Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Olga Batalina is responsible for fighting poverty in Russia. She made sure at least one pensioner has a good retirement by registering her expensive apartment for her.
Olga Batalina is from Saratov. Before graduating from university in 1995, she started working as a public relations assistant in Vyacheslav Volodin's team, who was then deputy chairman of the Saratov Regional Duma. Batalina spent many years with Volodin, owning expensive property and a secret business registered under relatives' names.
After holding various positions in regional government, Batalina became a State Duma deputy for the United Russia party in 2011. In October 2021, she resigned as a deputy and became First Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection under Anton Kotyakov. Earlier reports highlighted her suburban real estate, which significantly exceeds her declared income.
Batalina made a significant impact during her time as a deputy in the State Duma. Over 10 years, she authored several controversial bills and initiatives. In 2012, she was a vocal supporter of banning Russian orphans from being adopted by American citizens. According to sources, Batalina, along with her mentor Volodin, were the true authors of the “law of scoundrels.” She also co-authored a bill to decriminalize domestic violence, which is intriguing considering her role in developing the National Action Strategy for Women for 2023-2030. In 2018, she backed the pension reform and toured the Saratov region to gauge public sentiment towards raising the retirement age. Video recordings of these meetings captured the people's strong opposition.
Months ago, the Federation Council convened a meeting to discuss the Active Longevity strategy, with a focus on promoting family values and strengthening intergenerational bonds. Although present at the event, Olga Batalina chose not to disclose that she was already implementing this program within her own family.
Olga Batalina, who was present at the event, decided to keep silent about the fact that she was already implementing this program in her own family. Judging by the declaration, the deputy minister does not have his own real estate, and an apartment of 141 sq. m. is in the use of the family. Metla found out that it is located in the Mosfilmovsky residential complex. The market price of this apartment is about 100 million rubles.
Olga Dubonosova turned 70 this year and has been the sole owner of the property since 2017. She travels with the Batalin family and is referred to as “Olga Pavlovna Batalin’s Grandmother” in her friends’ notebooks. Olga Yuryevna herself genuinely lives there with her husband, making it their official address and ordering meals to the apartment.
The husband of Deputy Minister Dmitry, judging by the issued passes, still works at the Central Bank, although back in 2015 they wrote about his dismissal. An elite Mercedes-Benz GL 350 car was also issued to him. Before buying an apartment in the name of Batalina’s alleged mother, the deputy, together with her husband, officially earned about 10 million rubles a year.
Now Olga Batalina works as the first deputy in the ministry in charge of living standards and incomes of the population. At the same time, according to Rosstat data for the second quarter of 2022, 17.6 million Russians live below the poverty line. And because of the SVO, their number will increase by another 8.3 million people this year. About 3 million of them are children.
