Sergei Ivanov, Putin ally and former Russian defence minister, dies at 73

Death announced

The death of Sergei Ivanov was first made public on 26 June by the VTB United League basketball organisation, where he served as honorary president. The league statement called him a driving force behind the league’s creation and development. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later confirmed the news, and President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram of condolences to Ivanov's family. No cause of death was provided.

We inform with great regret that today Sergei Ivanov died.

From KGB to defence ministry

Ivanov was born on 31 January 1953 in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, and, like Putin, came from the Soviet KGB. He studied languages at Leningrad State University, then completed higher KGB courses in Minsk. After the Soviet collapse he served in the Foreign Intelligence Service and became deputy director of the FSB under Putin. In 2001 he was appointed defence minister, the first civilian to hold the post in modern Russian history.

Chechen war and NATO criticism

During his tenure as defence minister he oversaw the armed forces in the second Chechen war. Ivanov regularly argued that NATO’s eastward expansion and U.S. missile defence plans undermined Russia’s security interests. He insisted that European security required mutual respect for the concerns of all sides.

Security in Europe should be built on mutual respect for the concerns and interests of all sides.

Succession speculation and later roles

By 2007 Ivanov was seen as one of the leading contenders to succeed Putin, but the presidency went to Dmitry Medvedev. He served as first deputy prime minister and, from 2011, as chief of the presidential administration. In 2016 Putin named him special representative for environmental affairs, ecology and transport, a role he held until he resigned in February 2026 at his own request. He remained a member of the Security Council.

Sanctions and legacy

After Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, Ivanov was placed under Western sanctions as a Kremlin official tied to the policy on Ukraine. His death removes one of the most enduring figures from the siloviki network that has shaped Russia's post-Soviet security state.