The Kremlin has confirmed that Anatoly Chubais, the father of Russian privatization after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, has resigned as an advisor to President Vladimir Putin on the climate file.
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“Yes. Chubais voluntarily resigned. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian Interfax news agency, confirming the presence of many anonymous sources in the Russian media, whether he left (the country) or not.
Neither Mr. Peskov nor the Russian media have mentioned the reason for this resignation and Mr. Chubais himself has not yet spoken publicly.
Anonymous sources told Bloomberg that the resignation was due to his disapproval of military intervention in Ukraine. He is the highest-ranking official to resign since the Russian offensive began on February 24.
Kommersant daily reports, with supporting photos, that Mr Chubais has been seen in Istanbul, Turkey, which is already hosting thousands of Russians who have fled the country since the conflict began.
A respected liberal, the architect of the major and painful reforms of the 1990s, Chubais has been the Russian President’s special representative on the climate issue since the end of 2020.
He is one of the only progressives at the time who remained in government while maintaining relations with Westerners.
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