Konstantin Kostin

Konstantin Nikolaevich Kostin (Константин Николаевич Костин; born September 17, 1970, in Pushkino, Moscow Oblast) is a Russian politician, deputy head of the internal politics of the presidential administration of Russia.

He has the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation.

Since 1986, he published and worked as a staff correspondent in various print media, including Student Meridian.

In 1990–1991, he worked as a correspondent of the Kommersant newspaper.

Since 1991, Kostin worked in the Marketing Communications Agency Metapress, associated with Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Menatep.

In 1991, Konstantin Kostin wrote about Metapress in Kommersant magazine (Later – Vlast’):

The establishment of the agency almost coincided in time with accreditation of the American company PBN in the USSR, which also offered PR-services (see Kommersant # 33 (83)).

However, observers say, cooperation with Metapress could be more attractive to domestic businesses as the agency accepted payment in rubles and had good connections with the media, according to some sources.

In 1992, Kostin became an executive director of this advertising agency responsible for public relations issues.

In September of the same year he headed the executive bureau of the Russian Association of Advertisers (RAAs).

While in Metapress, he met Vladislav Surkov.

In 1993 Kostin graduated from the faculty of journalism of the Moscow State University named after M. B. Lomonosov.

As a student, he served as an intern in Italy and the United States.

In March 1993, Kostin co-founded advertising agency Public Relations Bureau, in 1993-1994 he served as its president.

From 1994 to 1997, Kostin served as head of advertising for Menatep Bank, in 1997–1998, he served as the Bank Media Director.

His wife, Olga Kostina, shared details of Konstantin's work of that time in an interview with Profile magazine:

Konstantin participated in the first steps of the advertising business in Russia.

He developed advertising for Menatep Bank, as well as a series of advertising posters for Menatep Visa card.

Actively participated in several presidential election campaigns, including in 1996 (Boris Yeltsin), 2000 and 2004 (Vladimir Putin) and 2008 (Dmitry Medvedev).

Considered to be the “right hand” of Vladislav Surkov.

In late 1996, Kostin, while serving as vice-president of Menatep Bank, in the interests of the bank had been working on the affiliation of the Literary Gazette.

In early 1996, PRB Soyuz was one of the eight largest Russian advertising agencies at that time (the other seven include APR-media, Znak, Ivan - Press, Korporatsia-Ya, Maxima, Solidarity Publisher, and Unis. The agencies received the status of accredited to Kommersant and exclusive advertisement placement terms. Kostin, as head of PRB Soyuz, commented on the creation of the cartel in the following words:

We are pleased to have been included in the group of agencies that had been offered accreditation.

The new advertising policy of Kommersant, and Daily in particular, has all prerequisites for bringing order to the market of print advertising.

Kostin organized public relations support for many of the regional electoral campaigns in Russia and Ukraine.

In particular, he worked at the election of members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, at the gubernatorial elections in Vladimir (Nikolai Vinogradov), Pskov (Yevgeny Mikhailov), Chita (Ravil Geniatulin), and other subjects of federation.

In 1997-1998 Konstantin Kostin served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of CJSC Publishing House Literary Gazette.

Since 1998 he served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the newspaper Reklamny Mir.

In 2003, he was accused by the opposition media of organizing work on discrediting the Communist Party in favor of the “party of power “at the instigation of Vladislav Surkov.

In particular, Stanislav Belkovsky’s resource APN.ru wrote, citing an “unnamed source in the Russian special services” that 33-year-old political consultant Konstantin Kostin was appointed executive officer of the Special Operations Group of the presidential administration.

However, there is another interpretation of the events:

At the end of the election campaign of 2003, Kostin almost kicked out Baranov, who offered, for a small monthly fee in foreign currency, “placement” of “black PR” on the official website of the Communist Party against the Communist Party itself.

In June 2005, Izvestia newspaper published “Letter of 50,” the address of workers of culture, science and public figures in connection with the conviction of former heads of Yukos, that condemned attempts to politicize the Yukos case.

Following the publication, some media outlets attributed the authorship of the text to Konstantin Kostin.

He himself, however, denied his involvement in its preparation.

Among those who signed the “Letter of 50” were Stanislav Govorukhin, Alexander Kalyagin, Alexander Rosenbaum, Anastasia Volochkova, Alina Kabaeva, etc.

In 2005, the leader of the oppositional National Bolshevik Party Eduard Limonov spoke of the PRB as of “the most cynical and the most pro-Kremlin PR agency.” Vlast’ magazine described Soyuz in the following words:

In 2008 and 2009 Kostin was ranked second in the top 20 best political strategists in Russia, according to Obschaya Gazeta.

As of June 2010, along with Gennady Onishchenko, he holds 90-91 places in the top hundred leading politicians of Russia, according to Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

The former head of PR structures of Menatep Bank, ROSPROM Management Company, Yukos oil company, a member of the Board of Directors of ORT television, Vice President of mass media holding Sistema Company.