Anatoly Chubais, Putin's aide, resigns and leaves Russia.
Key Takeaways:
- Anatoly Chubais, Vladimir Putin's special representative, has resigned from his post, according to Reuters, amid the conflict with Ukraine.
- In a televised address on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a "special military operation" against Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Anatoly Chubais, Vladimir Putin's special representative, has resigned from his post amid the conflict with Ukraine.
Chubais served as former President Boris Yeltsin's chief of staff and is credited with architecting Russia's post-Soviet economic reforms. In 2020, he was appointed as a special envoy to the Kremlin, just days after resigning as the head of the state technology firm RUSNANO.
Under the leadership of Yegor Gaidar, the ex-Kremlin special envoy was part of a small group of influential economists who attempted to cement Russia's post-Soviet transition, which threw tens of millions of former Soviet citizens into poverty. He was also one of the most influential Russians during the chaotic post-Soviet period. However, to his supporters, Chubais was a hero who saved Russia from civil war.
Chubais is one of the most well-known liberals associated with Russia's government. Chubais does not intend to return to Russia, according to Reuters sources.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a 'special military operation' against Ukraine in a televised address. With the goal of 'demilitarisation and denazification,' Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, igniting the largest war on a European state since World War II. According to Putin, this was 'necessary' because NATO's enlargement posed a threat to Russia.
Since then, the Russian military has bombed Ukraine several times, causing massive destruction and deaths. Mariupol, Ukraine's besieged city, has taken the brunt of the damage so far, followed by Lviv and Kyiv. Officials in Mariupol claim that at least 50 to 100 bombs have landed in the city. Millions of people have been forced to flee the war-torn country due to the conflict.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called for worldwide protests on the one-month anniversary of the war. "Come in the pursuit of peace, come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, assist freedom, and support life," Zelenskyy said in his call for a global March 24 demonstration.