00:00Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has died at the age of 73.
00:05The Kremlin confirmed his death on Friday, but did not give a cause.
00:09Ivanov was one of the most prominent figures in Russia's post-Soviet security establishment.
00:15A former KGB officer from Leningrad, now St. Petersburg,
00:19he worked in the same Soviet security world that shaped Vladimir Putin's early career.
00:24In 2001, Ivanov became Russia's first civilian defense minister,
00:29he later served as deputy prime minister and was once viewed as a possible successor to Putin.
00:35But in 2008, Dmitry Medvedev was chosen for the presidency instead.
00:41Ivanov remained close to power, later becoming Kremlin chief of staff.
00:45In 2016, he was moved to a lower-profile envoy role covering environmental and transport issues.
00:51His death marks the end of a major career inside Russia's security and political elite.
00:56It may also renew attention on the aging circle of officials who helped shape Putin's Russia.
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