Sergey Malenko

Former Head of the CIS Affairs, International Development and Integration Division of the Federal Agency for CIS States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Affairs [Россотрудничество]

Sergey Malenko curates the CIS states, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region at the Federal Agency for CIS States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Affairs; however, at this stage, his connections with these regions are weak. Given the fact that the employees of Russian “Embassies” are supervising the representations of the Agency in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region, Malenko is less involved in the processes unfolding in the occupied regions and is mainly busy with general coordination and organizational support.

General Biographical Information

• Sergey Malenko is a scandalously famous figure. In 2013, live on air, he asked the President of Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, about “when [Anatoly] Chubais (Head of Rosnano) would be arrested.” When asking the question, he presented himself as a “journalist from Perm” while in fact he worked at the Administration of the Perm Krai Governor.
• In 2014, his name also appeared in a scandal when he was a figurant of a court trial due to borrowing money from a pensioner.
• In Perm Malenko was famous as the host of the Regional League of the Club of the Funny and Inventive People (KVN).

Professional Career

• For a certain period of time, Malenko was the Chairman of Youth Politics Committee in Perm Krai.
• Before the beginning of his work in public office, Malenko was a journalist. For some time, he was the Head of the Department of Newspaper and Internet Projects at Media-Press Agency. He hosted programs on Ural-Inform TV and Auto-TV. At the local TV channel he also hosted a popular show, Perm Metro.  In the same period, he was the Executive Director of the Center for Social-Conservative Politics.
• In 2012, as a journalist and a public figure, Malenko was Putin’s aide in the Presidential Elections.
• In March 2013, Malenko was appointed as the Head of Department for Civilian and Special Programs at the Administration of the Governor of Perm Krai. On March 16, 2015, Malenko left this position.
• On March 17, 2015, he started working at the Presidential Administration, on a leading position at the Directorate for Social-Economic Cooperation with CIS Member States, Abkhazia and “South Ossetia.” The curator of the Division was President’s Assistant, Vladislav Surkov. According to the existing information, during his work at the Presidential Administration, Malenko used to perform special projects, which were aimed at boosting patriotism.
• On November 9, 2015, Malenko was appointed to the position of the Head of the CIS Affairs Division of the Federal Agency for CIS States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Affairs. Apart from CIS countries, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region are also under his curatorship. 
• On May 31, 2020, Malenko left the Agency and on June 1 he was appointed as head of the Department of International Cooperation at Russian Academy of Sciences.