PM Mishustin announces shake-up of Russian government

The prime minister is handing several regional governors cabinet positions

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Saturday unveiled his first picks for the new cabinet, which is set to undergo a major reshuffle. It was announced on Friday that Mishustin, who has led the country’s government since 2020, would retain his post.

Acting Deputy PM and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov has been tapped to become First Deputy Prime Minister. “The upgraded status of the Deputy PM in charge of industry is due to the importance of ensuring technological leadership, as stated in the new May decree signed by President [Vladimir Putin],” government spokesman Boris Belyakov explained.

The new government will also see a new Deputy PM position created, with the official specifically tasked with the development of transport and logistics. Erstwhile transport minister Vitaly Savelyev has been tapped to fill the role.

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The cabinet is slated to include many new faces; several regional governors have been promoted. For instance, Kursk Governor Roman Starovoyt has been tapped to succeed Savelyev as transport minister.

“Roman Starovoyt has extensive political and management experience, which will be useful in his work as head of one of the key federal ministries,” Belyakov explained, adding that the governor led Russia’s federal road agency, Rosavtodor, between 2012 and 2018.

Another regional head who has been given a cabinet position is Khabarovsk Region Governor Sergey Tsivilev, who has been handed the reigns of the Energy Ministry. Kaliningrad Governor Anton Alikhanov has been picked to replace Manturov as Industry and Trade Minister. Mikhail Degtyaryev, the governor of the far-eastern Khabarovsk Region, will run the country’s Ministry of Sports.

The list of new cabinet names does not include new picks for the law enforcement, emergencies or defense ministries, given that these officials are selected through a different procedure. These ministers are introduced directly by the president into the parliament’s upper chamber, the Federation Council. The new names are expected to be presented to the legislature by May 15, the body’s Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said earlier this week.