On Friday, January 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a series of decrees affecting the Kremlin administration. The relevant documents are published on the official Internet portal of legal information and on the Kremlin website.
So, the former Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin was appointed assistant to the head of state. He headed the Ministry of Economic Development from November 30, 2016 to January 21, 2020, replacing Alexei Ulyukaev, who was dismissed "due to the loss of confidence." In 2017, Ulyukaev was sentenced to eight years in prison and a fine of 130 million rubles for extorting money from Rosneft representatives in exchange for a positive conclusion on the Bashneft privatization deal.
Moreover, for almost four years, Oreshkin has been a special representative of the President of the Russian Federation on trade and economic cooperation with Japan. In addition, in November 2018, he was appointed Chairman of the Council of the Center for Strategic Research - an NGO that is involved in the preparation and implementation of a strategy for the long-term development of the Russian economy.
In addition, he is a member of the Military-Industrial Commission of the Russian Federation, the Supervisory Board of Vnesheconombank, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives for the Promotion of New Projects and the Presidential Council for the Development of Local Self-Government, as well as the manager for Russia at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Bank (EBRD), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
- Vladimir Medinsky and Maxim Oreshkin
- © Ekaterina Shtukina / RIA News
Another assistant to Vladimir Putin was former head of the Ministry of Culture Vladimir Medinsky. He headed the Ministry of Culture for almost eight years - from May 2012 to January 21, 2020. Prior to that, he was a deputy of the State Duma of IV and V convocations.
At the same time, since March 2013, Medinsky also holds the post of chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society, is a member of the Writers' Union of Russia, the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations and the bureau of the Supreme Council of the United Russia All-Russian Political Party.
He has various state awards - the Order of Honor, the Order of Friendship, a medal of P. A. Stolypin of the 1st degree, from the Principality of Monaco received the award of the Commander of the Order of Cultural Merits, and from the authorities of Kazakhstan - the Order of "Dostyk" II degree.
“Vladimir Rostislavovich has done a lot as a minister, will continue to work in the administration,” TASS quoted adviser to the President of the Russian Federation on culture Vladimir Tolstoy.
By another decree, Vladimir Putin amended the regulation on the administration of the Russian president. According to the document, the number of deputy heads of administration of the head of state has been increased from two to three.
Now, Dmitry Kozak, a former deputy prime minister who was in charge of the fuel and energy complex in the government of Dmitry Medvedev, joined Vladimir Ostrovenko and Magomedsalam Magomedov.
In the Soviet years, he worked in the Leningrad prosecutor's office. In the 1990s, he held various positions in the city hall and office of the governor of St. Petersburg. In the next decade, Kozak was appointed to various posts in the presidential administration and the government apparatus. In addition, he was the plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Southern Federal District and the Minister of Regional Development.
Since 2008, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, was reassigned to this position in 2012 and 2018.
Kozak has various state awards, in particular, the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, I and II degrees and the Golden Olympic Order.
- Dmitry Kozak
- © Kremlin Pool / Global Look Press
According to the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, the powers of those appointed to the Kremlin administration will be distributed no later than Monday, January 27.
“I will take a break and will not tell you anything about the distribution of duties, that is, what the new members of the administration’s leadership will do ... We hope that by the end of the day, well, or on Monday, the corresponding changes in the distribution of duties will be signed. And thus, we will inform you about what will be included in the responsibilities of Medinsky, Kozak, ”said Peskov.
At the same time, he noted that Oreshkin will take on the functionality that Andrei Belousov, who became the first deputy prime minister, had previously been involved in, that is, he would "fulfill the role of economic assistant to the president."