Putin's “Grey Cardinal” Vladislav Surkov has been arrested, according to former Russian Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev. Surkov was one of the masterminds of Russian domestic politics from 1999 to the present day, and his arrest implies a significant change of direction in the Kremlin.

Surkov, originally a PR guru for oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, served as First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration from 1999-2011. After a two-year stint as Deputy Prime Minister, he became Putin’s personal adviser on Ukraine.

If the arrest of Surkov is verified, it is likely to indicate deep divisions in the Kremlin, representing the ousting of one of Russia’s leading twenty-first century ideologists.

Shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Surkov published an article calling for Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states to be annexed.

According to Ponomarev, the case allegedly brought against Surkov relates to embezzlement in the Donbas region from 2014 onwards.

Corruption and embezzlement within the military appear to have played a significant role in the failures of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine so far, including the withdrawal from Kyiv.

Another sign of a change of leadership comes in the reported appointment of Aleksandr Dvornikov, dubbed “the butcher of Aleppo” to supreme commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine. The appointment could represent an attempt to centralise the command of Russia’s army before its coming offensive on eastern Ukraine.

Reports of a mass purge of Russian secret services also reinforce the suggestion that Putin is unhappy with his top brass. The Times reports that 150 FSB agents were removed from their jobs. The head of the department responsible for Ukraine, Sergei Beseda, has been arrested and sent to Lefortovo prison, according to The Times. It is likely that his reported arrest is linked to his failure to provide the president with accurate information on Russia’s campaign in Ukraine.