Sergei Ivanov, a former defense minister and the man who came closer than anyone else to the Russian presidency before the end of Vladimir Putin’s second term, died on June 26. After Putin chose Dmitry Medvedev over Ivanov as his successor, Ivanov served as deputy prime minister in the 2008–2011 cabinet and later as the president’s chief of staff. In 2016, however, he moved to the post of presidential envoy for environmental affairs and transportation, which he held until February 2026.