Kozak, Putin's friend believed to have opposed the war in Ukraine, resigns

2025-09-18 17:52:18, Kosova & Bota CNA

Dmitry Kozak, a close associate and longtime friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is believed to have opposed the war in Ukraine in its early days, has resigned from the government, the Kremlin said.

Kozak, 66, who served as deputy head of the Kremlin's powerful presidential administration, decided to leave of his own accord, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

The announcement came after several days of rumors about Kozak, who is one of Putin's earliest associates, dating back to the Russian leader's early days in politics, in the office of mayor of St. Petersburg in the 1990s.

Departures of senior officials from the administration or cabinet under Putin are rare.

Some Russian media reported that Kozak had been offered the position as the top official for Russia's Northwestern Federal District, but he had not accepted it.

Peskov did not mention anything about this.

Kozak, born in Ukraine, entered the Kremlin with Putin when the latter became president in 2000, serving in several important roles over the years, including as deputy prime minister for nearly 12 years.

He served as the Kremlin's chief organizer of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, which the Kremlin saw as a sign of Russia's well-deserved return to the world stage.

Following Moscow's invasion of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March 2014 and subsequent annexation, it was placed under sanctions by the United States and other Western governments.

In 2020, Kozak joined the presidential administration, which has a powerful role within the Kremlin. He was also known as a frequent mediator with Western ambassadors and envoys.

Some analysts see Kozak's departure as the latest signal that any doubt or opposition to the war against Ukraine is not welcome.

In the months leading up to and days immediately following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there were reports of muted opposition from some of Putin's closest advisers to the decision to invade the neighboring country.

In the days after the invasion, Kozak, who had been appointed as the Kremlin's head of Ukraine affairs, had privately told Putin that he was against it, according to The New York Times.

According to Reuters, Kozak had also prepared a framework for a peace deal with Ukraine that would address some of the Kremlin's key demands. But Putin rejected the plan.

Kozak's departure is significant not only because of his length of service as a close associate of Putin - who is known for valuing loyalty above all else - but also because of the relative lack of resignations from the Kremlin or the government, whether due to opposition to the war or for other reasons.

Other senior officials known to have expressed opposition to the war include the head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, who reportedly submitted her resignation to Putin, but he did not accept it.

The top general overseeing the war, Valery Gerasimov, continues to hold the post of chief of the General Staff – despite the widespread belief that the first months of the invasion of Ukraine were a disaster for the Russian armed forces.

He turned 70 last week, well beyond the normal retirement age for officers./ REL