Leonid Slutsky (politician)

Slutsky has been a First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's Committee on International Affairs, and became Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs in the 7th State Duma. He is dean of the international relations department at the Moscow State University of Economics, Information and Statistics. He has held senior banking positions and was an advisor to the mayor of Moscow. Slutsky also reported to a directorate of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. He holds an economics doctorate from the Moscow Economic-Statistical Institute.[5][6]

On March 17, 2014, the day after the Crimean status referendum, Slutsky became one of the first seven persons who were sanctioned by President Obama under Executive order 13661.[7] The sanctions freeze his assets in the US and ban him from entering the United States. Due to the Crimean crisis, he was put also on the Canadian and the EU sanction lists.[8]

On February 1, 2017, Slutsky signaled a closer relationship between Russia and Syria, stating that the International Affairs Committee was planning a joint session of the State Duma and the People's Council of Syria.

In 2017, Slutsky called Catalan independence referendum a "litmus test" for the European Union, asking "Will Brussels agree with the right of nations to self-determination, as was convenient with Kosovo, or will it continue to insist on the principle of territorial integrity" as it did with Crimea.[9]

In October 2018, Slutsky expressed concern that United States plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty would result in a new Cold War and potentially an armed confrontation.[10][11]

In February 2018 BBC Russian Service reporter Farida Rustamova,[12] TV Dozhd producer Daria Zhuk,[13][14] former Kommersant reporter Anastasia Karimova and RTVi journalist Ekaterina Kotrikadze[15] accused Slutsky of sexual harassment through Dozhd and BBC. The accusations were discussed in Russian media all over spring 2018. In response Slutsky compared himself to Harvey Weinstein, claimed to be the target for defamation and provocation and threatened TV Dozhd with legal actions.[16][17]

A number of parliamentarians spoke in defense of Slutsky including so-called State Duma “female club” (co-chairmen of different political factions: Yelena Serova, Olga Yepifanova, Tamara Pletnyova, Elena Strokova) and the Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin who linked the accusations to political motives.[18][19][20] The United Russia deputy Oksana Pushkina supported the female journalists and stated in a television interview with RBC that, according to her observations and experiences, sexual harassment in State Duma had occurred in the past but never went public.[21][22]

On March 8, 2018 Slutsky congratulated women on International Women’s Day in a Facebook post and apologized to "those of them to whom he voluntarily or involuntarily caused any emotional stress". RBC associated that apology with the sexual scandal in the State Duma.[23][24] The same day the director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, also recalled the ambiguous behavior of Slutsky towards her.[23][24]

At the end of February the journalists from State Duma press pool approached legislature’s leaders with request to discuss the behavior of Leonid Slutsky.[25][26] On March 21, 2018 the State Duma Commission on Ethics headed by Otari Arshba reviewed testimonies and evidence provided by Rustamova, Zhuk, Karimova, Kotrikadze and Slutsky and came to the conclusion that there were no “violations of behavioral norms” in Leonid Slutsky’s actions thus exonerating Slutsky of the allegations. According to Arshba that was the first time the Commission had to review such a case and that the reasoning was limited to one person's word against another’s. He also pointed out that the journalists were in the right to address the law enforcement authorities with the arguments and materials provided to the commission.[27][28][29][14]

In response to commission’s decision more than a dozen Russian news outlets announced a boycott either to Slutsky and Commission members in person or State Duma in whole.[30][29][31][32][33] Some newspapers like Meduza and Vedomosti in their editorial commentaries associated the decision with impunity of the authorities and noted that Slutsky should resign.[16][3]

Leonid Slutsky is married and has an adult daughter from his first marriage.[43]

In March 2018, journalist Anna Mongait reported that singer Zara advanced her political career and received the title of "Honored Artist of the Russian Federation" because of her relationship with Slutsky.[44]