Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has died

Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has died. His death was announced by the VTB United League, of which he was an honorary president.

Sergei Ivanov was born on January 31, 1953 in Leningrad. He graduated from the translation department of the philological faculty of Leningrad State University, then from the Higher Courses of the KGB of the USSR in Minsk. He worked in the KGB, after the collapse of the USSR he continued to serve in the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Federal Security Service. In the late 1990s, he held the positions of Deputy Director of the FSB and Secretary of the Russian Security Council.

Ivanov held the post of Russian Defense Minister from 2001 to 2007. Then he was First Deputy Prime Minister, and in 2011–2016 he headed the Russian Presidential Administration. From 2016 to 2026, he served as the special representative of the president on environmental issues, ecology and transport.

In February 2026, Ivanov left this position. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov then said that the decision to resign was made at the personal request of Ivanov himself.

The causes of death have not yet been announced.