Aide to the president of the Russian Federation Vladislav Surkov, who is the curator of the terrorist "LNR" and "DNR", can be replaced the presidential envoy in the Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich. This is reported by the Russian edition of Kommersant.
According to the publication, Vladimir Putin can determine the staff of the leadership of the presidential administration already this week. Mikhail Babich is called a possible replacement for the presidential aide responsible for South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Ukraine.
On May 11, the Russian edition RBK reported on the forthcoming resignation of Vladislav Surkov: the sources of the publication claimed that his team had a conflict with the law enforcers, including those responsible for counterintelligence in the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine.
"One of the sources of Kommersant, close to the president's administration for socio-economic cooperation with the CIS states, Abkhazia and South Ossetia (led by long-time associate of Vladislav Surkov, Oleg Govorun), argues that "since the beginning of this year, Surkov almost retired from this direction". However, it is too early to talk whether he will leave his post or not, given the importance of the work site", - the publication writes.
In the event that Surkov leaves, the interlocutor of Kommersant thinks that the most likely candidate for his place is the current envoy in the Volga Federal District Mikhail Babich. However, he notes that the post of curator of Ukraine can be taken by a security official: this option can be considered as a sign that "everything is bad in the Ukrainian direction".
It is also noted that according to one scenario, another important change is possible: Boris Gryzlov, ex-speaker of the State Duma, who is Russia's plenipotentiary representative in the contact group for the settlement of the situation in Ukraine, may become the presidential envoy in the Central Federal District. At the same time, Boris Gryzlov told Kommersant that he had not received the proposal to become presidential envoy to the Central Federal District, stressing that "the contact group remains a priority task".