Resignation rumors swirl around Russia's longtime Foreign Minister Lavrov
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, July 23, 2026 (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS)
In recent months, rumors have been spreading among Russian officials about a possible resignation of Sergei Lavrov from his post as Russia's foreign minister. At the same time, Lavrov himself likely does not rule out this outcome either, Russian news agency Agentstvo reported on Sept. 17.
Agenstvo cites an as-yet-unpublished investigation by the outlet Proekt, which found, among other things, that Lavrov and his mistress, Svetlana Polyakova, repeatedly traveled on vacation together with the mother of Alina Kabaeva — the de facto mother-in-law of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Lavrov remains the only member of the Russian government who has held his post for 22 years, the journalists noted.
Commenting on the resignation rumors, sources cited by the outlet — including a Putin administration official, a senior state-propaganda executive, and a person close to negotiations on Ukraine — said such a move would be logical.
According to one source, foreign policy in Russia is effectively nonexistent. Lavrov, at least publicly, is not even involved in the negotiation process aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
The journalists' sources said they were not aware that a decision to replace the foreign minister had actually been made.
"However, two of them heard that the new head of the Foreign Ministry should not be a diplomat," Agentstvo reported.
According to one source, Lavrov likely does not rule out his own resignation. This may explain his increasingly "patriotic" rhetoric, including his confrontation with Japan.
Regardless of any decision on Lavrov, officials expect personnel reshuffles following the State Duma elections, set to take place on Sept. 18-20.
In April, the Russian opposition outlet iStories, in an in-depth piece on Lavrov titled Two-headed Lavrov: How Russia's top diplomat chose Putin and war, wrote that Russia's foreign minister remains a devoted "Putinist."
In particular, one source who personally knows Lavrov told journalists that after the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry was ultimately transformed from an agency that "generates ideas" into a "service structure" for Putin's administration.
In September, Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), based on its own investigation, reported that Svetlana Polyakova — believed to be the mistress of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — and her daughter, Polina Kovalyova, had obtained citizenship of the United Arab Emirates.
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