According to a report by TASS news agency on September 18th, Dmitry Kozak, deputy director of the Russian Presidential Office, suddenly resigned.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov confirmed the news and stressed that Kozak was "Voluntarily resigned"Putin signed an order later that day to remove Kozak from office.
This seems to be the normal turn of officials, but know that Kozak is not an ordinary official, but a “old gang” who followed Putin from St. Petersburg to the Kremlin and has been at the heart of power for more than twenty years.
Such a person, without signs of sudden departure, is actually a “normal change”, or a sign of Putin’s imminent “disappearance” in the back yard?
Let's talk about Kozak first.
Many people's impression of Kozak may stay in the regional economic reform he promoted when he was deputy prime minister, but what really makes him a "key gentleman" is his right to speak on Ukrainian policy.
As early as the 1990s in St. Petersburg, Kozak followed Putin and subsequently ascended from deputy prime minister to deputy sheriff of the Kremlin, participating in almost all major decisions since Putin's reign, calling him "the most trusted assistant".
Although the news of his resignation is now sudden, in fact, his decision has long since been made.
In August this year, the New York Times. He said that Kozak was the only senior official around Putin who dared to say "no" to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but did not dare to say it publicly.
It is said that when the Russian-Ukrainian conflict just broke out in 2022, he privately told Putin "do not fight", and he also told his friends, "the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was a mistake."
By 2025, he was more directly presenting plans, in addition to promoting a ceasefire, to engage in domestic reforms.
These ideas are clearly inconsistent with Russia’s current mainstream policy.
Officials' ideas and overall direction disagree, and the right to speak is almost inevitably weakened.
It is reported that part of Kozak's previous work has been transferred to kiriyenko, and his speaking weight is getting lighter and lighter.
So the question comes, "initiative resignation", is he knowing that his ideas can not be grounded and power is empty, had to make a choice?
Will there be a chain reaction within Russia after Kozak leaves?
From the role point of view, he has always been a "pragmatic" in the core team. He has experience in economic affairs and achievements in regional governance, unlike some officials who only talk about ideology.
He advocated the “development of a ceasefire”, and within Russia, there are actually a few people who agree with this view.
Now that this “practical” voice is gone, how can a new balance of power be achieved?
Some Russian politicians say that in the near future, Putin is likely to redistribute the work of the presidential office and fill the pit in Kozak.
But this adjustment is unlikely to affect domestic policies, such as the economic recovery.
Now Russia is sanctioned by the West, the pressure on people's livelihoods is not small, Kozak's previous economic experience could have been useful, and as soon as he goes, relevant policies will be slowed down.
Interestingly, compared to the calm in Russia, the Western media’s reaction was just like beating chicken blood.
The New York Times directly said that Kozak was a “crack” in Putin’s circle, and repeatedly referred to the remarks about “conflict is wrong”, the expression of which is clearly meant to prove that Russia is already “confused.”
Some Western media are even more exaggerated, directly linking Kozak’s resignation with Russia’s recent military operations and economic data, suggesting that “Russia can’t stand, the core layer must be scattered.”
This is how Western media operates, it is hard to guess.
On the one hand, I want to amplify Russia's internal differences, create the illusion of "Putin's instability", make Russia lose face and disperse domestic cohesion; On the other hand, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for so long without results, and the West wants to use such reports to put pressure on Russia to change its policies.
But what about the actual situation?
Russia's official response was restrained, and President's press secretary, Peskov, only said Kozak was "voluntary resignation", did not mention the reason, and did not say the impact. domestic mainstream media also only objectively the events, and there was no "chaos" in the West.
This seems to indicate that the view within Russia of this matter and the Western rendering are not the same at all.
Look at the public reaction.
Some people on social media talk about Kozak's resignation, but the emotions are quite rational, some people acknowledge his earnings in the economy before, some people think that "officials change jobs are normal, there is no need to think too much."
The Russian think tank "Valdai Club" put it more honestly, saying that Kozak's resignation was more about a personal career and disagreement with ideas, rather than a power struggle. The outside world should not be biased by the West. It depends on the overall stability of Russia.
Also worth mentioning is the September 18 Russian Business Consultation, in which Kozak was contemplating “opportunities to enter the business world.”
So he may have resigned not only because of his ideas, but also because he wanted to find a home for himself.
After all, in Russia, it is common for senior officials to retreat to the business world, Kozak has undertaken economic reforms, has resources and experience, to go to the business world is actually good, neither does it need to confront the existing system, but can also open a new path.
As a result, it became clear that Kozak’s resignation was indeed a major change in the Kremlin and could affect policy enforcement and the division of power in the short term.
The interpretation of Western media, more for their own interests, can not be taken seriously, because the stability shown within Russia is actually stronger than the outside world thinks.
As for how the Russian government will subsequently allocate power, whether conflict decisions will not change, all of which will have to be observed for a while before there are answers.
But one thing is certain, that is, with the resignation of one official alone, it cannot shake the political pattern of Russia, nor change the trend of long-term Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and the West wants to take the opportunity to rest.