MOSCOW Vladislav Surkov, a masterful political operative and propagandist known as the “gray cardinal” of the Kremlin, was fired Wednesday in a move that was widely seen as a reflection of a deepening rift in the relationship between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
While the decree signed by Putin said Surkov was being relieved of his duties at his own request, most Russian political experts agreed that the 38-year-old deputy premier was the unwilling victim of larger political forces — although “victim” seems an unlikely term to describe a man who has drawn comparison to Machiavelli and Rasputin.
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