Russia plans four new deputy prime ministers as Finance Minister Siluanov gains influence

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced a cabinet reshuffle on October 19, naming four new deputy prime ministers and a new transport minister. The State Duma, the lower house of parliament, is expected to approve the appointments shortly, after which the president will sign formal decrees. The changes matter because they shift influence between the Finance Ministry and the prime minister's team at a time when the war against Ukraine is costing far more than budgeted.

Siluanov becomes deputy prime minister

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who has led the ministry since 2011, will become a deputy prime minister while keeping his current post. He has held the rank before: from 2018 to 2020 he was first deputy prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev. Experts unanimously see the appointment as strengthening his position. Faridaily reports that Mishustin has long wanted to replace Siluanov with someone from his own team, such as Federal Tax Service head Daniil Yegorov.

The Bell reports it is unclear which agencies Siluanov will oversee. Alexandra Prokopenko of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin calls the move a return to a familiar arrangement. She says the key question is whether he takes over oversight of the economy as a whole, currently the remit of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

Other appointments

Siluanov's first deputy, 41-year-old Irina Okladnikova, will become the government's chief of staff with deputy prime minister rank. She will oversee the efficiency of budget spending, the national debt and the National Wealth Fund. She replaces Dmitry Grigorenko, regarded as one of Mishustin's closest officials; sources say he may move to Sber. Experts view his exit as weakening Mishustin, though Faridaily argues it does not make him a "lame duck."

Primorsky Krai Governor Oleg Kozhemyako replaces Yuri Trutnev, who served 13 years as deputy prime minister and presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District. Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin becomes deputy prime minister for transport, and Dmitry Yadrov, head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, has been nominated as transport minister.