Gleb pavlovsky biography sampler

Gleb Pavlovsky, a prominent Russian political scientist and longtime adviser to President Vladimir Putin who then became one of his most prominent critics, has died at the age of 71, according to local reports.

Simon Kordonsky, head of the local self-government department at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, told the Russian-language business daily newspaper Vedomosti on Monday that Pavlovsky died after a "serious illness."

Pavlovsky held a position with the Kremlin for more than a decade, serving as Putin's political adviser between and

In , he co-founded and led the Foundation for Effective Politics, which played a crucial role in Russian political life and developed Putin's presidential campaign.

He was sacked from his position in the Russian government in , reportedly for backing then-President Dmitry Medvedev to stay on instead of Putin.

After that, he became critical of Putin's presidency and the Kremlin.

The former Kremlin spin doctor had been highly critical of