Putin's Right-Hand Man Missing from Key Kremlin Meeting
The notable absence of Russia’s long-serving foreign minister from a crucial Kremlin meeting and the upcoming G20 delegation has triggered speculation that he may have fallen out of favor with President Vladimir Putin.
In earlier Soviet times, Western analysts would carefully study footage of official events—such as military parades on Red Square—to discern shifts in the Kremlin’s internal hierarchy. Analysts would ask: who stood nearest the leader? What did the gestures reveal? Which figures were gaining or losing influence?
Little seems to have changed today. Modern Kremlin-watchers are now examining video from Wednesday’s significant session of Russia’s Security Council, where President Putin instructed senior officials to begin drafting proposals for a potential nuclear weapons test.
It was a meeting that no loyal aide would typically skip. Yet Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s long-established foreign minister, was notably missing—the only permanent member of the Council absent.
According to the Russian business daily Kommersant, his absence was “coordinated.”
The diplomatic community is now abuzz with questions about whether this marks the beginning of a shift in the Kremlin's power structure.
Author’s Summary
Lavrov’s unexplained absence from a vital Security Council meeting has raised doubts about his standing with President Putin and possible changes within Russia’s leadership circle.