmykia for another five years.

According to some media reports, during the time Ilyumzhinov was the head of Kalmykia, oil production was halved in the republic, and the production of meat and grain was significantly reduced. Almost the entire industry ceased to exist. 75 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

On July 5, 2006, Ilyumzhinov got involved in a scandal related to the "case of Levon Chakhmakhchyan" - a member of the Federation Council, suspected of receiving a large bribe. On this day, the speaker of the council, Sergei Mironov, sent a submission on the early termination of Chakhmakhchyan's senatorial powers,. Ilyumzhinov stated that the People's Khural should satisfy the idea of ​​early termination of Chakhmakhchyan's powers. At the same time, the Kommersant newspaper claimed that there were long-standing friendly ties between Ilyumzhinov and the senator: Chakhmakhchyan supported Ilyumzhinov in the presidential elections in 2002, and Ilyumzhinov, in turn, lobbied for Chakhmakhchyan's election to the Federation Council.

In October 2007, Ilyumzhinov led United Russia's regional list of candidates in the Republic of Kalmykia in elections to the fifth convocation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. After the victory of the party, as expected, he refused the deputy mandate.

In December 2007, Ilyumzhinov announced a campaign in Kalmykia to "rejuvenate personnel" and on December 5 dismissed the government of the republic, and on December 12 appointed its new composition. On December 20, 2007, the deputies of the People's Khural of Kalmykia also decided to dissolve themselves by a majority of votes. According to the press secretary of the head of the republic, Buyanchi Galzanov, "it was adopted voluntarily on the recommendation of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov." According to Lev Mukhlaev, a former member of the Khural and a member of the United Russia faction, the idea of ​​self-dissolution belonged to the parliamentarians themselves, and they themselves proposed it to Ilyumzhinov as a variant of "resolving the parliamentary crisis." Among the reasons for the latter, the deputies called "the protracted confrontation within the United Russia parliamentary faction."

Ilyumzhinov also suggested that the mayor of Elista, Radiy Burulov (who, as Nezavisimaya Gazeta noted, was a year younger than the head of the republic), resign. However, he did not want to part with his chair. After that, at a meeting with the deputies of the mayor of Elista, held on January 4, Ilyumzhinov, according to its participants, said that from now on he takes over the leadership of the city, and instructs the government of the republic to execute the budget of Elista. NG stressed that this, in fact, meant the introduction of direct republican rule in Elista. On January 9, Burulov called an emergency meeting of the city assembly, where he made harsh accusations against Ilyumzhinov and, in turn, suggested that the head of the republic voluntarily resign and resign. It was noted that the mayor's speech caused a huge public outcry in the republic: the edition of the "Elistinskaya panorama" with the text of the mayor's speech was sold out in less than an hour, and photocopies of his statement could be purchased in crowded places for 100 rubles per copy. According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, representatives of the federal center were forced to intervene in the conflict, offering to postpone the dispute over resignations until the election and inauguration of the new president of Russia, whose elections were scheduled for March 2008. In March 2008, it became known that the investigative department The Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor's Office for Kalmykia initiated a criminal case against the mayor of Elista on suspicion of abuse of office. In the same month, after a petition from the investigating authorities, the Elista City Court removed Burulov from his post.

On November 12, 2008, Ilyumzhinov got into an accident on Rublevsky Highway and was hospitalized at the Central Clinical Hospital with a concussion and abrasions on his head. However, he was discharged a few hours later, since, according to the results of the examination, he did not receive serious injuries. Traffic inspectors recognized the driver who was driving the car of the head of Kalmykia as the culprit of the incident,.

At the end of May 2009, Ilyumzhinov, by his decree, prematurely terminated the powers of the government of Kalmykia in order to "optimize the funds spent on executive authorities." It was noted that over the 16 years of Ilyumzhinov's rule, this was the ninth change of government. By another decree, the head of the republic reorganized his administration - the functions of the republican cabinet of ministers were transferred to it. Commenting on the latest personnel changes in Kalmykia, local observers associated them with Ilyumzhinov's desire to avoid responsibility "for serious miscalculations in his work."

On April 21, 2010, Arkady Dvorkovich, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Chess Federation, announced that Ilyumzhinov had again been nominated as Russia's candidate for FIDE President, who was to be elected in the fall. However, Ilyumzhinov's main alleged opponent in the election, Anatoly Karpov, declared the nomination illegitimate, and also accused the FIDE leadership of corruption, after which, in June 2010, Ilyumzhinov sued him for libel. In July 2010, Karpov himself turned to the International Sports Arbitration (CAS) in Lausanne and demanded that Ilyumzhinov's nomination was violated, but on the eve of the election of the head of FIDE, on September 27, it became known that this claim was rejected,. On September 29, 2010, the congress of the FIDE General Assembly in Khanty-Mansiysk re-elected Ilyumzhinov as FIDE President: 95 delegates voted for him, and 55 congress participants voted for his rival Karpov.

On September 6, 2010, Ilyumzhinov announced that he did not intend to remain as head of Kalmykia after the expiration of his fourth term,. On October 24 of the same year, Alexei Orlov officially replaced Ilyumzhinov as head of Kalmykia. On the same day, the new head turned to Ilyumzhinov with a proposal to head the government of the republic, but he officially refused. Regarding his plans after leaving the post of head of Kalmykia, Ilyumzhinov stated that "as a citizen of Kalmykia" he would "seek an invitation to Kalmykia for his holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama and the transformation of Elista into the center of world chess" .

In the summer of 2011, Ilyumzhinov appeared in the press as a co-owner of the Vel experimental art and production association (EKhPO) (as of March 2011, the former head of Kalmykia owned 18.5 percent of the enterprise). By this time, Vel, which had previously been engaged in the restoration of the halls of the Kremlin Palace, the buildings of the Bank of Russia, the Russian State Library, the Moscow GUM shopping complex, the Savoy Hotel and Moscow Metro stations, began the bankruptcy procedure and was the most problematic borrower of Rosbank.

In June 2012, it became known that Credit Mediterranee, owned by Ilyumzhinov, acquired a 52.5 percent stake in Petrol Holding, a monopoly in the Bulgarian oil market. Ilyumzhinov himself said that he intended to buy out the remaining share of the holding in the near future. In addition to gas stations and oil storage facilities, hotels, a casino, an airline and a football club were mentioned among the assets of Petrol Holding. It was noted that the company had high debts, in addition, the buyer assumed obligations to modernize its gas stations. The amount of the transaction was not named, but according to analysts, it exceeded $1 billion.

In July 2012, Ilyumzhinov acquired a stake in the Sucden group of companies, a Russian sugar producer that is part of the largest international sugar trader Groupe Sucres & Denrees. The amount of the transaction and the number of shares purchased were not named in the press, however, it was emphasized that Ilyumzhinov became a key shareholder of the group of companies.

Ilyumzhinov is a full member of the Academy of Social Sciences (1997), Honorary Academician of the Interregional Academy of Sciences of Science (1997), Honorary Doctor of the National Academy of Applied Sciences of Russia (1998). Member of the Union of Cossacks of Kalmykia (1990). In April 1997, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Ilyumzhinov was awarded the Order of Friendship "for services to the state and a great contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between peoples." Ilyumzhinov also has a number of awards from non-governmental organizations, including the FIDE Gold Medal of Peace for humanitarian work (1992) and the Order of Prince Daniel of Moscow, 1st degree, the highest award of the Russian Orthodox Church. In April 2012, he was awarded the title Hero of Kalmykia.

Ilyumzhinov is a master of sports in chess. In addition to Kalmyk and Russian, he speaks Japanese, English, some Korean, Mongolian and Chinese. Calls himself a Buddhist.

Ilyumzhinov is married (he studied at the same school with his wife). In 1990, his son David was born.

In addition to Kirsan, the family had two more sons. Kirsan's older brother Vyacheslav also graduated from MGIMO,. In 1985-1993 he was an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kalmykia, after the election of Kirsan as president, he held the positions of state adviser on ideology and deputy chairman of the government of the Republic of Kalmykia. In the early 2000s, he was Deputy Governor of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug Vladimir Butov,. As of the beginning of 2006, Vyacheslav Ilyumzhinov - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CAP company,, member of the International Union of Economists - General Adviser of the UN Economic and Social Council (since 1995),. In November 2010, Vyacheslav Ilyumzhinov was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of Kalmykia, Orlov. Experts called him the "viceroy" of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and suggested that in this way he would retain his influence in the region.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's younger brother Sanal is an economist. Graduated from the Moscow Financial Academy. As of the end of 2005, he headed the private National Clearing Bank established by Kirsan, which is the main shareholder of CJSC NC Kalmpetrol,. According to a number of media reports, the commercial structure headed by Sanal Ilyumzhinov, in addition to the bank, includes supermarkets, a company selling household appliances and computers, a number of mobile phone stores and a network of wholesale depots. This structure is a sponsor of Izvestia Kalmykia, the main official newspaper of the republic.

Used materials

Ilyumzhinov became a key shareholder in the largest sugar producer Sucden. - Gazeta.ru, 10.07.2012

Alexander Gudkov; Nikolay Marchenko, Sofia. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov will refuel in Bulgaria. - Kommersant, 20.06.2012. - № 110 (4895)

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov received the title of Hero of Kalmykia. - Newspaper.Ru, 06.04.2012

Daria Yurishcheva, Yulia Lokshina, Anna Zanina. Half profit per borrower. - Kommersant, 28.07.2011. - № 137 (4678)

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov photography

He considers the poet David Kugultinov to be his mentor. According to Kugultinov himself, who has known Ilyumzhinov since childhood, he is a pragmatist, superbly educated and intelligent.

In 1979 he graduated from high school with a gold medal. In 1989 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). Specialist in Japan (language, history, economy, culture) and external economic relations with the countries of the East.

In 1979-1980. after graduating from high school, he worked as a fitter-assembler at the Zvezda (Odn) plant.

In 1980-1982 He served in the Soviet Army in the North Caucasian Military District.

After returning from the army, in 1982-83 he worked as a big-leader of the youth brigade at the Zvezda plant.

Working at the plant, in 1983 he joined the CPSU.

In 1983, thanks to his work experience (more than 2 years), party membership and excellent recommendations (army, Komsomol and production), he entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). While studying at the institute, he was deputy secretary of the party committee for ideology and captain of the institute's chess team. He studied together with the grandson of Andrei Gromyko Anatoly, as well as the son of Babrak Karmal.

Best of the day

In 1988, he was expelled from the 5th year of MGIMO and from the CPSU on the denunciation of two of his fellow students. According to Ilyumzhinov, he was charged with an addiction to visiting restaurants, drug addiction, alcoholism, and even possession of potassium cyanide. Nevertheless, after 8 months he managed to recover at the institute, and in 1989 he graduated from it.

He began his commercial activity after graduating from the institute, having won a competition for the position of the manager of the Soviet-Japanese joint venture (JV) "Eco-Rainbow". He worked in the Eco-Rainbow joint venture, first as an intern, then as a manager (1989-1990). In 1990, according to him, he earned his first million rubles.

In the same 1990, he became president of the Sun international corporation. He organized the Step bank in Kalmykia (in 1992, the turnover was 15 billion rubles). In 1993, he was the founder of about 50 different commercial structures with an annual turnover of 500 million dollars. He claimed that his income comes from capital placed in textile enterprises, in restaurants, hotels, publishing houses and the Argus cartoon studio). The president of the Butek concern, Mikhail Bocharov, claimed that Ilyumzhinov was also involved in the gambling business.

In 1990 he was admitted to the Union of Cossacks of Kalmykia (ataman - Yuri Khakhulov) as an "honorary Cossack".

In January 1993 he became president of the Russian Chamber of Entrepreneurs (Moscow), as well as the Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kalmykia (Elista).

On March 18, 1990, he was elected a People's Deputy of the RSFSR from the Manych Territorial District No. 821 (Kalmykia). He was a member of the Committee on International Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations. From the end of 1991 to 1993 - a member of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR (member of the Council of Nationalities).

He was a member of the "Sovereignty and Equality" parliamentary group, "Change - New Politics" faction. At the congresses of people's deputies of the RSFSR, he voted for the adoption of the "Decree on Power", for private ownership of land. At the VII Congress in December 1992, he voted for filing a request with the Constitutional Court "on the actions of the President of the Russian Federation that go beyond the limits of the Constitution."

In 1993, he put forward his candidacy for the post of President of the Republic of Kalmykia - Khalmg-Tangch. He was nominated by the labor collectives of the Odn plant, the Ovata state farm, the Union of Cossacks of Kalmykia, the congress of entrepreneurs of Kalmykia, teams of construction organizations in the city of Lagan, the Khar-Buduk state farm and a meeting of residents of the Cholun-Khamur quarry. In addition to Ilyumzhinov, two other candidates ran for the presidency of Kalmykia: Vladimir Bambaev, president of the Kalmyk Farmers' Association, and General Valery Ochirov. The main struggle unfolded between V. Ochirov and K. Ilyumzhinov. The local nomenklatura and the Supreme Soviet of Kalmykia tried to oppose Ilyumzhinov's election campaign. In February 1993, a group of deputies of the Supreme Court of Kalmykia unofficially searched for incriminating materials. In 1993, Ilyumzhinov was repeatedly accused by the press and the Armed Forces of Kalmykia that, while working at the Eco-Raduga corporation, he received a bribe of $5 million for the illegal supply of oil to Japan. Mikhail Bocharov, who supported V. Ochirov in the elections in Kalmykia, accused Ilyumzhinov of fraud with 14 million rubles allocated by the Russian government to the Eco-Rainbow corporation for the purchase of wool.

Ilyumzhinov's election campaign was held under the motto "Wealthy president - incorruptible power." In the event of his victory in the elections, he intended to invite Yegor Gaidar to work in the government. He declared that if he became president, he would spend money on creating a class of owners, giving loans and providing benefits. He also said that all the funds allocated by his companies in the form of subsidies to wages, as well as funds to raise some enterprises, would be equivalent to giving each family an amount of 100 dollars. In the struggle for votes, he allocated subsidies for bread and milk. According to the election program, Ilyumzhinov planned to direct 30% of the republican budget to contain prices. He believes that all men of the republic should work 6 days a week, and women should not work at all.

During the election campaign, his program, by Ilyumzhinov's own admission, changed by 20-30%. At first, for example, he wanted to reduce the state apparatus by 3 times, then by 10 times. Ilyumzhinov compared Kalmykia to a firm where every citizen-worker must work, getting rich himself and enriching the firm. In a year, he expected to stabilize the economy and stop the decline in production. He stated that before the onset of economic stabilization, it is necessary to dissolve all parties and close all newspapers, as they interfere with reforms. He published an election brochure "Kalmykia before the choice" (M., 1993).

During the election campaign, Ilyumzhinov called for the creation of a Buddhist republic, the invitation of the Dalai Lama XIV, granting him political asylum, as well as the construction of an autonomous khurul (Khurul is a lamaist monastery in Kalmykia) complex and the creation of a lamaist center similar to the Vatican in Rome. Now, not far from Elista, on 10 hectares of land, a Buddhist Khurul is being built at the expense of Ilyumzhinov. Subsidized the price of bread and milk from February 11 to March 13, 1993. On April 11, 1993, he was elected president of the Republic of Kalmykia - receiving 65.4% of the vote (V. Ochirov - 29, V. Bambaev - 1.6). Valery Bogdanov, former head of the republic's water resources department, became vice president. Russian (in Kalmykia 38% of the population are Russians). The Supreme Soviet handed over its powers to the interim parliament of 25 people, which, among other things, was supposed to prepare a draft law on a new, "professional" legislative body. Ilyumzhinov liquidated the district councils and created a vertical structure - from the president to the director of the collective farm or state farm. Many political parties took advantage of Ilyumzhinov's proposal and suspended their activities themselves, re-registering as commercial structures (for example, a small enterprise "Democratic Party" was registered). All 40 republican ministries were also disbanded, which, according to Ilyumzhinov, were engaged only in the distribution of Russian subsidies. Only 5 ministries were left - industry, agriculture, economy and finance, social security and internal affairs. Ilyumzhinov issued a decree suspending the activities of the Ministry of State Security of Kalmykia, saying that its work was inefficient and the apparatus was too cumbersome. Instead, the State Security Committee of Kalmykia was created. Ilyumzhinov confirmed his intention to introduce an economic dictatorship (for being late for work, for example, to deprive him of bonuses, etc.). He announced that Kalmykia would become a zone of preferential taxation (offshore zone) and would receive the right to independently establish the amount of taxes in the republic. Soon, Ilyumzhinov refused Russian loans and subsidies (which accounted for approximately 2/3 of the republic's income), saying that he planned to build economic relations with Russia on a partnership basis, saying that soon "Russia will earn for itself, and Kalmykia for itself." In May 1993, Ilyumzhinov suspended privatization according to the all-Russian rules and created a special commission to check the legality of the denationalization of enterprises. In May 1993, under pressure from Anatoly Chubais, he lifted the unilateral moratorium on check auctions in Kalmykia (they began to function again after June 1, 1993). In a conversation with Chubais, he confirmed that the new Constitution of Kalmykia would recognize private property as inviolable. In June 1993, he suspended the registration of joint ventures so that "they would not absorb Kalmykia" and "Kalmykia would not be under the heel of the West." In April 1993, he invested 50 million rubles in the creation of a youth organization designed to educate young entrepreneurs. After the Constitutional Conference was convened by the President of the Russian Federation in June 1993, Ilyumzhinov called Yeltsin's step in vain, since the meeting is not legitimate, and the only legal representative body in Russia is the Congress of People's Deputies, for discussion of which the draft Constitution of the Russian Federation should be submitted. Ilyumzhinov presented to the congress his own draft of the Russian Constitution, in which the model of the so-called. "super-presidential republic", in particular, the provision that Russia is "a subject of the federation, which includes territories, regions and republics. Russia is one and indivisible." Any mechanism for secession from the Russian Federation and the provision that the republics are "sovereign states" were excluded from the draft. In September 1993, after Yeltsin's decree on the dissolution of parliament, he was one of the initiators of meetings of representatives of the subjects of the federation in St. Petersburg and Moscow. On September 22, in the TV program "Morning", he spoke out against the violation of the Constitution and called for the restoration of the original legal

th situation (the next day, TV journalist Sergei Lomakin and the editor-in-chief were temporarily suspended from work). On September 27, 1993, at a meeting of regional leaders, he spoke in favor of the "zero option" and for simultaneous early presidential and parliamentary elections. He proposed that the congress, having previously formed a temporary Supreme Soviet of 200 people with the sole purpose of adopting a new Election Law, dissolve itself. According to his proposal, the Council of the Subjects of the Russian Federation was to become the guarantor of peace and fair elections. On his initiative, on September 30, representatives of 62 regions of Russia proclaimed the Council of the Subjects of the Federation, which presented the federal authorities with an ultimatum demand to end the blockade of the White House, cancel Yeltsin's decree on the dissolution of parliament and all subsequent acts related to it, appoint simultaneous early presidential and parliamentary elections no later than I quarter of 1994 under the control of the Council of Federation Subjects. After an unsuccessful meeting in the Kremlin with V. Chernomyrdin, he went to the besieged White House, where he read out to the deputies the decision of the Council of Subjects. Continued mediation efforts with the President of Ingushetia Ruslan Aushev until the evening of October 4, when the parliament building was stormed. In November 1993, he was nominated to the Federation Council of the Russian Federation for the Kalmyk constituency No. 8. Ilyumzhinov's confidant was V. Badzhinov, deputy head of the administration of the President of Kalmykia. In addition to Ilyumzhinov, Alexander Golovatov (Chairman of the State Committee for State Property Management), Vladimir Bambaev (President of the Association of Farmers of Kalmykia, supported by the Russia's Choice bloc), Arkady Pankin (Deputy Representative of the President of Kalmykia in Elista for Social Policy), Vladimir Chumudov (Director JSC "LEM", supported by the republican organizations of the APR, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and other organizations). December 12, 1993 Bambaev received 21598 votes (19.47%), Golovatov - 46276 (41.72%), Ilyumzhinov - 83430 (75.21%), Pankin - 11110 (10.02%), Chumudov - 28289 (25 ,50%). Ilyumzhinov and Golovatov became deputies. From January 1994 to January 1996 - Member of the Federation Council Committee on Agrarian Policy. At the beginning of 1994, he signed a statement on the creation of the Organizing Committee of the "People's Alliance" Movement (leader - Andrey Golovin), but did not participate in the further activities of the National Alliance. In March 1994, speaking to members of parliament, Ilyumzhinov proposed to cancel the constitution of the republic and lower the status of the republic to the level of a region or region, for which it was proposed to adopt the "Steppe Code". Called for renunciation of republican citizenship. According to the deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Alexander Arinin and Vladimir Lysenko (members of the Committee on Federation Affairs and Regional Policy, who inspected the republic as part of the delegation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation), the state structure laid down in the original draft resembled a "feudal-bai presidential republic." The president, for example, had the right to dissolve parliament if the latter "does not ensure stability in society." After the commission of the State Duma in the expert opinion on the Steppe Code of Kalmykia - Halmg Tangch noted numerous violations of Russian legislation in it, the draft was partially changed. In the amended form, the "Steppe Code" (adopted on April 5, 1994) also diverged from federal legislation on many issues. The attempts of a number of judges to be guided primarily by federal laws became a pretext for Ilyumzhinov to eliminate them. So the chairman of the Elista City Court and at the same time the chairman of the Council of Judges of Kalmykia Nikolai Gabunov and the chairman of the Supreme Court of Kalmykia Alexander Belogortsev were removed, and to remove the latter, on August 4, 1994, the law "On empowering judges of the Republic of Kalmykia" was adopted, according to which the approval and dismissal Judges are made by Parliament on the proposal of the President. In accordance with the Code, a third of the deputies (9 out of 27) of the People's Khural of Kalmykia are nominated in the republican district personally by the president, and in order to win, the presidential nominees have

accurately get 15% of the 35% of voters who took part (the rest of the deputies are elected by territorial districts). The Steppe Code does not provide for the sovereignty of the republic. Ilyumzhinov campaigned to subordinate the media to the president. So, in March 1994, the editor of Izvestia Kalmykia, Koneev, who spoke out against the Stepnoe Code, was forced to leave of his own free will; in June-July 1994, Ilyumzhinov began a campaign against the newspaper Sovetskaya Kalmykia, known for its anti-presidential policy. By Ilyumzhinov's decree, the editor of the newspaper was replaced, and when on July 26 the prosecutor of the republic, Vladimir Shipiev, announced the illegality of this decision, the president demanded that parliament remove the prosecutor from his post, which was done on July 28.

President of the state-investment company "Kalmykia", which owns controlling stakes in the main industrial and commercial enterprises of the republic.

From May 1995 to 2000 he was a member of the Movement "Our Home - Russia" (NDR).

On October 15, 1995, he held uncontested presidential elections in Kalmykia (for a 7-year term), received 85% of the votes in them. The elections were disputed by the Central Election Commission as contrary to the Constitution and the federal law "On Basic Guarantees of Citizens' Electoral Rights", but until the summer of 1996 the protest was ignored by both Ilyumzhinov himself and the federal executive branch.

In November 1995 he was elected President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Since January 1996 - member of the Federation Council of the second convocation ex officio. Member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, since 1998 - Deputy Chairman of the Committee. In July 1996, the President of Russia sent a request to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on the constitutionality of two laws of Kalmykia, including the law "On Presidential Elections". In January 1997, the presidential representative in the Constitutional Court, Sergei Shakhrai, withdrew this request, stating that the Kalmyk legislators had corrected the election law, after which the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation terminated the proceedings on the compliance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation of a number of articles of the law on presidential elections in Kalmykia. In January 1997, he achieved the transfer of the prosecutor of the republic V. Shipiev from Elista to Moscow and appointed his protege Yuri Dzhapov to this post. In 1997, local self-government bodies were illegally elected in Kalmykia - not by universal direct and secret voting, but at meetings and gatherings of citizens. The gatherings formed election commissions, which held the elections of deputies to the Khural. In February 1998, K. Ilyumzhinov signed a decree on the abolition of the government of the republic and the reassignment of executive power structures directly to the president. In early June 1998, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Soviet Kalmykia Today" L. Yudina was killed. Sergey Vaskin, adviser to K. Ilyumzhinov on legal issues, who had previously been convicted several times, was convicted on murder charges. During the investigation, K. Ilyumzhinov repeatedly stated that the murdered journalist was engaged in commercial activities, and rejected the version of a political murder. On June 14, 1998, in an interview with the news program Obozrevatel (TV-6), he announced his intention to run for president of the Russian Federation. November 17, 1998 announced the blockade of Kalmykia by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and the readiness in connection with this to change the status of the republic within the Russian Federation - to the status of an associated member. On the same day, President Yeltsin instructed to consider Ilyumzhinov's statements at the Security Council of the Russian Federation. The next day, Ilyumzhinov said that he was making a statement in his capacity as a private individual (and not the President of the Republic) and in fact sees Kalmykia "only as part of the Russian Federation." Finance Minister Zadornov at a hearing in the Duma said that Ilyumzhinov actually carried out an issue in August in the amount of more than 200 million rubles, which he transferred not to the National Bank of the Republic (an analogue of the Central Bank), but to the Kalmykia clearing bank. In January 1999, he temporarily headed the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic in connection with the resignation of the Cabinet of Viktor Baturin. On September 27, 1999, he signed a statement of 32 regional leaders in support of the Unity bloc in the parliamentary elections (leader - Sergei Shoigu). In February 2001 in Moscow, human rights activists from Kalmykia presented the book "Kirsanovshchina" - a collection of media publications about Ilyumzhinov's activities and his own speeches. According to human rights activists, Ilyumzhinov himself visits Kalmykia and in general in Russia no more than 1-2 months a year, his initiatives (the Chess Olympiad, for example) eat up huge amounts of money, and the maintenance of the Uralan football club annually takes an amount equal to the budget of four five rural areas. (Today, February 21, 2001). In July 2001, in an interview with Radio Liberty, he said: (quoted from a transcript) “Maybe, after I get bored with politics, I’m going to go to a monastery and there, I don’t know, maybe a month, a year, 10 years - but to work on myself in a monastery. That is, I have - or this - I will go to a Buddhist monastery, or to a Catholic church - here I am a few years ago, when I was with the Pope, I am in Assisi, in Italy, in the mountains "They offered, they even showed me to a cell where I can sit and meditate. Or to one of the Orthodox monasteries - we have wonderful monasteries. That is, I haven't decided for myself yet, well, we'll see." (Radio Liberty, July 20, 2001) On December 26, 2001, K. Ilyumzhinov's powers as a member of the Federation Council were terminated due to a change in the principle of forming the upper house of parliament. In August 2002, he was nominated by voters as a candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Kalmykia in the elections of October 20, 2002. On October 10, 2002, NTV news showed a story about

Elista on the eve of the elections. The city was covered in Ilyumzhinov's propaganda posters (he is with Putin, Alexy II, the Dalai Lama, the Pope). Leaflets of his opponents were scraped off by special brigades in a matter of hours after posting. On October 11, 2002, the head of the Central Election Commission, Alexander Veshnyakov, stated that he "strongly recommends" Ilyumzhinov to go on vacation until the end of the presidential election campaign in the republic. He expressed serious concern over the outcome of the elections in Kalmykia. "The regional media is clearly praising the incumbent president and slandering all the other candidates," he said. In this regard, the head of the CEC called on Mr. Ilyumzhinov "to refuse the services of sycophants." (kommersant.ru, October 11, 2002)

On October 20, 2002, he took first place in the first round of elections, gaining 47.3% of the vote (Baatr Shondzhiev was second with 13.6%), and advanced to the second round, scheduled for October 27.

On October 27, 2002, he was again elected president of Kalmykia, gaining 57.2% of the vote in the second round (Shondzhiev had 38%).

In October 2002, the collegium of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation began to consider the performance of Timofey Sasykov, a school friend of Ilyumzhinov, appointed to this post in 1999, as the Minister of Internal Affairs of Kalmykia.

In March 2003, on the eve of the war in Iraq, Ilyumzhinov traveled to Baghdad as part of a delegation of Russian religious and political figures. The purpose of the trip was to express solidarity with the Iraqi people.

In May 2003, T. Sasykov, after lengthy proceedings, was not only removed from his post, but also taken into custody. The media speculated that these actions were a prelude to Moscow's offensive against Ilyumzhinov. (Power, July 21, 2003)

On December 10, 2003, an unsanctioned opposition rally was held in Elista, near the government building of Kalmykia. The participants demanded a review of the results of the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the fourth convocation, held on December 7, 2003, and the resignation of Ilyumzhinov. (Interfax, December 10, 2003)

On March 23, 2004, the Ministry of Justice of Kalmykia banned the activity of the republican public movement "Rodnoy Krai", which organized the rally. Prosecutor of the Republic Sergei Khlopushin said: "The period of persuasion is over and now the prosecutor's office intends to identify and punish the organizers of this action." (Kommersant, March 23, 2004)

On November 5, 2004, he announced that the Dalai Lama would arrive in Elista on November 13, 2004: "The arrival date has been agreed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which issued an entry visa to His Holiness two days ago, as well as with the Dalai Lama's secretariat." (Gazeta.ru, November 5, 2004)

On November 11, 2004, Tibetan government-in-exile spokesman Thubten Samphel stated that the Dalai Lama had not applied for a Russian visa. According to him, the Dalai Lama did not want "to embarrass any government." Samphel confirmed that Ilyumzhinov did indeed ask the Tibetan leader to meet with the Kalmyk Buddhists. (Reuters, November 11, 2004) On November 26, 2004, the Foreign Ministry announced that the Dalai Lama would be issued a visa to visit Kalmykia. On November 29, 2004, the Dalai Lama arrived in Elista. He stayed in Kalmykia until December 1. On May 26, 2005, he appealed to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia with a request to remove Vladimir Ponomarev, head of the republican police, from his post. The reason for the performance was the beating of Ilyumzhinov's 16-year-old son by local police officers.

On October 4, 2005, he submitted to the President of Russia an application for early resignation of powers and raised the issue of confidence before him (since 2005, a law came into force according to which the heads of regional administrations were elected not by direct vote, but by local legislative authorities on the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation. At the same time the governor could raise the issue of confidence with the president long before the expiration of his term).

On October 19, 2005, Putin submitted Ilyumzhinov's candidacy to the People's Khural (Parliament) of Kalmykia to empower him with the powers of the President of Kalmykia.

On October 22, 2005, the People's Khural of Kalmykia approved Ilyumzhinov's candidacy for the post of president of the republic. Twenty-two deputies voted in favor of the decision, one abstained, one did not vote, and one - former Kalmyk presidential candidate Nikolai Ochirov - voted against.

At the end of October 2005, he announced his readiness to allocate one million dollars to transport Lenin's body to Elista along with the Mausoleum. Ilyumzhinov explained his desire by the fact that Lenin's grandmother was a Kalmyk. (Vedomosti, October 31, 2005)

On April 4, 2006, he said that in the coming years, at least 10,000 Kalmyks from China would return to the republic - "descendants of the Kalmyks who left the territory of Russia back in the 18th century." (Interfax, April 4, 2006)

June 2, 2006 was re-elected President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). 96 delegates voted for Ilyumzhinov, and 57 for his rival Bessel Kok.

On August 8, 2006, during a meeting with Putin, Ilyumzhinov told the head of state that Kalmykia had developed a program to create a "meat belt of Russia" based on Kalmykia, as well as Orenburg in the Urals and Ulan-Ude in Siberia. Ilyumzhinov recalled that earlier in Russia the number of cattle was about 7.5 million heads, and by 2006 it had decreased to 350 thousand. Moreover, according to Ilyumzhinov, half of them are of the Kalmyk breed. "If this program goes ahead, half of the Russian population's demand for meat can be closed in four or five years," Ilyumzhinov said. (RIA Novosti, August 8, 2006)

In early 2008, Ilyumzhinov and the mayor of Elista, Radiy Burulov, exchanged mutual offers of voluntary resignation. Ilyumzhinov accused Burulov of dishonest performance of his duties, and the mayor declared the political failure of the president and the failure of economic reforms.

Master of sports in chess.

In addition to Kalmyk and Russian, he speaks Japanese, English, some Korean, Mongolian and Chinese.

Calls himself a Buddhist "by attitude."

In April 1997, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, he was awarded the Order of Friendship "for services to the state and a great contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between peoples." The Kalmyk Cossack Host (the former Union of Cossacks of Kalmykia) was awarded the badge of honor "For the revival of the Cossacks" (1994).

About Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
Bakshi Jamba 16.08.2010 08:54:46

K.N. Ilyumzhinov came into politics (in the pure "Kalmyk version") patriotic, but not experienced. He became a politician, already "being" a politician, and in this respect he reached no small heights. Without a doubt, he will remain in the history of the Kalmyk people. HE SHOWED THE WORLD KALMYKIA - the Kalmyks, about whom (before him) few people knew, and this is his merit.
But, as you know, in any merit there is a "non-merit". He (being) a Kalmyk was too carried away by religion, mainly Buddhism, and this is his mistake.
But, in any mistake there are positive aspects. He forced the (educated) Buddha clergy to study BUDDHISM.
As a result, Buddhists appeared who began to evaluate Buddhism - THIS IS CORRECT.

RK. Bakshi Administration of the Kalmyk People
Bakshi Jamba.