In mid-January, Putin’s “gray cardinal” Vladislav Surkov left the Kremlin. His powers transitioned to Dmitry Kozak, the Russian deputy prime minister before his recent appointment as third deputy head of Putin’s administration. However, the first month of Kozak’s leadership as Putin’s aide for Ukrainian matters and as the handler for the mock republics in the Donbas didn’t bring any changes to Russia’s policies towards Ukraine in general and to the simmering armed conflict led by Russia in the east of Ukraine for six years.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Yuri Zoria: Russia’s policies toward Ukraine remain unchanged
Opposition supporters with Russian flags and a banner reading "Ukraine" attend a march in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov in downtown Moscow on Feb. 29, 2020.
