VLADIMIR Putin has reportedly cast aside his veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in a spectacular fall from grace inside the Kremlin.
It is understood Lavrov, 75, has been “sent into disgrace” after enraging the Trump administration and being frozen out of top-level meetings.
An unnamed source told pro-Kremlin Russian daily Kommersant that Lavrov had been “absent by agreement” without providing details.
Lavrov has been Russia’s hardline diplomat for 21 years, earning the nickname “Dr No” for his relentless obstructions and refusal to compromise with the West.
He has vanished from view in recent days, fuelling talks of fresh turmoil at the heart of Putin’s rule.
Lavrov was absent from the Kremlin’s Security Council session on Wednesday and stripped of his long-held role leading the Russian delegation to this month’s G20 summit in South Africa.
For the first time, that task has gone instead to Kremlin insider Maxim Oreshkin.
Putin cannot attend the G20 himself due to an international arrest warrant over the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Until now, Lavrov had always deputised for him, a privilege now abruptly revoked.
At his last public appearance with Putin in late October, Lavrov appeared to look tense and withdrawn as they hosted North Korea’s foreign minister in the Kremlin.
Other accounts suggest Lavrov – who recently said he had no health problems – has been aching to retire but, until now, has been refused by Putin.
Russian media say the foreign minister is being blamed for the failure to secure an expected Putin-Trump meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
The Moscow Times bluntly reported: “Putin sent Lavrov into disgrace after the Trump summit collapse.”
The blame stems from what insiders labelled “a disastrous call” Lavrov held with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 21.
It reportedly soured Washington’s mood and prompted Trump to call off the summit.
Lavrov had claimed the conversation went “really well”, adding it must have been “so good” that Washington cancelled their follow-up meeting.
Sources cited by the Nezygar Telegram channel say Lavrov is “clearly dejected now — he has found himself at the centre of intrigue.”
Another source said: “Lavrov is indeed tired, and, apparently, he now has more ill-wishers in the Kremlin.”
Rumours swirl that an investigation may have begun into Lavrov’s role, as Putin’s circle hunts for a “scapegoat” to explain Russia’s failure to win international support in the Ukraine war.
Mad Vlad reportedly sent another trusted insider – Kirill Dimitriev, a close friend of his daughter Katerina – to repair ties in Washington, bypassing “sidelined” Lavrov altogether.
The veteran minister’s removal comes as Putin’s regime shows signs of paranoia and decay.
This week, the Russian tyrant raged about Western spies plotting to tear Russia apart, while one senior aide warned of possible “civil war.”
Meanwhile, Moscow’s defiance continues on the battlefield.
Despite a direct warning from Washington to stop the “senseless killings,” Russian forces unleashed fresh strikes on Ukraine.
One Shahed drone was shot down just seconds before slamming into a residential block, and footage from Sumy showed Russia bombing a highway near the border.
Ukraine retaliated with hits on fuel depots and trains in occupied Crimea.
