Putin Aide Dmitry Kozak,Long-Time Advisor Against Ukraine War,Departs Post
Moscow – Dmitry Kozak,a long-serving aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin,has resigned from his position as Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration,British broadcaster BBC reported Wednesday. Kozak is widely considered to have been a key voice within the Kremlin advocating against a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sources speaking to RBK news website indicated Kozak submitted his resignation over the weekend and is now considering opportunities in the business sector. Forbes also reported on Kozak’s departure.
According to sources cited by The New York Times in early August 2023, Kozak advised Putin against military action in Ukraine in 2022. The report further stated that in 2023, Kozak proposed initiating peace negotiations and implementing reforms within Russia, including increased government oversight of security forces. Following publication of the NYT article, Putin reportedly issued a decree dissolving two departments overseen by Kozak within the presidential administration.
Kozak has been a close associate of Putin since the 1990s, when they worked together in the office of St.Petersburg Mayor Anatoly sobchak. He has held various high-level positions within the Russian government since the early 2000s, serving as Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2020 and as Deputy Head of the Presidential administration since 2020.
Following the February 2022 invasion of ukraine, Kozak was effectively removed from involvement in Ukraine-related policy and largely disappeared from public view, BBC sources reported at the time.