Former Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin condemning Moscow’s war against Ukraine shortly before his resignation in September, Agentstvo Media reports.
Kozak, who previously served as Russia’s deputy prime minister, became Putin’s deputy chief of staff in January 2020. According to a Meduza source close to the Kremlin, when the members of Russia’s Security Council realized in February 2022 that Putin was preparing to launch a full-scale war in Ukraine, Kozak opposed the plan. In the months that followed, Kozak was reported to have “fallen out of favor” with the Russian president.
According to Agentstvo, when Kozak submitted his official resignation on September 18, 2025, he also handed Putin a personal letter criticizing the war. “In the letter, the former deputy chief condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine, using very strong language,” the outlet reported, citing a source who knows Kozak personally.
Another longtime acquaintance of Kozak said the former official does not believe the letter angered Putin and that he “even expects to meet with him in the near future.”
Kozak has spent considerable time abroad since stepping down, but a source close to him told Agentstvo that this is not due to concerns for his safety. He has been traveling for medical treatment and continues to return to Russia, the source said.
