{{Short description|Russian politician and security officer (born 1951)}} {{family name hatnote|Platonovich|Patrushev|lang=Eastern Slavic}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{infobox officeholder | name = Nikolai Patrushev | image = Patrushev 2023.jpg | caption = Patrushev in 2023 | office = [[Presidential Administration of Russia|Aide to the President of Russia]] | term_start = 14 May 2024 | term_end = | president = [[Vladimir Putin]] | office1 = [[Secretary of the Security Council of Russia]] | term_start1 = 12 May 2008 | term_end1 = 12 May 2024 | 1blankname1 = Chairman | 1namedata1 = Vladimir Putin<br/>[[Dmitry Medvedev]] | predecessor1 = [[Igor Ivanov]]<br/>Valentin Sobolev (acting) | successor1 = [[Sergei Shoigu]] | office2 = [[Director of FSB|Director of the Federal Security Service]] | president2 = [[Boris Yeltsin]]<br/>Vladimir Putin | term_start2 = 9 August 1999 | term_end2 = 12 May 2008 | predecessor2 = Vladimir Putin | successor2 = [[Alexander Bortnikov]] | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|7|11|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Leningrad]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], Soviet Union | death_date = | death_place = | education = {{nobr|[[Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute]]}} | children = 2, including [[Dmitry Patrushev|Dmitry]] | alma_mater = | allegiance = {{flag|Soviet Union}}<br/>{{flag|Russia}} | branch = [[KGB]]<br/>[[Federal Security Service]] | branch_label = Service | service_years = 1975–2008 | service_years_label = Service&nbsp;years | rank = [[General of the army (Russia)|General of the Army]] | awards = [[Hero of the Russian Federation]] | native_name = {{nobold|Николай Патрушев}} | native_name_lang = ru }} '''Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev''' ({{langx|ru|Никола́й Плато́нович Па́трушев}}; born 11 July 1951) is a Russian politician, security officer and former intelligence officer who served as the [[Secretary of the Security Council of Russia|secretary]] of the [[Security Council of Russia]] from 2008 to 2024. He previously served as the director of the [[Federal Security Service]] (FSB) from 1999 to 2008.

Belonging to the ''[[siloviki]]'' faction of president [[Vladimir Putin]]'s inner circle,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 March 2022 |title=Ukraine conflict: Who's in Putin's inner circle and running the war? |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60573261 |access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref> Patrushev is believed to be one of the closest advisors to Putin and a leading figure behind Russia's national security affairs.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Hard-Line Russian Advisers Who Have Putin's Ear |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/world/europe/putin-top-advisers-ukraine.html |first=Anton |last=Troianovski |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 January 2022 |access-date=28 March 2022}}</ref> Patrushev has spoken favorably of the rise of KGB stalwarts to the highest echelons of power of Russia, referring to them as the "new nobility".<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Titov |first1=Sergei |last2=Systema |date=2024-08-05 |title=The Dealings Of Dmitry Patrushev, A Star Of Russia's 'New Nobility' And A Possible Putin Successor |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-patrushev-successor-corruption/33058101.html |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}</ref>

He played a key role in the decisions to seize and then [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annex Crimea]] in 2014 and to [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|invade Ukraine]] in 2022.<ref name="spectator-2023" />

==Early life and education== Born on 11 July 1951 in Leningrad, [[Soviet Union]] (now [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]]), Patrushev is the son of a [[Soviet Navy]] officer who was also a member of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]].<ref name="warheroes.ru">{{Cite web |title=Патрушев Николай Платонович |url=http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=8866}}</ref>

Patrushev studied at [[:ru:Школа № 211 (Санкт-Петербург)|secondary school No. 211]] in the same class with the future chairman of the Supreme Council of the [[United Russia]] party, [[Boris Gryzlov]].<ref name=autogenerated4>Владимир Прибыловский. [http://www.anticompromat.org/patrushev/patrushbio.html Патрушев Николай Платонович] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204152057/http://www.anticompromat.org/patrushev/patrushbio.html |date=20181204152057}}. — Антикомпромат</ref><ref name=autogenerated5>[http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/history/leaders/single.htm!id%3D10309230@fsbBiography.html Патрушев Николай Платонович] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928122605/http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/history/leaders/single.htm!id%3D10309230@fsbBiography.html |date=20160928122605}}. — Официальный сайт ФСБ РФ (www.fsb.ru)</ref> Patrushev graduated from [[Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute]] in 1974, and initially he worked as an [[engineer]] in the Institute's shipbuilding design bureau, but very soon afterwards, in 1975, he was recruited by the [[KGB]].<ref>[http://russiaprofile.org/bg_people/resources_whoiswho_alphabet_p_patrushev.html ''BackGround, People: PATRUSHEV, Nikolai Platonovich'', Russia Profile, Moscow, Undated] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307114436/http://russiaprofile.org/bg_people/resources_whoiswho_alphabet_p_patrushev.html |date=7 March 2013 }}.Retrieved: 8 January 2013.</ref>

He attended intelligence and security courses at the KGB School in [[Minsk]], and later at the Higher School of the KGB in Moscow (the present-day [[FSB Academy]]).<ref name="warheroes.ru" />

Patrushev has known [[Vladimir Putin]] since the 1970s, when the two men worked together in the Leningrad KGB.<ref>{{cite news |title=Twelve Who Have Putin's Ear |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1078952.html |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) |date=15 October 2007}}</ref>

==Career== [[File:Vladimir Putin 18 January 2002-2.jpg|thumb|Russian president Putin and then-FSB director Patrushev at a meeting of the board of the [[Federal Security Service]] in 2002]]

===KGB security officer (1975–1991)=== Starting as a KGB security officer in the city of Leningrad, Patrushev eventually rose to become head of their local anti-smuggling and anti-corruption unit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Биография :: Федеральная Служба Безопасности |url=http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/history/leaders/single.htm!id=10309230@fsbBiography.html |access-date=2 November 2022 |website=www.fsb.ru}}</ref>

===FSK and FSB career (1992–1999)=== After the [[Collapse of the soviet union|collapse of the Soviet Union]], Patrushev continued to work in the security services and from 1992 to 1994 he was Minister of Security of the [[Republic of Karelia]] while in 1994 he was brought to [[Moscow]] as head of the Directorate of Internal Security of the [[FSK (Russia)|Federal Counterintelligence Service]] (FSK).

In June 1995, Patrushev became deputy chief of the FSB's Organization and Inspection Department. From May to August 1998, he was chief of the Control Directorate of the Presidential Staff; from August to October, he was Deputy Chief of the Presidential Staff; in October 1998, he was appointed deputy director of the FSB and chief of the directorate for Economic Security. In April 1999, he became FSB First Deputy Director.

===Director of FSB (1999–2008)=== On 9 August 1999, a decree by President [[Boris Yeltsin]] promoted him to director, replacing his close friend [[Vladimir Putin]].

In September 1999, a [[1999 Russian apartment bombings|series of explosions hit four apartment blocks]] in three Russian cities, killing more than 300. The bombings, together with the [[War of Dagestan|Invasion of Dagestan]], triggered the [[Second Chechen War]]. The handling of the crisis by Vladimir Putin, who was [[Prime Minister of Russia|prime minister]] at the time, boosted his popularity greatly and helped him attain the presidency within a few months.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Russia's secret service took control of the country's top office |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-20/how-russian-secret-service-took-control-of-presidency/103052176 |work=ABC |date=20 November 2023}}</ref> A suspicious device resembling those used in the bombings was found and defused in an apartment block in the Russian city of [[Ryazan]] on 22 September 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=September 1999 Russian apartment bombings timeline − Blog − The Fifth Estate |publisher=CBC |date=2015-01-08 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/fifth/blog/september-1999-russian-apartment-bombings-timeline |access-date=2020-07-02 |archive-date=15 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915042302/https://www.cbc.ca/fifth/blog/september-1999-russian-apartment-bombings-timeline |url-status=live}}</ref> On 23 September, Vladimir Putin praised the vigilance of the inhabitants of Ryazan and ordered the air bombing of [[Grozny]], which marked the beginning of the Second Chechen War.<ref>{{Citation | last1 = Goldfarb | first1 = Alexander | author-link1 = Alexander Goldfarb (microbiologist) | last2 = Litvinenko | first2 = Marina | title = Death of a Dissident | publisher = Simon & Schuster | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-1-4165-5165-2 | title-link = Death of a Dissident | pages = 190, 196 }}</ref> Three FSB agents who had planted the devices at Ryazan were arrested by the local police.<ref name="Amy Knight">{{cite news |url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2012/11/22/finally-we-know-about-moscow-bombings/ |work=The New York Review of Books |author=Amy Knight |date=22 November 2012 |title=Finally, We Know About the Moscow Bombings |quote=The evidence provided in The Moscow Bombings makes it abundantly clear that the FSB of the Russian Republic, headed by Patrushev, was responsible for carrying out the attacks. |access-date=5 April 2017 |archive-date=7 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207194054/https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2012/11/22/finally-we-know-about-moscow-bombings/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The next day, Patrushev announced that the incident in Ryazan had been an anti-terror drill and the device found there contained only sugar, and freed the FSB agents involved.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9909/24/russia.bomb.01/ |title=Russian bomb scare turns out to be anti-terror drill |publisher=CNN |date=24 September 1999 |access-date=20 August 2019 |archive-date=20 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820111509/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9909/24/russia.bomb.01/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> FSB also issued a public apology about the incident.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00EFD8163DF932A35751C0A9649C8B63 |title=Russian Says Kremlin Faked 'Terror Attacks' |work=The New York Times |date=1 February 2002 |access-date=29 January 2012 |first=Patrick E. |last=Tyler |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307135932/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/01/world/russian-says-kremlin-faked-terror-attacks.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Although the bombings were widely blamed on Chechen rebels, their guilt was never conclusively proven. A number of historians and investigative journalists have instead called the bombings a [[false flag]] attack perpetrated by the FSB to win public support for a new war in Chechnya and to boost the popularity of Vladimir Putin, the former head of the FSB, prior to the upcoming [[2000 Russian presidential election|presidential elections]].<ref name="Amy Knight"/>

Former FSB agent [[Alexander Litvinenko]], who blamed the FSB for the bombings and was a critic of Putin, was [[poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko|assassinated]] in London in 2006. The United Kingdom [[public inquiry]] into the poisoning of Litvinenko found that "the FSB operation to kill Mr Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and also by President Putin."<ref name=litvi>[https://www.litvinenkoinquiry.org/files/Litvinenko-Inquiry-Report-web-version.pdf The Litvinenko Inquiry. Report into the death of Alexander Litvinenko], January 2016, p. 241–244.</ref>

===Security Council of Russia (2008–2024)=== [[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Uzbekistan 11 June 2010-8.jpeg|thumb|[[Dmitry Medvedev]] with [[Sergei Lavrov]] and Patrushev at the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation|2010 SCO Summit]] in Tashkent, Uzbekistan]] [[File:P052213PS-0504 (9095045127).jpg|thumb|Patrushev with [[Barack Obama]] at the White House in May 2013]] From May 2008 until May 2024, Patrushev had been [[Secretary of the Security Council of Russia|Secretary]] of the [[Security Council of Russia]], a consultative body of the president that works out his decisions on national security affairs.<ref name=":0">[http://russiaprofile.org/bg_people/resources_whoiswho_alphabet_p_patrushev.html ''BackGround, People: PATRUSHEV, Nikolai Platonovich'', Russia Profile, Moscow, Undated] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307114436/http://russiaprofile.org/bg_people/resources_whoiswho_alphabet_p_patrushev.html|date=7 March 2013}}.Retrieved: 8 January 2013.</ref><ref name=":1">[http://www.kyivpost.com/content/kyiv-post-plus/russia-trolls-world-by-saying-it-cannot-stop-its-citizens-from-fighting-in-ukraine-392006.html Russia trolls world by saying it cannot stop its citizens from fighting in Ukraine], [[Kyiv Post]] (25 June 2015)</ref>

Patrushev considers the 2014 [[Revolution of Dignity]] in Ukraine to have been started by the United States.<ref name=":12" />

Patrushev believes that the United States "would much prefer that Russia did not exist at all."<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last1=Patrushev |first1=Nikolai |last2=Kommersant |first2=Elena Chernenko for |date=15 July 2015 |title=Terrorism, Ukraine and the American threat: the view from Russia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/15/russia-terrorism-ukraine-america-putin |access-date=17 July 2015 |website=the Guardian}}</ref>

Following the October 2016 [[Montenegrin coup plot|coup d'état plot]] failure in [[Montenegro]], Patrushev was cited by experts, such as [[Mark Galeotti]], as the Kremlin's [[point man]] for the [[Balkans]], which was interpreted as indicating Russia's increasingly hardline approach to the region as well as the latter's growing importance in [[Foreign relations of Russia|Russia's foreign policy]] strategy.<ref name=hanp>{{Cite news |first=Howard |last=Amos |date=21 June 2017 |title=Vladimir Putin's man in the Balkans: The involvement of Nikolai Patrushev, a former spy and Putin confidante, indicates a more hardline Russian approach to the region. |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/vladimir-putin-balkans-point-man-nikolai-patrushev/}}</ref><ref name=mgec>{{Cite news |last=Mark Galeotti |author-link=Mark Galeotti |date=4 April 2018 |title=Do the Western Balkans face a coming Russian storm? |work=European Council on Foreign Relations |url=https://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/do_the_western_balkans_face_a_coming_russian_storm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 August 2018 |title=Russia's Comeback in the Balkans |work=New Eastern Europe |url=http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/08/13/russias-comeback-balkans/}}</ref>

[[File:US-Israel-Russia trilateral meeting on National Security (2).jpg|thumb|Patrushev with [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] and [[John Bolton]] in June 2019]] According to [[Anastasia Vashukevich]], Patrushev, who had traveled to Thailand during late February 2018, was involved in her arrest in [[Thailand]] during late February 2018.<ref name="CNN01032018">{{Cite news |last=Burrows |first=Emma |date=1 March 2018 |title=Russian model in Thai jail promises to spill Trump-Russia secrets |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/28/asia/russia-model-thai-prison-trump-claims-intl/index.html |access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> Vashukevich claimed to have evidence linking Russian billionaire [[Oleg Deripaska]] and Deputy Prime Minister [[Sergei Eduardovich Prikhodko|Sergei Prikhodko]] to [[Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/model-who-claimed-to-have-dirt-on-paul-manafort-linked-russian-billionaire-just-got-out-of-jail/|title=Model Who Claimed to Have Dirt on Paul Manafort-Linked Russian Billionaire Just Got Out of Jail|last=Kalmbacher|first=Colin|date=22 January 2019|website=lawandcrime.com|access-date=22 January 2019}}</ref><ref name="torontosun.com">{{cite news|url=https://torontosun.com/news/world/a-sex-guru-party-girls-oligarchs-putin-and-trump|title=A sex guru, party girls, oligarchs, Putin and Trump|newspaper=[[Toronto Sun]]|last=Hunter|first=Brad|date=27 January 2019|access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>

In June 2019, Patrushev said that [[Iran]] "has always been and remains our ally and partner".<ref name=usiran>{{Cite news |date=26 June 2019 |title=Russia Says U.S.-Iran 'War' Possible, But 'We Will Convince' Them to Talk |work=Newsweek |url=https://www.newsweek.com/russia-us-iran-war-possible-1446041}}</ref> [[File:Joko Widodo and Nikolay Patrushev in Jakarta 2021 (3).jpg|thumb|Patrushev with [[Joko Widodo]] in Jakarta in December 2021]] In January 2021, he said that "the West needs" [[Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia|Russian opposition]] politician [[Alexei Navalny]] "to destabilise the situation in Russia, for social upheaval, strikes and new [[Maidan Revolution|Maidan]]s."<ref>{{cite news |title=Vladimir Putin: The security men, officials, and friends who are in Russian president's inner circle |url=https://news.sky.com/story/vladimir-putin-the-security-men-officials-and-friends-who-are-in-russian-presidents-inner-circle-12553098 |work=Sky News |date=28 February 2022}}</ref>

Patrushev was a leading figure behind Russia's updated [[national security]] strategy, published in May 2021. It states that Russia may use "forceful methods" to "thwart or avert unfriendly actions that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation."<ref name=rabc>{{Cite news |date=31 May 2021 |title=Russia's security strategy envisages 'forceful methods' |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russias-security-strategy-envisages-forceful-methods-78002786}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=11 March 2022 |title=Putin's inner circle: Who has the Russian president's ear on the war in Ukraine? |work=Deutsche Welle |url=https://www.dw.com/en/putins-inner-circle-who-has-the-russian-presidents-ear-on-the-war-in-ukraine/a-61102576}}</ref>

On 19 September 2022, during his visit to [[China]], he described the "strengthening of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation with Beijing as an unconditional priority of Russia's foreign policy."<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia Seeks Closer Security Ties With China as Key Goal |url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/09/russia-seeks-closer-security-ties-with-china-as-key-goal/ |work=The Diplomat |date=19 September 2022}}</ref> He said that both China and Russia are calling for "a more just world order".<ref>{{cite news |title=China and Russia want fair world order, won't bend to 'external factors', Russian security chief says |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3193037/china-and-russia-want-fair-world-order-wont-bend-external |work=South China Morning Post |date=19 September 2022}}</ref>

On 18 November 2022, he arrived in [[Tehran]] and met with Iranian president [[Ebrahim Raisi]] and top security official [[Ali Shamkhani]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia's security chief discusses Ukraine, trade on visit to Iran |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/9/russias-security-chief-discusses-ukraine-trade-on-visit-to-iran |work=Al Jazeera |date=9 November 2022}}</ref> On 21 November 2022, he invited Vietnamese Minister of Public Security [[Tô Lâm]] to Moscow to strengthen security cooperation between Russia and [[Vietnam]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Vietnam and Russia, Belarus strengthen cooperation on security |url=https://en.bocongan.gov.vn/international-relations-cooperation/vietnam-and-russia-belarus-strengthen-cooperation-on-security-t9554.html |publisher=[[Ministry of Public Security (Vietnam)|Ministry of Public Security]] |date=25 November 2022}}</ref> On 31 January 2023, he met [[Egypt]]'s Foreign Minister [[Sameh Shoukry]] in Moscow.<ref>{{cite news |title=FM Shoukry reiterates calls for political solution to Russian-Ukrainian crisis |url=https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/487305/Egypt/FM-Shoukry-reiterates-calls-for-political-solution.aspx |work=[[Al-Ahram]] |date=31 January 2023}}</ref>

In February 2023, he hosted [[Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP Politburo]] member [[Wang Yi (politician)|Wang Yi]] in Moscow and prepared the ground for the [[2023 visit by Xi Jinping to Russia|visit]] of [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP General Secretary]] [[Xi Jinping]] to Russia in March 2023.<ref name="spectator-2023"/> Patrushev said that "amid a campaign by the West to deter both Russia and China, it is particularly important to further deepen the Russian-Chinese coordination and cooperation in the international arena."<ref name="AP News">{{cite news |title=Kremlin official urges deeper ties with China to resist West |url=https://apnews.com/article/putin-politics-russia-government-us-national-security-council-nikolai-patrushev-d2f61a4891739f388a94b41b2e56d25a |work=AP News |date=21 February 2023}}</ref>

In February and March 2023, he visited [[Algeria]], [[Venezuela]] and [[Cuba]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Top Putin ally visits Cuba, meets president and Raul Castro − Tass |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/reuters/top-putin-ally-visits-cuba--meets-president-and-raul-castro---tass/48326586 |work=[[Swissinfo]] |agency=Reuters |date=2 March 2023}}</ref> On 29 March 2023, Patrushev arrived in New Delhi and met with Indian prime minister [[Narendra Modi]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Putin ally meets India's Modi in New Delhi |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-ally-meets-indias-modi-new-delhi-2023-03-29/ |work=Reuters |date=29 March 2023}}</ref> In September 2023, he expressed support for China's policies regarding [[Hong Kong]], [[Xinjiang]] and [[Taiwan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kremlin says Russia and China must edge closer to counter Western efforts to contain them |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-china-wang-patrushev-3a1e6a35f9ed0f17fc65eeccb0286cc8 |work=AP News |date=19 September 2023}}</ref> In February 2024, he met with the leaders of [[Nicaragua]], [[Bolivia]], Cuba and Venezuela.<ref>{{cite news |title=Top Putin ally pledges Russian help in countering U.S. in Latin America − TASS |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/top-putin-ally-pledges-russian-help-countering-us-latin-america-tass-2024-02-27/ |work=Reuters |date=27 February 2024}}</ref>

Patrushev is considered as very hawkish towards the West and the United States, and in 2022 was seen by some observers as one of the likeliest candidates for succeeding Putin.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovačević |first=Filip |date=2022-03-10 |title=The Second Most Powerful Man In Russia |url=https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-second-most-powerful-man-in-russia/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=New Lines Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 September 2022 |title=After Putin: 12 people ready to ruin Russia next |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/after-putin-12-people-ready-ruin-russia-next/ |access-date=2 October 2022 |website=POLITICO |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8zN2M3Mjg3NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ODFhZThmOTQtNDQyMi0xMWVlLTljMzYtOWJkMGVlOGY1YjNm?sa=X&ved=0CB8Qz4EHahcKEwiwyIb65fqAAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg|title=The Death of Yevgeny Prigozhin: A Foreign Office Special Episode|work=Foreign Office with Michael Weiss|first=Michael|last=Weiss|date=August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=van Brugen |first=Isabel |date=2023-11-02 |title=Who is Nikolai Patrushev? Putin loyalist touted as his successor |url=https://www.newsweek.com/who-nikolai-patrushev-putin-dead-rumors-successor-1840170 |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref>

====2022 invasion of Ukraine==== {{main|2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine}} In August 2021, during the [[Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan (2020–2021)|withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan]], Patrushev told ''[[Izvestia]]'' newspaper that the United States had abandoned its Afghan allies, and that the reason was the incompetent work of the [[Intelligence agency|intelligence services]] of the United States, Britain and other NATO countries and the misplaced belief of the West in the correctness of its decisions. He predicted that the United States would also abandon its allies in Ukraine:{{blockquote| "...Kyiv is obsequiously serving the interests of its overseas patrons, striving to get into NATO. But was the ousted pro-American regime in Kabul saved by the fact that Afghanistan had the status of a principal U.S. ally outside NATO? (No). A similar situation awaits supporters of the American choice in Ukraine."<ref>{{cite news |title=Senior Russian security official questions U.S. commitment to Ukraine after Afghan exit |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/senior-russian-security-official-questions-us-commitment-ukraine-after-afghan-2021-08-19/ |work=Reuters |date=19 August 2021}}</ref>}}

In early November 2021, CIA Director [[William J. Burns (diplomat)|William Burns]] and U.S. ambassador to Russia [[John J. Sullivan (diplomat)|John Sullivan]] met in Moscow with Patrushev and informed him that they knew about Russia's invasion plans.<ref>{{cite news |title=What Russia Got Wrong |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/what-russia-got-wrong-moscow-failures-in-ukraine-dara-massicot |work=[[Foreign Affairs]] |date=8 February 2023}}</ref> Burns warned that if Putin proceeded down this path, the West would respond with severe consequences for Russia. Sullivan recounted that Patrushev was undeterred and "supremely confident" that the invasion was going to succeed.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/16/world/europe/russia-putin-war-failures-ukraine.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217043706/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/16/world/europe/russia-putin-war-failures-ukraine.html | archive-date=December 17, 2022 | title=Putin's War: The Inside Story of a Catastrophe | work=The New York Times | date=December 17, 2022 | last1=Schwirtz | first1=Michael | last2=Troianovski | first2=Anton | last3=Al-Hlou | first3=Yousur | last4=Froliak | first4=Masha | last5=Entous | first5=Adam | last6=Gibbons-Neff | first6=Thomas }}</ref> However, in late January 2022, just before [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|the invasion]], Patrushev publicly denied that Russia was prepared to attack Ukraine.<ref name=evdb>{{Cite news |date=30 January 2022 |title=Even Ukraine doesn't believe the West's claim that war is coming, says Russia |language=en |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/ukraine-crisis-putin-aide-nikolai-patrushev-seeks-to-create-rift-over-mixed-messages-on-threat-of-war-bvs3bh9b0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217180352/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ukraine-crisis-putin-aide-nikolai-patrushev-seeks-to-create-rift-over-mixed-messages-on-threat-of-war-bvs3bh9b0 |archive-date=17 February 2022 |author-last1=Parfitt |author-first1=Tom |author-last2=Brown |author-first2=Larissa}}</ref><ref name=absurd>{{Cite news |date=30 January 2022 |title=U.S. and U.K. Work on Russian Sanctions Revamp: Ukraine Update |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-30/u-k-weighs-offer-russia-shifts-ireland-drills-ukraine-update}}</ref> [[File:House on Bohatyrska Street after shelling of 14 March 2022 (01).jpg|thumb|[[Kyiv]] after Russian shelling in March 2022. Patrushev played a key role in Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.<ref name="spectator-2023"/>]] Sources say Putin's decision to invade Ukraine was influenced by a small group of [[war hawk]]s around him,<ref name="trio">{{cite news |title=A look at the trio who convinced Putin to invade |url=https://news.yahoo.com/look-trio-convinced-putin-invade-084200834.html |work=Yahoo News |date=9 January 2023}}</ref> including Patrushev and Russia's defence minister [[Sergei Shoigu]].<ref name=krru>{{cite news |title=Kremlin Insiders Alarmed Over Growing Toll of Putin's War in Ukraine |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-20/putin-s-war-in-ukraine-has-russian-elites-fearing-global-isolation |work=Bloomberg |date=20 March 2022}}</ref> According to Putin-regime expert [[Catherine Belton]], it was "Patrushev who's always been the leading ideologue of using capitalism as a tool to undermine the West to buy off and corrupt officials and so on. And he's certainly very much painted the West as a hostile enemy of Russia and something which is kind of debauched and decrepit, and it's time to attack [Ukraine in 2022]."<ref name=isipu>{{Cite web |last=Isikoff |first=Michael |date=27 February 2022 |title=Putin may have 'lost touch with reality,' expert says |url=https://news.yahoo.com/putin-ukraine-russia-catherine-belton-skullduggery-152902828.html |access-date=27 February 2022 |website=[[Yahoo! News]]}}</ref> According to sources close to the Kremlin, most of Putin's close advisers opposed the invasion, and even Patrushev advised Putin to give diplomacy another chance three days before the invasion, but Putin overruled them all.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Putin blundered into Ukraine — then doubled down |url=https://www.ft.com/content/80002564-33e8-48fb-b734-44810afb7a49 |work=Financial Times |date=23 February 2023}}</ref>

On 26 April 2022, after two months of war, Patrushev predicted that Ukraine would collapse and be [[Balkanization|broken into several states]] because of what he cast as a U.S. attempt to use Kyiv to undermine Russia. He repeated the "[[denazification]]" [[trope (philosophy)|trope]] and claimed: {{blockquote| "Using their henchmen in Kyiv, the Americans, in an attempt to suppress Russia, decided to create an antipode of our country, cynically choosing Ukraine for this, trying to divide essentially a single people. The result of the policy of the West and the regime in Kyiv can only be the disintegration of Ukraine into several states."<ref name=puru>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2022 |title=Putin ally says Ukraine heading for collapse into several states |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-ally-says-ukraine-heading-collapse-into-several-states-2022-04-26/ }}</ref>}} Patrushev claimed that "Ukraine, saturated with weapons, poses a threat to Russia".<ref name="Russia Matters"/> He downplayed the [[International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine|sanctions against Russia]] and said that "Russia is reorienting itself away from the European market to the African, Asian and Latin American markets."<ref name="Russia Matters"/>

In April 2022, he addressed the [[2022–2023 food crises|global food crisis]], caused in part by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying that "Tens of millions of people in Africa or the Middle East, through the fault of the West, will be on the verge of starvation. To survive, they will rush to Europe. I'm not sure that Europe will survive the crisis."<ref name="Russia Matters"/> [[File:Wall of Remembrance, Kyiv 2019, 01.jpg|thumb|Photos of Ukrainian soldiers who died during the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]. Patrushev accused the West of wanting to "fight to the last Ukrainian".<ref name="Russia Matters"/>]]

In May 2022, he speculated that [[Poland]] "is already taking actions related to the seizure of western Ukrainian territories."<ref name="Russia Matters"/> He claimed that the West "has already revived the shadow market for the [[Organ trade|purchase of human organs]] from the socially vulnerable segments of the Ukrainian population for clandestine transplant operations for European patients."<ref name="patrushev-theconversation" />

On 17 August 2022, Patrushev met with [[Narendra Modi]]'s National Security Advisor [[Ajit Doval]] to discuss measures to strengthen the strategic partnership across sectors including defense ties and energy security. Russia appreciated [[India]]'s neutral position on Ukraine.<ref>{{cite news |title=NSA Ajit Doval meets Patrushev in Moscow to discuss steps to boost strategic ties |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/nsa-ajit-doval-meets-patrushev-in-moscow-to-discuss-steps-to-boost-strategic-ties/articleshow/93627290.cms |work=The Economic Times |date=18 August 2022}}</ref>

In October 2022, Patrushev accused the United States and its allies of wanting to "fight to the last Ukrainian".<ref name="Russia Matters"/> He said that [[Anglo-Saxons (slur)|Anglo-Saxons]] "are exploiting Ukraine as an instrument of struggle with our country ... The goal is to suppress Russia, retain their imaginary supremacy, keep their unipolar world, ensure themselves the opportunity to live at the expense of others.<ref name="Russia Matters"/>

In November 2022, Patrushev accused the West of inciting Ukraine to attacks on the [[Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant]] and of assisting in the production of a "[[dirty bomb]]". He also accused the United States of wanting to recruit [[Islamic terrorism|terrorists]] from [[Afghanistan]] and use them in the fight against Russia in Ukraine. He claimed that the West wants to destabilize the world to maintain its global dominance, saying that the "reckless policy of Washington, London, and their allies resulted in [[Foreign interventions by the United States|bloody adventures]] in the Balkans, [[Iraq]], [[Libya]], [[Syria]], Afghanistan and Ukraine, which have already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people."<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia: West stepping up efforts to destabilize other countries |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/russia-west-stepping-up-efforts-to-destabilize-other-countries/2728934 |work=[[Anadolu Agency]] |date=3 November 2022}}</ref>

In January 2023, he claimed that Russia was fighting NATO in Ukraine and that the West was trying to destroy Russia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia is now fighting NATO in Ukraine, top Putin ally says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-ally-patrushev-says-russia-is-now-fighting-nato-ukraine-2023-01-10/ |work=Reuters |date=10 January 2023}}</ref>

In February 2023, during a meeting with [[Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP Politburo]] member [[Wang Yi (politician)|Wang Yi]] in Moscow, Patrushev claimed that "the bloody events in Ukraine staged by the West" are just one example of the West's attempts to maintain its global dominance.<ref name="AP News"/>

In May 2023, Patrushev blamed the United States and Ukraine for the number of [[2022–2023 Western Russia attacks|attacks in western Russia]] and said that "the terrorist attacks committed in Russia are accompanied by an information campaign prepared in advance in Washington and London, designed to destabilise the socio-political situation, and to undermine the constitutional foundations and sovereignty of Russia."<ref>{{cite news |title=Putin ally accuses U.S. of involvement in deadly attacks inside Russia |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-ally-accuses-us-involvement-deadly-attacks-inside-russia-2023-05-19/ |work=Reuters |date=19 May 2023}}</ref>

On 15 September 2023, Patrushev claimed that Russia had identified and "neutralized" hundreds of foreign spies in recent years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia has 'neutralised' hundreds of foreign intelligence agents, top security official says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-has-neutralised-hundreds-foreign-intelligence-agents-patrushev-2023-09-15/ |work=Reuters |date=15 September 2023}}</ref>

In September 2023, he met the Chinese foreign minister in Moscow for the annual security talks.<ref>{{cite news |title=China top diplomat heads to Russia for 4-day talks |url=https://www.dw.com/en/china-top-diplomat-heads-to-russia-for-4-day-talks/a-66842265 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=18 September 2023}}</ref> On 10 October 2023, he arrived in Baku, [[Azerbaijan]], where he met with Azerbaijani President [[Ilham Aliyev]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia's top security official visits Azerbaijan, meets president |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/russias-top-security-official-visits-azerbaijan-meets-president-2023-10-10/ |work=Reuters |date=10 October 2023}}</ref>

On 22 December 2023, ''The Wall Street Journal'' cited sources within the Western and Russian intelligence agencies as saying that the [[2023 Wagner Group plane crash|Wagner Group plane crash]] was orchestrated by Patrushev.<ref>{{cite news |title=Prigozhin Killing Ordered by Putin's Security Council Chief – WSJ |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/12/22/prigozhin-killing-ordered-by-putins-security-council-chief-wsj-a83526 |work=[[The Moscow Times]] |date=22 December 2023}}</ref> The paper alleged that Patrushev presented to Putin a plan to assassinate [[Yevgeny Prigozhin]] in August 2023, which led to intelligence officials inserting a bomb under the wing of Prigozhin's plane during pre-departure safety checks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prigozhin Killing Ordered by Putin's Security Council Chief – WSJ |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/12/22/prigozhin-killing-ordered-by-putins-security-council-chief-wsj-a83526 |date=22 December 2023 |work=The Moscow Times}}</ref>

In March 2024, Patrushev claimed that Ukraine was behind the [[Crocus City Hall attack]] in Moscow.<ref>{{cite news |title=Moscow attack: Putin blames 'radical Islamists' but accuses Ukraine too |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68663043 |work=BBC |date=26 March 2024 |archive-date=26 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326163017/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68663043 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 12 May 2024, Putin nominated outgoing defense minister [[Sergei Shoigu]] to replace Patrushev as the secretary of the [[Security Council of the Russian Federation]],<ref name="sky1">{{cite news |url=https://news.sky.com/story/russian-defence-minister-and-long-time-putin-ally-sergei-shoigu-to-be-replaced-13133572 |title=Russian defence minister and long-time Putin ally Sergei Shoigu to be replaced }}</ref> effective as of 14 May 2024. Patrushev was appointed as a Presidential Aide.<ref>{{cite news |title=Putin Appoints Ex-Security Chief as Presidential Aide |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/05/14/putin-appoints-ex-security-chief-as-presidential-aide-a85117 |work=The Moscow Times |date=14 May 2024}}</ref>

On 16 August 2024, Patrushev claimed, without providing evidence, that the [[August 2024 Kursk Oblast incursion|Ukrainian invasion]] of the [[Kursk Oblast]] was "planned with the participation of NATO and Western special services",<ref>{{cite news |title=Kremlin accuses the West of helping Ukraine attack Russia |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/kremlin-accuses-the-west-of-helping-ukraine-attack-russia/86956045 |work=[[SWI swissinfo]] |date=16 August 2024 |archive-date=17 August 2024 |access-date=19 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817115431/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/kremlin-accuses-the-west-of-helping-ukraine-attack-russia/86956045 |url-status=dead }}</ref> calling the incursion "a desperate act, driven by the impending collapse of the [[Disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine|neo-Nazi regime]] in Kyiv."<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia claims Western intelligence services orchestrated Ukrainian troops' incursion into Kursk |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/russia-claims-western-intelligence-services-orchestrated-ukrainian-troops-incursion-into-kursk/3305573 |work=[[Anadolu Agency]] |date=16 August 2024}}</ref>

===Presidential aide=== Patrushev was offered to become presidential aide in charge of shipbuilding after [[Putin's fifth inauguration]].<ref name="rtrs1">{{cite news |title=Putin to keep demoted ally Patrushev on Russia's Security Council |date=June 12, 2024 |work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-keep-demoted-ally-patrushev-russias-security-council-2024-06-11/}}</ref><ref name="yah1">{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/putin-retires-top-hawk-over-153100627.html |title=Putin retires top 'hawk' over unrealistic strategies |work=The New Voice of Ukraine |date=June 12, 2024}}</ref> According to [[Abbas Galliamov]], this was a demotion because Putin felt that Patrushev had misled him by his hawkishness on Ukraine,<ref name=yah1/> but Galliamov may not have accounted for a presidential decree published one day earlier that re-enlisted Patrushev to the Security Council.<ref name=rtrs1/>

==Sanctions== [[File:Встреча с офицерами и прокурорами, назначенными на вышестоящие должности 2.jpg|thumb|Patrushev at a meeting of [[Vladimir Putin]] with senior officers and prosecutors in April 2015]] After the 2014 [[annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation]], Patrushev was placed on the [[European Union]]'s list of sanctioned individuals in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 July 2014 |title=COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 810/2014 of 25 July 2014 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:JOL_2014_221_R_0001 |access-date=29 August 2016 |website=eur-lex.europa.eu}}</ref>

Patrushev was personally sanctioned by the [[UK]] government in 2014 in relation to [[Russo-Ukrainian War]].<ref>{{cite web |title=CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1150217/Russia.pdf |access-date=16 April 2023}}</ref>

In April 2018, the United States imposed sanctions on him and 23 other Russian nationals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 2018 |title=Ukraine-/Russia-related Designations and Identification Update |url=https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20180406.aspx |access-date=6 April 2018 |website=[[United States Department of the Treasury]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 2018 |script-title=ru:США ввели санкции против семи российских олигархов и 17 чиновников из «кремлевского списка» |trans-title=The US imposed sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs and 17 officials from the "Kremlin list" |url=https://meduza.io/news/2018/04/06/ssha-vveli-sanktsii-protiv-36-rossiyskih-biznesmenov |access-date=6 April 2018 |website=[[Meduza]] |language=ru}}</ref>

Following the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the [[United States sanctions|United States imposed sanctions]] against Andrey Patrushev, son of Nikolai Patrushev.<ref>{{Cite web |work=US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) |title=Russia-related Designations; Belarus Designations; Issuance of Russia-related Directive 2 and 3; Issuance of Russia-related and Belarus General Licenses; Publication of new and updated Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20220224 |access-date=1 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

He was sanctioned by New Zealand in relation to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Russia Sanctions Regulations 2022 |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2022/0074/latest/LMS659655.html |access-date=11 February 2023}}</ref>

== Political views == [[File:Military-Industrial Commission of Russia (19-09-2015).jpg|thumb|A meeting of the [[Military-Industrial Commission of Russia]] in September 2015]] [[File:Nikolay Patrushev in Argentina 02.jpg|thumb|Patrushev with Argentine president [[Mauricio Macri]] in December 2017. Patrushev promoted friendly relations between Russia and non-Western countries.]] [[File:Narendra Modi and Nikolai Patrushev (2023-03-29).jpg|thumb|upright|Patrushev and [[Narendra Modi]] in New Delhi in March 2023]] Patrushev belongs to the ''[[siloviki]]'' of Putin's inner circle.<ref name="Harding21122007">{{Cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |author-link=Luke Harding |date=21 December 2007 |title=Putin, the Kremlin power struggle and the $40bn fortune |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/dec/21/russia.topstories3 |access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref>{{efn|Other ''siloviki'' close to Patrushev include [[Igor Sechin]], [[Alexander Bortnikov]], and [[Viktor Ivanov]].<ref name=Harding21122007/>}} [[Mark Galeotti]], an expert in the field of Russian politics and security, said that Patrushev, one of Putin's closest advisers, is the "most dangerous man in Russia" because of his "paranoid conspiracy-driven mindset."<ref name="patrushev-theconversation"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Galeotti |first1=Mark |title=In Moscow's Shadows |url=https://www.buzzsprout.com/1026985/4169738 |work=Buzzsprout |date=14 June 2020}}</ref> For his ability to control information reaching Putin, Galeotti compared him to [[Humphrey Appleby|Sir Humphrey]] from the British television series ''[[Yes Minister]]''.<ref name="spectator-2023">{{cite news |last1=Galeotti |first1=Mark |title=Nikolai Patrushev, the man dripping poison into Putin's ear |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/nikolai-patrushev-the-man-dripping-poison-into-putins-ear/ |work=[[The Spectator]] |date=28 March 2023}}</ref> According to [[Andrey Vladimirovich Kolesnikov|Andrey Kolesnikov]] of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Patrushev speaks for Putin and is "allowed to explain and clarify Putin's thoughts."<ref name="Russia Matters">{{cite news |title=The World According to Patrushev |url=https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/world-according-patrushev |work=Russia Matters |publisher=Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs |date=7 October 2022}}</ref>

In December 2000, on the anniversary of the founding of the Bolshevik secret police, the [[Cheka]], an interview with him was published in ''[[Komsomolskaya Pravda]]''. In defence of the emerging trend of co-opting officers in the security and intelligence apparatus into high government posts, Patrushev noted that his FSB colleagues did not "work for money [...] [they] are, if you will, modern 'neo-[[nobility]]'." ("современные «неодворяне»")<ref>[http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66549/andrei-soldatov-and-irina-borogan/russias-new-nobility ''Russia's New Nobility – The Rise of the Security Services in Putin's Kremlin'', Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan (of Agentura.ru), Foreign Affairs, September/October 2010 and in the authors' ''The New Nobility – The Restoration of Russia's Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB'', Public Affairs, New York, September 2010].Retrieved: 8 March 2013.</ref><ref>[http://kp.ru/daily/22458/7028/ Интервью с Директором Федеральной службы безопасности России Н.Патрушевым] [[Komsomolskaya Pravda]], 20 December 2000.</ref> The term "new nobility" gained currency afterwards, as in the eponymous book ''[[The New Nobility]]''.<ref>[http://txt.newsru.com/russia/06nov2007/imperia.html В России уже почти 15 тысяч «новых дворян»: Ксения Собчак, Алексий II, Николай Патрушев] [[NEWSru.com]] 6 November 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Soldatov |first1=Andrei |last2=Borogan |first2=Irina |title=The New Nobility |date=14 September 2010 |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=978-1-58648-802-4 }}</ref>

Ben Noble, Associate Professor of Russian Politics at [[University College London]], describes Patrushev as "the most hawkish [[War hawk|hawk]], thinking the West has been out to get Russia for years".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kirby |first=Paul |date=3 March 2022 |title=Ukraine conflict: Who's in Putin's inner circle and running the war? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60573261 |access-date=3 March 2022 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> He was quoted as saying, "The Americans believe that we control [our natural resources] illegally and undeservedly because, in their view, we do not use them as they ought to be used."<ref name=":12" /> Patrushev has referenced "[[Madeleine Albright]]'s claim 'that neither the Far East nor Siberia belong to Russia.'" According to the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'', this remark can be traced back to a psychic employed by the FSB who claimed to have read the thoughts in Albright's mind while in a state of trance.<ref name=mack>{{Cite news |last=Mackey |first=Robert |date=18 December 2014 |title=Putin Cites Claim About U.S. Designs on Siberia Traced to Russian Mind Readers |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/world/europe/putin-cites-claim-about-us-designs-on-siberia-traced-to-russian-mind-readers.html |access-date=17 July 2015 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kashin |first=Oleg |date=15 July 2015 |title=How hallucinations of eccentric KGB psychic influence Russian policy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/15/russia-kgb-psychic-oleg-kashin |access-date=17 July 2015 |website=the Guardian}}</ref> In June 2020, he said that a "shameful page in history for all NATO countries was and will forever remain the barbaric" [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] in 1999.<ref name="Russia Matters"/>

Patrushev believes in various [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] and often gives interviews to state-controlled [[Mass media in Russia|media in Russia]].<ref name="patrushev-theconversation">{{cite news |title=As one of Vladimir Putin's closest advisers on Ukraine, Nicolai Patrushev spreads disinformation and outlandish conspiracy theories |url=https://theconversation.com/as-one-of-vladimir-putins-closest-advisers-on-ukraine-nicolai-patrushev-spreads-disinformation-and-outlandish-conspiracy-theories-183699 |work=The Conversation |date=7 June 2022}}</ref> In April 2022, he said that Washington "tried to force Russia to give up sovereignty, self-consciousness, culture, an independent foreign and domestic policy."<ref name="Russia Matters"/> He claimed that the West is seeking to reduce "the world's population in various ways," including creating "an empire of lies, involving the humiliation and destruction of Russia and other objectionable states."<ref name="patrushev-theconversation"/> In June 2022, he accused the United States, Britain, the EU and Japan of an "increasingly adventurous and aggressive policy" that "is based on a complete detachment from reality, the desire to construct their own imaginary world, which they will rule. Such an escape from reality is a real threat to all of humanity."<ref name="Russia Matters"/> In his interview in an official government paper ''[[Rossiyskaya Gazeta]]'', he said that the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]] is only part of a wider war with [[NATO]] and the "[[Western world|collective West]]".<ref name="spectator-2023"/> He warned that Russia "has modern, unique weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existence."<ref name="spectator-2023"/>

According to Russian expert at the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|Carnegie Center]], Alexander Sorkin, Patrushev and [[Federal Security Service|FSB]] director [[Alexander Bortnikov]] were formed by the [[Cold War]] between the United States and the Soviet Union and "believe that a [[Polarity (international relations)|bloc confrontation]] with the West is a reasonable and correct world order. And in order to return to a predictable and manageable confrontation, it is necessary to divide the [[Sphere of influence|zones of influence]] through war, even with the risk of a clash with NATO. According to Patrushev and Bortnikov, Ukraine should be in the Russian zone of influence".<ref name="trio"/>

==Personal life== [[File:Vladimir Putin and Dmitriy Patrushev 2019.jpg|thumb|[[Dmitry Patrushev]] with Putin in September 2019]] His eldest son, [[Dmitry Patrushev|Dmitry]], is a banker and the [[Deputy Chairman of the Government|deputy prime minister]] for Agriculture since 2024, he previously served as [[Ministry of Agriculture (Russia)|Minister of Agriculture of Russia]] from May 2018 until 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 May 2024 |title=The President signed executive orders appointing members of the Russian Federation Government and heads of federal services |url=http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/74028 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515015715/http://en.kremlin.ru/acts/news/74028 |archive-date=15 May 2024 |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=President of Russia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Гордеев |first1=Владислав (Gordeev, Vladislav) |last2=Сухорукова |first2=Елена (Sukhorukova, Elena) |last3=Новопашина |first3=Наталья (Novopashina, Natalia) |date=18 March 2018 |title=Дмитрий Патрушев ��озглавил Минсельхоз: Глава Россельхозбанка Дмитрий Патрушев возглавит Министерство сельского хозяйства в новом правительстве России. Его кандидатуру представил президенту Владимиру Путину премьер Дмитрий Медведев |language=ru |trans-title=Dmitry Patrushev headed the Ministry of Agriculture: The head of Rosselkhozbank, Dmitry Patrushev, will head the Ministry of Agriculture in the new Russian government. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev presented his candidacy to President Vladimir Putin. |work=[[RBC Group|RBK]] |url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/18/05/2018/5afeb1749a7947be816380de |access-date=19 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803130121/https://www.rbc.ru/politics/18/05/2018/5afeb1749a7947be816380de |archive-date=3 August 2021}}</ref> His younger son, Andrey, graduated in 2003 from the [[FSB Academy]] where he studied law with his classmate [[Pavel Fradkov]], who is the son of [[Mikhail Fradkov]], and has worked in leadership roles at [[Gazprom Neft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Here are the Russian oligarchs targeted in Biden's sanctions |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/are-russian-oligarchs-rcna17717 |access-date=12 March 2022 |website=NBC News |date=26 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Джорджевич |first1=Александра (Djordjevic, Alexandra) |last2=Прокушев |first2=Владимир (Prokushev, Vladimir) |date=17 November 2020 |title=Наследные принципы: Как российская элита передает страну в руки своих детей |language=ru |trans-title=Legacy principles: How the Russian elite is handing the country over to their children |work=[[Novaya Gazeta]] #127 November 18, 2020 |url=https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/11/17/87990-naslednye-printsipy |access-date=26 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Бондаренко |first1=Мария (Bondarenko, Maria) |last2=Подобедова |first2=Людмила (Podobedova, Lyudmila) |date=6 April 2015 |title=Сын Патрушева,однокурсник Фрадкова: В «Газпром нефти» новый начальник |language=ru |trans-title=Patrushev's son, Fradkov's classmate: Gazprom Neft has a new boss |work=[[RBK Group|RBC]] |url=https://www.rbc.ru/newspaper/2015/04/06/56bcf5cf9a7947299f72c165 |access-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128224212/https://www.rbc.ru/newspaper/2015/04/06/56bcf5cf9a7947299f72c165 |archive-date=28 November 2018}}</ref>

In January 2007, Nikolai Patrushev and his brother, Viktor Platonovich Patrushev ({{langx|ru|Виктор Платонович Патрушев}}), joined the expedition of polar explorer [[Arthur Chilingarov]], that flew on two helicopters to [[Antarctica]] and visited the [[South Pole]] and the [[Amundsen-Scott station]].<ref name="BBC03052007">{{Cite news |date=3 May 2007 |title=Победит ли Россия в "информационной войне" с Эстонией?: "Подвиг их неизвестен" |language=ru |trans-title=Will Russia win the "information war" with Estonia?: "Their feat is unknown" |work=[[BBC]] |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/russia/newsid_6618000/6618073.stm |access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref name="FLB03052007">{{Cite news |last=Николаева |first=Анна (Nikolayeva, Anna) |date=3 May 2007 |title=Подвиг их неизвестен: Президент наградил родственников директора ФСБ |language=ru |trans-title=Their feat is unknown: President awarded relatives to FSB director |work=[[:ru:Агентство федеральных расследований|FLB]] (Freelance Bureau) |url=https://flb.ru/info_mob/40472.html |access-date=11 February 2020 |via=[[Vedomosti]]}}</ref>

==Honours and awards== * [[Hero of the Russian Federation]] (2000)<ref>[http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=8866 Герои страны]</ref> * Order of St Dmitri Donskoy, the Blessed Great Prince of Moscow, 1st Class ([[Russian Orthodox Church]], 2005) – The saint allegedly wards off "all kinds of threats for the sake of multiplying the faith and piety of the people, strengthening families and protecting from bodily extinction and spiritual death."<ref>[http://www.iconkuznetsov.com/index.php?sid=358&did=202 ''Dmitri Donskoy, the Blessed Great Prince of Moscow'', Icons of the 21st Century, Moscow, Undated]. Retrieved: 8 March 2013.</ref> * [[Honored Officer of the Security Agencies (Russia)|Honored Officer of the Security Agencies]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kremlin.ru/catalog/persons/148/biography |title=Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev, Presidential Aide. |accessdate=2025-05-16 }}</ref>

==See also== *[[List of Heroes of the Russian Federation]]

==Notes== {{Notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{commons category|Nikolay Patrushev|Nikolai Patrushev}} * [http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/history/leaders/single.htm%21id%3D10309230%40fsbBiography.html FSB biography] {{in lang|ru}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20091213183252/http://www.scrf.gov.ru/persons/8.html Security Council Biography] {{in lang|ru}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100706233153/http://www.russiaprofile.org/resources/whoiswho/alphabet/p/Patrushev Patrushev Biography in English]

{{s-start}} {{s-gov}} {{succession box | before = [[Vladimir Putin]]| after=[[Viktor Ivanov (politician)|Viktor Ivanov]]|title = Head of the Internal Security Department of [[federal Security Service|FSB]] | years = 1994 – 31 May 1998}} {{succession box | before = [[Vladimir Putin]]| after=[[Yevgeny Lisov]]|title = Chief of the Control Directorate of the [[Russian presidential administration]]| years = 31 May 1998 – October 1998}} {{succession box | before = [[Vladimir Putin]]| after=[[Alexander Bortnikov]]| title = Director of [[Federal Security Service|FSB]] | years = 9 August 1999 – 12 May 2008}} {{succession box | before = [[Igor Ivanov]]| after=[[Sergei Shoigu]]|title = [[Secretary of the Security Council of Russia]]| years = 12 May 2008 – 12 May 2024}} {{s-end}}

{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine}} {{Army Generals (Russia)}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrushev, Nikolai}} [[Category:1951 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Politicians from Saint Petersburg]] [[Category:KGB officers]] [[Category:Generals of the army (Russia)]] [[Category:Directors of the Federal Security Service]] [[Category:People of the Chechen wars]] [[Category:Soviet engineers]] [[Category:Heroes of the Russian Federation]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Russia)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)]] [[Category:Full Cavaliers of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"]] [[Category:Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions]] [[Category:Russian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions]] [[Category:Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions]] [[Category:Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List]] [[Category:Russian nationalists]] [[Category:Russian conspiracy theorists]] [[Category:Anti-American sentiment in Russia]] [[Category:Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Russia]] [[Category:Ministers of the Republic of Karelia]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Courage (Russia)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Righteous Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, 1st class]] [[Category:Aides to the president of Russia]] [[Category:Secretaries of the Security Council (Russia)]]