Moscow –
Gleb Pavlovsky, a Soviet-era dissident and Kremlin political consultant who helped improve the image of President Vladimir Putin, has died, his family said Monday. he was 71 years old.
Pavlovsky worked as the Kremlin’s chief adviser for 15 years and was widely seen as one of the leading architects of Russia’s post-Soviet political system.
Pavlovsky’s death was reported by his family on the Messages app channel. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.
Born in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Pavlovsky became involved in dissident activities as a university student.
He was arrested in 1982 and sentenced to three years of domestic exile later that year. During the trial, Pavlovsky pleaded guilty and testified against several of his colleagues.
After serving his sentence, Pavlovsky returned to Moscow in 1985 and became an active member of the democratization camp created by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, he began working as a political consultant and, in 1996, helped the successful re-election campaign of Russia’s first president, Boris Yeltsin.
Pavlovsky was involved in securing Putin’s first election in March 2000 when Yeltsin stepped down and named Putin as his successor. He lost his support and continued to consult with the Kremlin until 2011, when he lost his post as presidential adviser.
After his dismissal, Pavlovsky became sharply critical of the Kremlin, denouncing the authorities’ efforts to tighten control over Russian politics, including a relentless crackdown on opposition parties and independent media. He strongly condemned Putin’s decision to send troops to Ukraine.
08:37 ET 27-02-23
