Dmitry Kozak, Russian politician; Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Dmitry Nikolayevich Kozak (Russian: Дмитрий Николаевич Кóзак, IPA: [ˈdmʲitrʲɪj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ kˈozak], Ukrainian: Дмитро Миколайович Козак; born 7 November 1958) is a Russian politician who has served as the Deputy Kremlin Chief of Staff since 24 January 2020. He previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 2008 to 2020.
Known as the Cheshire Cat (Russian: Чеширский кот) because of his smile, Kozak is part of the Vlast' (Russian: Власть) or power group from St. Petersburg close to Putin.He served previously as the Regional Development Minister in the Russian cabinet headed by Viktor Zubkov from 2007 to 2008. From 2004 to 2007 he served as Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Southern Federal District (North Caucasus and Southern European Russia).Dmitry Kozak is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, having worked with him in the St Petersburg city administration during the 1990s and later becoming one of the key figures in Putin's presidential team. During the 2004 Russian presidential election he worked as the head of Putin's election campaign team. Kozak was one of several members of Putin's circle touted in the media as a possible candidate to succeed Putin as president in 2008.