Vladislav Surkov, who accompanied Vladimir Putin in his ascent to the top, is said to have resigned from the Kremlin over their widely divergent views.

A unique and captivating figure, he had deftly created stylish youth groups and political parties favorable to Vladimir Putin’s policies. He had thought up the principle of the "vertical of power" which tailored democratic forms to fit the requirements of the Great Russia [1].

He also conducted the Kremlin’s Ukraine policy over which he had a run-in with NATO agents, thereby saving Ukraine and the Donbass. It is apparently on this issue that he came under fire, driving him to resign of his own volition.

His taste for the US counterculture of the 60s, the Beat Generation and the Stonewall movement, aroused bitter enmity towards him.

However, it remains to be seen whether, without Surkov’s input, it will be possible for President Putin to build the institutions foreseen in the framework of his constitutional reform.

[1] "Vladislav Sourkov: The Stabilisation of Russia is not Fully Completed Yet”, by Yuri Filippov, Voltaire Network, 28 June 2005.