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Dmitry Kozak | |
|---|---|
Дмитрий Козак | |
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| DeputyKremlin Chief of Staff | |
| In office 24 January 2020 – 17 September 2025 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Russia | |
| In office 14 October 2008 – 15 January 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Vladimir Putin Viktor Zubkov (acting) Dmitry Medvedev |
| Minister of Regional Development | |
| In office 24 September 2007 – 14 October 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Viktor Zubkov |
| Preceded by | Vladimir Yakovlev |
| Succeeded by | Viktor Basargin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1958-11-07)7 November 1958 (age 67) |
| Political party | United Russia |
Dmitry Nikolayevich Kozak (Russian:Дмитрий Николаевич Кóзак,Russian pronunciation:[ˈdmʲitrʲɪjnʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕˈkozək];Ukrainian:Дмитро Миколайович Козак,romanized: Dmytro Mykolayovych Kozak; born 7 November 1958) is a Russian politician who served as the DeputyKremlin Chief of Staff from January 2020 to September 2025. He previously served as theVice Prime Minister from 2008 to 2020. He has the federal state civilian service rank of1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation.[1]
Known as theCheshire Cat (Russian:Чеширский кот) because of his smile, Kozak is part of the Vlast' (Russian:Власть) or power group fromSt. Petersburg close to Putin.[2][3][4][5][6]
He served previously as the Regional Development Minister in the Russian cabinet headed byViktor Zubkov from 2007 to 2008. From 2004 to 2007, he served as Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy in theSouthern Federal District (North Caucasus and Southern European Russia).[7]
Dmitry Kozak is a close ally ofVladimir Putin, having worked with him in the St Petersburg city administration during the 1990s and later becoming one of the key figures in Putin'spresidential team. During the2004 Russian presidential election, he worked as the head of Putin's election campaign team. Kozak chose not to run as a successor to Putin as president in 2008, saying he was "not ready".[8]
Dmitry Kozak was born on 7 November 1958 in the village of Bandurove, in theKirovohrad region of theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (part of theUSSR). He is ofUkrainian ethnicity.[9]
From 1976 to 1978, Kozak served in thespecial forces (Spetsnaz GRU) of theSoviet military's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).[3][10]
After Spetsnaz, he studied at theVinnitsa Polytechnic Institute[a] before he moved to Leningrad.[3]
Kozak graduated fromLeningrad State University (now St. Petersburg State University) in 1985 with a degree in law. From 1985 to 1989, he worked in the Leningrad prosecutor's office as aProsecutor and Senior Prosecutor. He moved into the business sector in 1989, working as head of the legal department at Monolit-Kirovstroy construction company and chief legal consultant for the Association of Trade Ports.[12]
Kozak worked as a public prosecutor in Leningrad and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, holding various legal offices in the city's administration. In 1998 he became Deputy Governor ofSaint Petersburg.[13]
In 1999, along with other St. Petersburg city officials, he joined the government ofVladimir Putin. He was Chief of Staff from 1999 to 2000. Dmitry Kozak became deputy head of thepresidential administration and remained in this position under various titles until 2004.[14] In 2003, he briefly entered international politics and unsuccessfully attempted to solve the conflict betweenTransnistria andMoldova (seeKozak memorandum).[15][16][17]
In September 2004, Kozak was appointed Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to theSouthern Federal District, replacingVladimir Yakovlev.[18][19] On 24 September 2007, he was appointed to the new Russian cabinet headed byViktor Zubkov as regional development minister, succeeding Vladimir Yakovlev again, and leaving his previous position. On 14 October 2008, he became deputy prime minister of Russia and served until 2020. On 15 January 2020, he resigned as part of the cabinet, afterPresidentVladimir Putin delivered thePresidential Address to the Federal Assembly, in which he proposed several amendments to the constitution.[20]
According toStanislav Belkovsky, Kozak is not well liked by Putin's entourage, but Vladimir Putin does like Kozak, apparently wanting to appoint Kozak as prime minister in 2004 and tapping Kozak as the successor to Putin as president in 2008, however, Dmitry Medvedev won the presidential race. Alexei Makarkin of the Center for Political Technologies said that Putin trusts Kozak as one of his men.[10]
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Dmitry Kozak was the main overseer for theXXII Olympic Winter Games inSochi.[21]
FollowingRussia's intervention into Crimea, Kozak was appointed to greatly strengthen Crimea's social, political, and economic ties to Russia.[10][22]
On the first day ofRussian's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kozak rangZelensky andAndrii Yermak stating it was time for Ukrainians to surrender. Yermak swore and hung up.[23] According to sources close to the Kremlin, Kozak was against the invasion of Ukraine. Putin wanted toannex southeastern Ukraine, and for that reason he allegedly rejected apeace deal brokered by Kozak guaranteeing that Ukraine would not joinNATO if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine.[24]
In September 2025, Kozak submitted his resignation as Putin's deputy chief of staff.[25]
On 28 April 2014, following theCrimean status referendum, theU.S. Treasury put Kozak on theSpecially Designated Nationals List (SDN), alist of individuals sanctioned as “members of the Russian leadership’s inner circle.”[26][27][28] The sanctions freeze any assets he holds in the US[27] and ban him from entering the United States.[29][30][31]
On 29 April 2014, Kozak was added to the European Union sanctions list due to his role in theannexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.[32][33] He is barred from entering the EU countries, and his assets in the EU are frozen.[34]
He was sanctioned by theUK government in 2014 in relation to theRusso-Ukrainian War.[35]
Putin's close ally Dmitry Kozak, recently promoted to the post of regional development minister, will not run, Russian media reported on Sunday.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Presidential Envoy to theSouthern Federal District 13 September 2004 - 24 September 2007 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
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