Sergei Ivanov, Putin ally and former Russian defence minister, dies at 73
Life and Legacy of Sergei Ivanov
Early Career and Rise to Power
June 26 (Reuters) - Former Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov, once seen as a possible successor to President Vladimir Putin, has died at the age of 73.
Ivanov was a key member of the group known as the "siloviki," or "strongmen," who, like Putin, had risen through the ranks of the Soviet KGB security service and wielded huge influence after Putin took power at the turn of the millennium.
The Kremlin issued a brief statement on Friday, saying only: "Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sergei Ivanov on his passing."
Role in Russia's Security State
Ivanov helped shape Russia's post-Soviet security state and oversaw the armed forces during the early years of Putin's presidency. He was defence minister during the second Chechen war, launched by Putin to crush a separatist insurgency in the Muslim region of Chechnya that tried to break away from Russia after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
International Relations and Security Concerns
A fluent English-speaker, Ivanov was a combative figure who regularly jousted with journalists at the Munich Security Conference and cast himself as a pragmatist seeking to move beyond Cold War divisions.
At the same time, he consistently warned that Russia's security interests were being undermined, particularly by U.S. missile defence plans and the erosion of arms control agreements.
Ivanov framed the transatlantic NATO alliance's expansion as a strategic concern for Russia, and repeatedly argued that security in Europe should be built on "mutual respect for the concerns and interests of all sides."
Years later, Putin would cast the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as a forced response to the encroachment of NATO into Russia's sphere of influence, a characterisation rejected by Ukraine's government and the West as a false justification for war.
Relationship with Vladimir Putin
Close Colleague of Putin
CLOSE COLLEAGUE OF PUTIN
Born like Putin in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, Ivanov studied languages before being recruited into the KGB, where he worked with the future president at the start of their careers.
Career Progression in Government
After the Soviet collapse, Ivanov rose through the KGB's successor organisations to become a deputy director of the FSB security service under Putin. He became defence minister in 2001, the first civilian to hold the post in modern Russian history.
Ivanov's influence grew further in 2005 when he was appointed deputy prime minister, and then first deputy prime minister in 2007, placing him briefly among the leading contenders to succeed Putin as president when the latter had to step aside after serving two terms.
Putin ultimately chose Dmitry Medvedev as his successor, while Ivanov remained as deputy prime minister and later served as Kremlin chief of staff.
Later Years and Final Roles
In 2016, he was demoted from that role to become a special presidential envoy dealing with environmental and transport issues, a shift widely interpreted as a relegation.
His death, incongruously, was first announced by a basketball organisation — the VTB United League, where Ivanov was honorary president. It was later confirmed by the Kremlin.
Tributes and Legacy
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Ivanov in a message of condolence as an "outstanding statesman ... who made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of modern Russia."
"He did a great deal to strengthen our country's national security and defence capabilities, to solidify its position in the world, and to modernise the domestic military-industrial complex," Lavrov wrote on his ministry's website.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Will Dunham and Ron Popeski)