Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday unexpectedly dismissed his close ally and powerful chief of staff Sergei Ivanov, the Kremlin said in a statement.
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All of the recent changes come amid tensions between Russian Federation and Ukraine, with Putin accusing Ukraine’s government of plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Crimea.
Other analysts, though, felt the move signalled a renewed power struggle among the Kremlin’s elite.
Ivanov’s dismissal comes as Russian Federation gears up for parliamentary elections next month against a backdrop of economic crisis caused by Western sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine and falling oil prices. Putin said he respected Ivanov’s alleged request for another less prestigious job – the presidential adviser for the environment and transportation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, centre, speaks with the newly-appointed Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, centre, and the newly-appointed Presidential Representative for Environmental Management, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov, left, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on August 12, 2016.
Anton Vaino, 44, has been named as his successor.
Being a friend of Putin’s no longer seems solid protection.
The latest switch follows a reshuffle of regional leaders last month.
But that does not mean this was an abrupt change or a purge.
Mr Ivanov is believed to be one of a small clique, including Mr Putin, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the security council, and Alexander Bortnikov, the director of the FSB, the modern-day successor to the KGB, who made the decision to annex Crimea in 2014. He was seen as a leader of the hawkishly anti-Western camp of former spies who have come to dominate Kremlin policy-making. “These young people who have lived practically their whole lives with Putin, and therefore he is their real chief, and not a comrade”.
Commentators suggested that 63-year-old Putin may want to avoid projecting the image of an aging leader at a time of economic challenges at home and Russia’s direct and indirect involvement in conflicts such as in Syria and Ukraine. “Putin is exhausted of people who agree with him, are loyal to him, but who turn out to be mainly interested in lining their own pockets”. “He’s bringing in people who are young and energetic, who maybe have a different attitude, and hopes these personnel changes will bring results”.
Numerous firings of recent months have been accompanied by corruption charges, and experts say the campaign is likely to expand in weeks to come. The extraordinary private wealth accumulated by supposed public servants like former Russian Railways head Mr. Yakunin, exposed by anticorruption crusaders like Alexei Navalny, proved shocking even for Russians – who are very accustomed to it.
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“Charges of corruption can be quite accurate, but they tend to be mainly a way of settling political scores in this country”, says Petrov.
