Sergei Ivanov, a long-standing associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin and at one point Russia's deputy prime minister, has died at the age of 73.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce that Sergei Ivanov passed away today," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian news agencies reported on Friday.
Putin has expressed his condolences to the family. No details have been released regarding the cause of death.
After studying to become a translator, Ivanov worked for the Soviet and Russian secret services until the late 1990s. It was during this time that he met Putin, who is also from St Petersburg and is just four months older.
With a break between 2008 and 2012, Ivanov was a member of the Russian Security Council from 1999 to 2026. From 2001 to 2007, he also held the post of defence minister.
In 2008, Ivanov was regarded as a possible successor to Putin, who, according to the constitution, was no longer permitted to stand in the presidential elections after two terms in office. Putin ultimately opted for Dmitry Medvedev, who amended the constitution during his term of office and made way for Putin once again in 2012.
Most recently, Ivanov was Putin's special representative for nature conservation, ecology and transport.
As a supporter of Russia's 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the Russian war against neighbouring Ukraine that began in 2022, the European Union, the US and other states imposed sanctions on the Russian politician. He is survived by his wife and an adult son.
