According to the Eurasia regular Monitor, the turning point was the downfall of Dmitry Kozak, the erstwhile superintendent of policy on Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Kozak lost his influence after a series of setbacks, notably the failure of Russian attempts to interfere in Moldova's elections. According to Kommersant, Putin abolished the departments he headed, transferring their tasks to Sergei Kiriyenko. According to the analytical platform RIDL.io (Russian global Affairs Council), the takeover of these competencies was carried out at a pace indicative of a deliberate decision by the Kremlin: by ousting Kozak, Kiriyenko's position was strengthened.
