Table of Contents
- Kremlin Official Defies Putin
- Background of Dmitri Kozak
- The Call with Putin
- After the Call
- Kozak's Resignation and Legacy
A SINGLE Kremlin official confronted Russian president Vladimir Putin on the second day of the war with Ukraine.
An astonishing account has surfaced of one of Putin’s closest allies expressing his willingness to be “arrested or shot” for his defiance.
Putin ally Dmitry Kozak stood up to the authoritarian Russian president, condemning the invasion of UkraineCredit: East2West
Kozak delivered a passionate speech opposing the war in February 2022Credit: East2West
Kozak had served the Kremlin for 30 years before resigning in protest in SeptemberCredit: East2West
The aide, Dmitri Kozak, refused to demand Ukraine’s surrender on the second day of the conflict.
Kozak, 66, was Putin’s deputy chief of staff and had been close to the president for three decades before taking a stand against the autocrat.
Putin instructed his deputy chief of staff to insist on Ukraine‘s immediate surrender, as reported by the New York Times.
That’s when Kozak, who has Ukrainian heritage, asserted his position, according to three sources close to him.
The report stated: “Kozak declined, insisting that he did not understand what the Russian leader aimed to achieve with his invasion.”
As the conversation became “heated,” the 66-year-old told Putin “that he was prepared to be arrested or shot for his refusal.”
Later, Kozak learned that the call had been on speakerphone, “turning the senior officials in the president’s office into witnesses to a rare instance of insubordination,” the report noted.
Kozak was long recognized as the only Kremlin insider bold enough to risk tyrant Putin’s wrath by opposing the invasion and war.
Three days before the war commenced, he delivered a 40-minute speech to the Russian security council, predicting the grave consequences of the conflict.
Unlike other contributions during this meeting, his anti-war remarks were not broadcast.
The aide had nearly become acting Russian president from 2008-12Credit: East2West
The 66-year-old told Putin ‘that he was prepared to be arrested or shot for his refusal’Credit: East2West
The aide had almost become acting Russian president from 2008 to 2012, but the position ultimately went to another associate, Dmitry Medvedev.
Kozak resigned in September after being sidelined by his former ally Putin over several years.
The defiant ex-aide is viewed as a representative of other officials and business figures who harbor anti-war sentiments but fear making their opposition known.
Aleksei Venediktov, a well-known Russian journalist, stated: “Dmitri [Kozak] is gone, but the sentiment remains the same.”
“He is significant as a benchmark.”
Another source indicated that Kozak’s concerns regarding the war have “been verified with alarming precision.”
Despite this, the ex-official and long-time Putin ally has not publicly voiced his opinions and declined to be interviewed for the New York Times article.
While still employed at the Kremlin, Kozak sought to mediate with Ukraine and consistently informed Putin that the war was a mistake, at one point writing a memo.
He cautioned Putin that the invasion of Ukraine would prompt Sweden and Finland to join NATO.
He also advocated for liberalizing reforms, but
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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