One of Vladimir Putin’s closest advisors has quit his role and fled Russia over the disastrous invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s climate envoy, Anatoly Chubais, dramatically stepped down from his role and ran from the country, over his opposition to Putin’s attack on Ukraine.
Bloomberg reported two people familiar with the situation confirmed the shocking resignation, which marks the highest-level official to break with the Kremlin over the invasion so far.
The TASS news agency and Reuters later confirmed the reports.
The 66-year-old was one of the few 1990-era oligarchs who had survived into Putin’s government.
The veteran reformer left his post as Putin's special representative for ties with international organisations, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, and added that he had no intentions of ever returning.
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He was known as the architect of Russia’s 1990s privitisations which saw the transformation of the country’s economy.
Chubais was also responsible for giving Putin his first ever Kremlin job in the mid-90s.
He originally welcomed the former-FSB agent’s rise to power and went on to take top jobs at big state companies, before he was named envoy for sustainable development last year.
Reports suggest he had always maintained close ties with western officials.
Since the invasion began, the Russian government has stepped up pressure on its domestic critics.
This included a chilling warning from Putin in a speech on March 16 when he warned he would cleanse Russia of “scum and traitors”.
Putin said: “Any people, and particularly the Russian people, will always be able to tell the patriots from the scum and traitors and spit them out like a midge that accidentally flew into their mouths.
“I am convinced that this natural and necessary self-cleansing of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to meet any challenge.”
Last week, a senior economic advisor to a former president and deputy prime minister stepped down in opposition to the invasion.
Arkady Dvorkovich, senior economic advisor to Dmitry Medvedev, former president and deputy PM until 2018, resigned as head of a state-owned technology fund, condemning the invasion.
Alongside him, Dvorkovich, president of the International Chess Federation, is one of the few former senior officials to speak out against the war.
This all comes as the Russian invasion continues to the end of its first month and stretches into the second month of bloody fighting and relentless Russian air strikes.
What was reportedly originally planned as a ‘lightning invasion’ which would have seen the Kremlin’s forces take Kyiv in a matter of days has stuttered and stalled.
Instead of deposing Volodymyr Zelensky ’s government, Moscow finds itself negotiating with it.
