Vladimir Yakunin Biography

Vladimir Ivanovich Yakunin (Russian: Владимир Иванович Якунин; born June 30, 1948 in Melenki, Vladimir Oblast) is a Russian public figure, businessman and former president of Russian Railways (June 2005 – August 2015). In 2012 he was elected chairman of the Union of Railways (UIC) a position he held until 2015. In March 2014 he was placed on the US State Department's list of Russian officials and businessmen sanctioned in the wake the annexation of Crimea. After stepping down as head of Russian Railways he has continued to be engaged in public work as a founder and president of World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations”. In October 2015 he started work on creating an international think tank focused on the search for solutions to help de-escalate tensions across the world. DOC Research Institute was launched in July 2016 in Berlin.