дёргать за верёвочки(тянуть за ниточки; манипулировать кем-либо; использовать своё влияние и власть; to exert behind-the-scenes influence. The term comes from puppetry: puppets or marionettes are manipulated by means of strings or wires held by the puppetmaster. It was transferred to politics by 1860, when Bishop William Stubbs wrote (Lectures on the Study of History), "A king who pulled the strings of government." Taras)