Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved his chief of staff, Alexander Voloshin, of his duties. Voloshin is reported to have tendered his resignation on Wednesday over the arrest of Russia's richest businessman, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, over the weekend on charges of tax evasion, fraud and forgery. The chief of staff's departure came hours after prosecutors impounded a 44% stake in Mr Khodorkovsky's company, Yukos, under laws designed to tackle organised crime. Voloshin, 47, has been described as a liberal and a pro-business figure with strong sympathies for Mr Khodorkovsky and his oil empire. He was one of the last key figures in the Kremlin to have survived from the previous administration of Boris Yeltsin.

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