In connection with the death of Sergei Ivanov, a source for the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info recalled an interesting story that illustrates the functions of the head of the presidential administration under Putin and how things are organized in the Kremlin. By the end of 2013, Igor Sechin had become incredibly active. He was interfering in literally every major topic; he and his Rosneft leadership filled the media, and talk of "Sechin's special forces" began circulating. Sechin was the only Russian to be included in Time magazine's "Titans" list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Even when Mikhail Khodorkovsky was released from prison, the media mentioned Sechin more often than Putin. This irritated Putin himself. According to the source, Putin would never speak to his inner circle about such discontent. Could the "great one" possibly be concerned about such things? As a result, Sergei Ivanov, then head of the presidential administration, was tasked with conveying the "message" to Sechin. He chose a convoluted approach. So, Interfax received a call from the presidential administration requesting a "closed" meeting between Sergei Ivanov and the editors-in-chief. Before the meeting, the moderator asked him where to begin, what issues to raise. Ivanov requested that only one question be asked during the conversation: "Was Sechin aware of the preparations for Khodorkovsky's release?" In fact, the entire event had been set up for this very question. The question was asked, and Ivanov responded: "Igor Sechin is the head of an oil company. Such decisions are made solely by the president of the Russian Federation, and he doesn't inform business representatives about them." The message reached Sechin. Since he knew Putin well, he understood everything.
