The Chief of Staff at Russia's State Duma is to leave her post as part of the country's ongoing high-level political shake up, the Vedomosti newspaper reported Tuesday.
Dzhakhan Pollyeva “has packed her bags” and will resign following elections to the Duma next month, one source told the newspaper.
Pollyeva has served in the Duma since 2012, having previously served in the Presidential Administration for 15 years, Vedomosti reported. She earlier worked informally as a speechwriter for former Russian presidents Boris Yeltsin and Dmitry Medvedev, and for current Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Pollyeva’s resignation adds to the growing list of high-level personnel changes in recent months.
Putin replaced Education Minister Dmitry Livanov earlier this week, while his long term ally, Sergei Ivanov, was removed from his post as head of the Presidential Administration last month.
The reshuffle could continue following the elections, with First Deputy of the Presidential Administration, Vyacheslav Volodin, poised to become Duma Speaker after the vote, the Kommersant newspaper reported Tuesday. The move could see current Speaker Sergei Naryskin become Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, the newspaper reported.
Naryshkin, who served in the leadership of the KGB between 1978 and 1982, was non-committal when asked Monday if he would shortly be moving to the Duma.
“When I was introduced to President [Putin] in 2001, I was given an order - don’t let this man down. I always keep that in mind,” he said.
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