Patrushev blocks Shoigu from former office, retains sway over Putin

“First, we need to understand who Patrushev is. If we compare it to the late Stalinist era, he is like Beria. He oversees the security agencies for Putin and is the country’s chief chekist. Last year, there was some confusion when he lost his position as Security Council secretary, overseeing all security agencies, and was reassigned to advising on shipbuilding—a move that seemed like a demotion,” Zakharov said in an interview with Radio NV.

At the same time, Zakharov noted that for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who replaced Patrushev as Security Council secretary, this position is “more honorary, as his generals are being jailed.”

“There’s a story that Patrushev didn’t even let him into his office. Patrushev has an office on Staraia Square, in the former headquarters of the CPSU Central Committee, which the new Security Council secretary was supposed to occupy. But Patrushev found it too humiliating and didn’t allow Shoigu to enter,” Zakharov added.

Zakharov said that Patrushev’s recent interview and increased public activity show he “remains in form and continues to influence Putin.”

“There are two folders—one with media digests and the other with reports from security agencies. Patrushev was one of the people shaping Putin’s worldview through those reports. His perspective on the U.S. and Ukraine has largely been dictated by Patrushev,” Zakharov explained.

He also recalled that Patrushev had previously given interviews, mostly to Argumenty i Fakty, aimed at Putin and Western leaders.

According to Zakharov, it is now “beneath Patrushev’s status” to give interviews on topics broader than shipbuilding. However, the fact that he does so indicates that the former Security Council secretary has retained his apparatus and “still writes broader memos for Putin.” Patrushev also appears to be vying for a role in U.S.-Russia relations.

“But here’s an important point: yes, he influences Putin and advises him on more than shipbuilding, and he still has his apparatus. However, Putin has other advisors as well. Patrushev is not the sole voice in Putin’s ear. While his statements reflect the perspective of one Kremlin faction, they should not be taken as official Kremlin or Putin policy,” Zakharov added.

Patrushev’s removal from the Security Council and recent interview

On May 12, 2024, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin decided not to reappoint Sergei Shoigu as defense minister after nearly 12 years in the role and instead named him as Security Council secretary.

On May 14, 2024, Putin appointed Nikolai Patrushev, who had been removed as Security Council secretary, as one of his nine advisors. On the same day, Patrushev’s son, Dmitry Patrushev, previously the agriculture minister, was appointed as Russia’s deputy prime minister.

Patrushev had led the Security Council since May 2008. Shoigu had been defense minister since Nov. 6, 2012.

In late December, following reports that a Russian Il-96-300 special aircraft spent two days in Washington and New York, Ukrainian diplomat Valerii Chaly told Radio NV that, according to American journalists and experts, Patrushev was on board, engaging in undisclosed discussions.

On Jan. 14, the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with Patrushev in which he claimed Ukraine “could cease to exist in 2025.” He suggested that Russia might consider concessions during future negotiations, falsely alleging that sham “referendums” in Ukraine’s occupied territories in September 2022 “legitimized” Russia’s claims over parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts.

Patrushev also stated that Russia would demand “international recognition” of the illegal occupation and annexation of those territories and Crimea as a condition for any agreements.