Post date: May 08, 2013 3:34:47 PM
Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, who was once Russian President Vladimir Putin's chief political strategist and dubbed the Kremlin's puppet master, resigns.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MAY 8, 2013) (REUTERS) - Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, once one of Russia's most influential men, was relieved of his duties on Wednesday (May 8) in a power struggle between the Kremlin and government, dealing a blow to Prime MinisterDmitry Medvedev.
The Kremlin said in a statement that President Vladimir Putin had accepted Surkov's resignation, one day after the former KGB spy reprimanded the government for failing to carry out many of his orders and decrees."Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin), honestly, after your words, the review report prepared by us regarding the execution of the president's orders and instructions, is almost meaningless because, in my view, completely impartial evaluations have already been given. However, I would, while understanding that paper is just paper, like to note that, from the point of view of formal discipline - that is, turning a report in on time - the government is more or less faultless. The content of these reports, of course, well, you yourself evaluated them. I have (an evaluation) also, but repeating it is stupid, and in this regard, I can only agree with you," Surkov said a day before his resignation at a meeting with Putin, expressing his agreement with the President's anger towards the unsatisfactory work done by government ministers.
But Russian media and political analysts have long suggested a rift has opened up between Putin and Medvedev, his long-time ally and a former president, as Russiaslides towards recession.
Sitting at the head of a long table with cabinet ministers on either side, their heads bowed, Putin scolded the government repeatedly at Tuesday's (May 7) meeting - the latest signal he is losing patience with Medvedev over Russia's growing economic problems.
Once ranked as Russia's third-most-powerful political figure, after Putin and Medvedev, Surkov was long seen as the grey cardinal who manipulated events behind the scenes for Putin and helped him concentrate power in his own hands.
He had become increasingly distant from Putin since the protests began over the former KGB spy's plans to return to the presidency after four years as prime minister, a post Putin held while Medvedev kept the president's seat warm for him.
Surkov left the Kremlin when his mastery of the political scene was undermined at the start of the anti-Putin protests because the system he had helped create under Putin was now being questioned by the protesters.
"His resignation now, also, once again, is a refusal, demonstrated by Putin, of (Surkov's) solutions such as dialogue with the active part of society which were called on, which were represented, and which Surkov was aware of, in favour of more primitive and more severe schemes," Russian political analyst Nikolai Petrovtold Reuters.
Surkov's exit, according to Petrov, signals that some serious government reshuffle may be underway in Russia.
"The temporary government that we now have was put together, in my opinion, simply because political protests didn't allow for really setting a goal of implementing some serious strategic direction. So the time that was given to him (Surkov) comes to an end, and we might very soon see serious managerial movements (in the Russian government)," he added.
Surkov, 48, was once Putin's top political adviser but he quit the Kremlin in December 2011 as Putin faced the biggest protests of his 13 years in power.
He had until now been responsible for overseeing government implementation of presidential decrees and innovation projects. His role will be taken by Arkady Dvorkovoich, a deputy prime minister and Putin's former chief economic adviser.