Biography:

Igor Levitin (born 21 February 1952, the Odessa Region) did his compulsory military service in Odessa and in Budapest, Hungary (with the Southern Group of Forces) in 1970-1973. In 1973 he finished Leningrad College of Military Railway Forces. In 1983 he graduated from the Military Academy of Logistics with the degree in engineering of communication lines.  

1983-1985 military commandant of the Urgal station and railway section of the BAM (Baikal-Amur Railway) 1985-1994 military commandant of a railway section of Moscow Railroad, deputy head of military communicationsIn 1994 he retired and went into business

In 1995 he worked for Fenix Trans Servis LLC logistics company in Odessa

In 1996 he moved to RussiaDuring 1996-2004 he worked for Severstaltrans Closed JSC

In 2004 he became transport minister in the government of Mikhail Fradkov. The cause of Levitin’s considerable promotion remains unknown. He maintained his portfolio in the cabinets of Viktor Zubkov and Vladimir Putin.

Late in October 2008 he was elected the chairman of the board of directors of Aeroflot JSC.

Awards:

Medal “for the development of railroads” (2008)

Seraphim of Sarov Order of the Russian Orthodox Church (2010)

Despite the prohibition laid down in the Article 11 of the law «About the Government», he held the posts of chairman of the board of Sheremetyevo International Airport JSC and Aeroflot JSC

He was on the governmental commission for the railway reform. He was a member of the board of United Aircraft Building company or OAK JSC.

He is married. His daughter Yuliya Levitina (Zvereva) founded Staltekhinvest company and Milikon Servis LLC.

According to the tax return, Levitin earned 22.6 million roubles ($0.79m) in 2010. He owns 2 land plots in Russia (2274.6 and 1707 square metres) - both ownership in common. Levitin owns a dacha with sheds of 544.2 square metres (1/3), flat of 118.4 square metres (6/10), garage of 14.7 metres (common ownership with his wife). He owns a Mercedes-Benz C350 and Mercedes-Benz B200 (both - common ownership with the wife). Mrs Levitina earned 762,300 roubles ($26,700) in 2010.

Source: Russian Wikipedia   

 

Dossier: 

In March 2004 Levitin was appointed the head of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which emerged as the result of the administrative reform and abolition of the Ministry of Communications. Former minister of communications Leonid Reiman became chairman of Levitin. Levitin’s appointment was perceived most unexpected among the new cabinet. By that time he had no experience in public administration.

Source: Moskovskiye Novosti, 12 March 2004  

 

Hardly had Levitin got used to work in the government, he began to put his people in the regions. Anatoly Savkin, former director general of Portovy Flot Closed JSC, chaired the St Petersburg branch of Rosmorport state-run seaport company. In 1994 Portovy Flot and companies affiliated with Ilya Traber seized the largest holding of shares of St Petersburg Sea Port JSC and loading births of the Baltics Shipyard (or BSMZ), i.e. the coniderable part of seaport facilities of St Petersburg.

Igor Rusu, Traber’s partner since long ago, also got promotion in the federal ministry after Levitin became the head of the ministry. In February 2008 he became the head of agency for sea and river transport - an organization within the transport ministry. In 2009 he chaired another ministerial structure - Rosmortport, the enterprise with multi-million budgets.  

Source: Versiya, 20 December 2010  

 

In 2008 the prosecutor general accused Evgeny Bachurin, head of AiRUnion airline alliance, of bringing AiRUnion alliance to crisis. Earlier Bachurin made a number of statemnets about deep crises of airways in the country and was highly critical about minister Levitin.

Bachurin was reported to retire, because the ministry took decision to sack him. The press office of the ministry refuted this information, but Bachurin filed a report to the prosecutor general, claiming that the ministry pressed him with threats to step down as the head of AiRUnion. The response of the prosecutor general’s office was not publicized. Early in October 2008 Bachurin wrote the resignation latter, stating “transfer to another job” as a reason for his decision.

Source: Kommersant, 6 October 2008  

 

On 26 June 2010 they closed the route section of the Leningradskoye Hihway. At the same time the exit from Mezhdunarodnoye Highway (leading to Sheremetyevo airport) to Moscow Ring Road was also closed. It resulted in enormous traffic jams. The traffic in Leningradskoye Highway and nearby byroads stopped. After personal interference of Vladimir Putin in the situation, part of the barriers were removed.

This transport collapse concurred with the official visit of the delegation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a serious of rallies hold by environmental activists: the activists claimed that this collapse was «artificial» and was made up to persuade the government into taking the side of the ministry, not the ecologists. 

Experts from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Developmentand Transparency International said that the officials used such «barbarous» methods to convince the foreign investors of the necessity of building toll highway, alternate to Leningradskoye Highway.

Source: Novaya Gazeta, 27 October 2010  

 

North-West Concession Company built St Petersburg - Moscow toll highway through the Khimki Forest. H-Trans company had 50% of shares in the company. It is not a secret that Igor Levitin worked for Severstaltrans (later renamed to H-Trans), first as a head of railway transportation department, than as a deputy director general. Levitin was reported to play a key role in acquisition the controlling interests in Taganrog and Tuapse seaports by Severstaltrans.   

Source: Versiya, 27 June 2011