Jones Jr meets Putin in Crimea

In her lawsuit, Savchuk sought moral damages, compensation of unpaid wages and demanded the closure of the company, Internet Research, saying its employees didn’t have proper Russian employment contracts.

Yakunin’s exit marks “a radical change, a very strong breach in the balance of the inner circle”, Gleb Pavlovsky, a former political adviser to Putin, said by phone on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old boxer, famed for winning world titles in four different weight categories, drank tea with Putin in Crimea’s naval port city of Sevastopol, photographs released by the Kremlin showed.

Muslim Tatars comprise more than 10 percent of Crimea’s population and largely opposed falling under Russian rule last year, remembering the mass deportations ordered by Moscow during the Soviet era.

Putin said the shipwreck was covered by 40 centimeters (15.75 inches) of silt, making it hard to see.

Putin’s popularity reached an all-time high in recent months. Putin said later that he had been planning the move even before the referendum was held. “Otherwise, the economy will simply become catastrophic”.

A Putin confident since their time together in St Petersburg in the 1990s, Yakunin is a vocal supporter of the president and has become a favoured target of Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny. “Full stop”, Putin said when asked about Poroshenko’s comments. The problem is worse in the West, Yakunin has said, because there is more to steal.

The US and Europe have slapped sanctions on Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and alleged support for a separatist uprising in east Ukraine.

Off the vessel, Mr Putin was greeted by Mr Medvedev, who did give him a hug, and also by his chief of staff and defence minister.

Outgoing Kaliningrad Governor Nikolai Tsukanov, who forced a by-election by filing for early retirement in June, nominated Yakunin as his potential successor.