Russian Government Reshuffle Sees Finance Minister And Three Other Officials Tapped For Deputy Prime Minister Posts

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Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin proposed four officials for deputy prime minister roles, and President Vladimir Putin supported the proposals, according to the Kremlin and presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The nominees include Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin; the State Duma must confirm the nominations.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin proposed four officials for deputy prime minister posts on October 19, including Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin, after President Vladimir Putin backed the changes, according to the Kremlin and presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The nominees still require confirmation by the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament.

The Kremlin said Mishustin presented Putin with proposals for “a number of personnel changes in the government” during a meeting on Monday morning. Among the nominations, Mishustin proposed that Finance Minister Anton Siluanov also become a deputy prime minister. Siluanov held a senior government role as first deputy prime minister from 2018 to 2020.

Mishustin also nominated Primorsky Governor Oleg Kozhemyako to become deputy prime minister and presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District. The envoy post is currently held by Yuri Trutnev. The proposed appointment would place Kozhemyako in both a government role and the regional envoy position, pending the required parliamentary process.

The other proposals concern transport and government administration. Mishustin nominated Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin for deputy prime minister and proposed Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, known as Rosaviatsia, as transport minister. First Deputy Finance Minister Irina Okladnikova was nominated for deputy prime minister and head of the government staff, a position currently held by Dmitry Grigorenko.

Four Roles Could Shift

The proposals would change the senior team overseeing finance, transport and government administration, while also affecting the federal government’s representation in the Far East. They pair nominations for deputy prime minister positions with proposed changes to the transport ministry and the government’s staff leadership.

For now, the announcement is a set of proposals rather than a completed reshuffle. The State Duma’s confirmation process is the next formal step, so the officials’ appointments to these roles are not yet final. The outcome will indicate whether the proposed lineup moves ahead as presented.

The Nominees’ Current Posts

Several of the proposed appointments involve officials who already hold senior positions. Siluanov leads the Finance Ministry, Nikitin leads the Transport Ministry, and Okladnikova is the first deputy finance minister. Kozhemyako is governor of Primorsky Krai, while Yadrov heads Rosaviatsia.

Siluanov has previously served as first deputy prime minister, from 2018 to 2020, while retaining a senior finance role. That past appointment provides a precedent for the proposed combination of his finance portfolio with a deputy prime minister position. The current announcement does not specify whether all nominees would retain any existing responsibilities after taking new posts.

““proposals for a number of personnel changes in the government””

— The Kremlin’s press service

Parliamentary Approval Still Pending

The announcement confirms Mishustin’s nominations and Putin’s support, but it does not establish that the appointments have taken effect. Under the Russian Constitution, candidates nominated by the head of government must be confirmed by the State Duma. The supplied report does not give a date for votes or describe the expected timetable.

It is also not clear from the announcement whether the nominees would keep their current posts, when any changes would take effect, or whether the State Duma will consider the nominations together or separately. Those details may become clearer as the confirmation process proceeds.

State Duma Votes Awaited

The next formal development is consideration of the candidates by the State Duma, which must confirm nominations made by the prime minister. Until that step is completed, the proposed appointments should be treated as pending rather than completed changes to the government.

Further announcements could set out the schedule for confirmation and clarify the handover of duties, including the proposed changes at the Transport Ministry and the government staff office. The source report does not state when those details or parliamentary decisions are expected.

Key Questions

Who did Mikhail Mishustin nominate for deputy prime minister posts?

He nominated Anton Siluanov, Oleg Kozhemyako, Andrei Nikitin and Irina Okladnikova, according to the report.

Has Putin approved the appointments?

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin supported the proposals. That backing is not the same as final appointment: the nominations still require State Duma confirmation.

Who is proposed to become Russia’s transport minister?

Mishustin proposed Dmitry Yadrov, the head of Rosaviatsia, for the transport minister post. The proposal remains subject to the required approval process.

When will the nominations take effect?

The report does not give a timetable. It says the State Duma must confirm the candidates, but does not specify when votes will take place or when any approved appointments would begin.

Source: rss