President Igor Dodon loses gradually his allies in the Moscow leadership. Dmitry Kozak, who was responsible for relations with the Republic of Moldova during his mandate as Russian deputy prime minister, is not in the new government of Mikhail Mishustin.

The profile of the former Russian official has already been deleted from the official website of the Moscow executive. It is not yet known whether Dmitry Kozak will be given another function.

Known as the Cheshire Cat because of his smile, Kozak served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 2008–2020.

After Igor Dodon won the 2016 presidential election, Kozak was his liaison with Moscow. His involvement in the Moldovan politics was accentuated last summer, when the press wrote that the PSRM-ACUM alliance was resulted from a Kozak's phone guidance offered on June 7 when it expired the legal term for the formation of a parliamentary majority and a new Government.

Subsequently, Dmitry Kozak made several visits to Chisinau, at one point gave direct indications to Dodon, when he demanded the cancellation of the mixed voting system, and was even nicknamed the godfather of the former governing alliance.

Also, Kozak's name was mentioned in June 3, 2019 discussion between President Igor Dodon and then leader of the Democratic Party, Vlad Plahotniuc, filmed with a hidden camera. At that time, Dodon said the Russian Deputy Prime Minister was insisting on the approval of a federalization plan of the Republic of Moldova. The idea was not a new one.

Dmitry Kozak formulated a federalization plan in 2003, designed to resolve the conflict in the Transnistrian region, which was even named in his honor. The document was rejected, at the last moment, by the then president of the country, Vladimir Voronin, which has broken the relations between Moscow and Chisinau.

Dmitry Kozak is not the only ally of Dodon who remains without a portfolio lately. Russia's top prosecutor, Yury Chaika, who as one of the most powerful law enforcement figures in the country oversaw a raft of politically charged criminal investigations, will leave his position after nearly 14 years in office.

Yury Chaika is the father of the business partner of the president's brother from Chisinau.