13 Facts About Ivan Rybkin

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

Ivan Rybkin ran for the Russian presidency in 2004, before dropping out after allegedly being kidnapped and drugged by Russian Federal Security Service officers.

Ivan Rybkin was born in village of Semigorka, Voronesh Oblast.

In 1968, Rybkin graduated from Volgograd Agricultural Institute, and in 1991 from the Soviet Academy of Social Sciences.

In 1993, Ivan Rybkin became a member of the Agrarian Party of Russia.

In 1994, Ivan Rybkin was elected speaker of the State Duma.

In March 1998, Ivan Rybkin was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for Commonwealth of Independent States affairs.

In 2004, Ivan Rybkin was nominated by Berezovsky's Liberal Party for the Russian presidential elections.

Many Russians had reported themselves to be too unfamiliar with Ivan Rybkin to have an opinion on him.

In February 2004, Ivan Rybkin disappeared for four days under mysterious circumstances.

Ivan Rybkin said that he turned off his mobile phones so that his rest would not be disturbed.

Ivan Rybkin was told that the tape would be made public if he continued with his presidential campaign.

Ivan Rybkin said he feared for his safety if he returned to Russia, and whilst he initially continued the campaign from abroad, on 5 March 2004, he withdrew from the race, saying he did not want to be part of "this farce," as he called the elections.