Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Andrei Buliga, one of Russia's deputy defense ministers since 2024, to the post of deputy secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council, state news agencies in Moscow reported on Monday, citing a presidential decree. According to the same sources, Lieutenant General Alexander Sanchik, who previously served as commander of Russia's southern region, has been appointed deputy defense minister, replacing Buliga.

Meanwhile, the absence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from a crucial Security Council meeting last week has drawn particular attention – a fact that has fuelled speculation about tensions in his relationship with Putin. At that meeting, the Russian president asked his top officials to draft proposals for a possible nuclear weapons test, while Lavrov, one of his closest aides for years, was absent. According to a Sky News analysis, the absence “raises serious questions about the position of Moscow’s top diplomat.”

Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Lavrov’s absence was “coordinated,” but the fact has sparked a wave of speculation in Russian political circles. Suspicions have been heightened by the Kremlin’s decision to send a younger official to the upcoming G20 summit, a role traditionally reserved for Lavrov himself. “This episode alone would be enough to cause a stir, but combined with the changes in Russian diplomatic representation, the question arises whether Lavrov has been sidelined,” writes Sky News. The Kremlin has been forced to publicly deny any rift, but has failed to quell speculation that Lavrov has fallen out of favor politically.

According to the Financial Times, tensions have intensified since Donald Trump canceled a summit with Putin in Budapest last month, following a phone call between Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The British newspaper notes that “Lavrov’s stubbornness” in this communication prompted the White House to postpone the meeting, further deepening the rift at the top of Russian power.