Vladimir Putin has appointed one of his closest allies, Nikolai Patrushev, as an official aide, in the latest reshuffle of his inner circle.

But Mr Putin remains the person who has the final say. It was his decision to start the war in Ukraine and all the big calls are taken by him.

Alexei Dyumin, Mr Putin’s former bodyguard and governor of the Tula region, was also made an aide to the president.

It has been alleged he was directly involved in leading the “little green men” that went into Ukraine in 2014 and the subsequent annexation of Crimea.

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