The former Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Ivanov, a close associate of Vladimir Putin, has passed away. The ex-official was considered a possible successor to the Kremlin leader.
Ivanov was 73 years old. He was part of the group of people from the power institutions who reached the state hierarchy and exerted a considerable influence over Russia after Putin took power, reports Agerpres.
Ivanov contributed to the shaping of Russia’s post-Soviet security apparatus and oversaw the armed forces in the early years of Putin’s presidency. He served as the Minister of Defense during the Chechen war.
The official constantly maintained that Russia’s security interests were undermined, particularly by the United States’ missile defense plans and the erosion of arms control agreements.
Ivanov presented the NATO expansion as a strategic concern for Moscow and repeatedly insisted that security in Europe should be built on the basis of “mutual respect for the concerns and interests of all parties”.
In 2001, Ivanov was appointed Minister of Defense, in 2005 he became Deputy Prime Minister, and by 2007 he was considered Putin’s successor to the Presidency. Ultimately, however, Dmitri Medvedev ran for office, while the former FSB general held positions in the Government and the Kremlin administration. In 2016, Putin made him a special presidential envoy for environmental and transportation issues.