Valentin Yumashev, the son-in-law of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, has resigned as Kremlin adviser, according to a Reuters report on Monday.
The media quoted two people close to the situation as saying that Yumashev, described as a key element in the rise to power of Russian President Vladimir Putin, left his role in April. He is the latest of several prominent Russian officials to resign since Putin launched his 100-day war in Ukraine on Friday.
Reuters noted that Yumashev worked unpaid and had only “limited influence in Putin’s decision-making,” but acknowledging his name, past influence, and connection to Yeltsin made his resignation a major loss to him. Kremlin.
Lyudmila Telen, who works as Boris Yeltsin’s first deputy executive director at the Presidential Center, where Yumashev is a board member, said she resigned last month. He also indicated that it was Yumashev’s decision to leave.
Another person who said he knew about the situation spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. This source also said that Yumashev resigned from his role as presidential adviser in April.
No explanation has been given for Yumashev’s departure, but his daughter posted an anti-war message with a Ukrainian flag on Instagram on February 24, the day Putin’s forces began attacks in Ukraine. .
Another ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has resigned from the Kremlin. In this photo, Putin is seen during an economic forum of the former Soviet countries held in Bishkek, via a video link in Moscow on May 26, 2022. Photo by MIKHAIL METZEL / SPUTNIK / AFP via Getty Images
Yumashev is married to Yeltsin’s youngest daughter, Tatyana, and has once been his father-in-law’s assistant since his death. The BBC reported that Yumashev, while serving as Yeltsin’s chief of staff, gave Putin his first job in the Kremlin in 1997. He was said to have later recommended to Yelstin that Putin become his successor.
Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, other senior Russian officials have resigned. One of the most powerful was Anatoly Chubais, a former government official who acted as Putin’s envoy to international organizations concerned with sustainable development, according to the Associated Press. Like Yumashev, Chubais was once a great helper of Yeltsin.
On May 23, Boris Bondarev, a Russian diplomat at the United Nations, announced his resignation due to the invasion of Ukraine by the country. In a letter to other diplomats, Bondarev wrote that “I have never been as ashamed of my country as I was on February 24 this year.”
Arkadi Dvorkovich, a former Russian deputy prime minister, left his role as chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation, a state-sponsored top-level scientific organization after the war began, the AP reported.
In addition, Zhanna Agalakova and Lila Gildeyeva resigned as presenters of Russian state television channels due to the invasion. And Elena Kovalskaya, who worked as a director of a Moscow-based state theater, also resigned in protest, according to Business Insider.
Newsweek contacted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for comment.