Putin Raises No Objection to Earning Less Than Subordinates

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that his income is less than the income of a number of his subordinates.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has not expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that his income is less than the income of a number of his subordinates, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Kremlin made public data on the incomes of the president and several members of his staff.

"Everyone has different income, different background. Someone had been working for business, someone has some bank deposits since then, cash flows, so every situation is different,” Peskov said.

He stressed that these incomes are consistent with law and are properly declared.

According to the annual income statement published on the Kremlin’s website, Putin’s income in 2014 amounted to 7.654 million Russian rubles (approximately $151,000).

Oleg Govorun, the head of the Presidential Directorate for Social and Economic Cooperation with the Commonwealth of Independent States Member Countries, the Republic of Abkhazia, and the Republic of South Ossetia, had the highest income among all the administration’s staff — 114 million rubles in 2014.

First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Vyacheslav Volodin earned 62.93 million rubles, Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council gained 39.8 millions. Deputy Chief of the Presidential Executive Office, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov raked in about 9 million rubles.