President Vladimir Putin is leaving his influence group in power at three agencies, while Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev chose new people for all other places in the government. President Vladimir Putin is leaving his influence group in power at three agencies, while Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev chose new people for all other places in the government. The first appointments to the new government could be held...

Were this 2008 and not 2012 — and had Dmitry Medvedev been named prime minister without having first served a full term as president — then the composition of his new government might have created a generally positive impression. Were this 2008 and not 2012 — and had Dmitry Medvedev been named prime minister without having first served a full term as president — then the composition of his new government...

First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov staked a claim Monday to stay on as the government’s No. 2, signaling continuity on economic policy and potentially weakening Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s future role. First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov staked a claim Monday to stay on as the government’s No. 2, signaling...

... debate. Take, for example, the bill currently being considered in the State Duma that will allow public officials and businesspeople to conceal serious conflicts of interest, including their shareholdings in companies that have large dealings with the government. Few outside of government and big business knew anything about the bill until information was recently leaked to the media. Nor did anyone know that the bill was heavily lobbied by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, or...

The composition of the new government makes for an interesting story. The composition of the new government makes for an interesting story. First, the appointments were made only after a long delay. Before leaving for the Group of Eight summit at Camp David two weeks ago...

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Thursday dismissed his government in what appeared to be an attempt to avoid a possible reduction in federal subsidies, which the region heavily relies upon. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Thursday dismissed his government in what appeared...

... is that this self-evident orthodoxy has languished on the shelf as frothy oil prices have continued to buoy the Russian economy and as the federal budget remains in balance despite expenditures rising by about 20 percent from last year. Arguably, the government is no different from those in Europe or the United States in terms of trying to postpone socially and politically difficult decisions if there is some more palatable alternative. In what could be perceived to be remarkably awkward timing,...

The Kremlin doesn't do radical. But business leaders are happy and praised the "stability" the new cabinet brings. The reaction to the new government has largely been neutral to negative. Perennial hopes that Russia was finally going to embark on a radical and rapid course of economic reform and political liberalisation failed to materialise — but then such hopes always have. That...

The former head of the Federal Youth Agency said Tuesday that the government has financed a liberal-leaning news outlet founded by Ilya Varlamov, one of the country's most popular bloggers. The former head of the Federal Youth Agency said Tuesday that the government has financed a liberal-leaning news...

Rules requiring government officials to disclose income in official reports don't seem to be instilling confidence in Russians, as a new poll by the Levada Center shows only two percent believe officials disclose all sources of income. Rules requiring government officials...

... installed as governor of Karelia. Yeroshchenko is a confidant of reformist presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov who led the Right Cause party's operations in the Irkutsk region. Kuivashev was transferred to the Sverdlovsk region after a stint in the government of the Urals Federal District. (MT)

... Elvira Nabiullina and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Shuvalov told Shoigu that he could rely on his friends within the ruling elite. Shoigu had said previously that he would not bring many Emergency Situations Ministry officials to work for the regional government. Shuvalov, likely to assume a senior post in Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's new Cabinet, has indicated that the new governor should increase social standards in the region. "The social standards for those who live in Moscow [the city]...

... region," Basargin said Monday, stressing that he was most interested in projects involving transportation and the supply system. Basargin, whose appointment needs to be confirmed by the regional legislature, will replace Oleg Chirkunov, who had governed Perm since December 2005 and whose current term was to expire in 2015. He and Yaroslavl Governor Sergei Vakhrukov both left their posts voluntarily, according to statements posted Saturday on the Kremlin website. Medvedev had criticized Vakhrukov...

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is not having an easy time forming a Cabinet, as many of those he invited did not want to work in the government. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is not having an easy time forming a Cabinet, as many of those he invited did not want to work in the government. Officials say the list of candidates will be announced on Monday. "The legend must become...

The highest-ranking woman in the new government spent eight years working for billionaire former presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov, sparking speculation — in lieu of his absence — that she might be his "representative" in the government. Vedomosti...

An in-depth profile of Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets by Russia's only daily English-language newspaper. 22 May 2012 The highest-ranking woman in the new government spent eight years working for billionaire former presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov, sparking speculation — in lieu of his absence — that she might be his "representative" in the government. Labor economist Olga...

... that Vladimir Putin is firmly in charge and no significant policy changes are in the offing. “It’s business as usual,” said Kingsmill Bond, chief strategist at Citigroup in Moscow. “We never expected a particularly reformist government, and nor do we have one.” Investors focused on the appointment of those with a liberal track record in government, in particular Arkady Dvorkovich, Olga Golodets and Igor Shuvalov to deputy prime minister posts. While Shuvalov’s...

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev assigned his acting first deputy Igor Shuvalov to oversee the implementation of presidential orders Saturday and said work should start right away, without waiting for the new government to be set up. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev assigned his acting First Deputy Igor Shuvalov to oversee the implementation of presidential orders Saturday and said work should start right away, without waiting for the new government to be...

A plan for financing a high-speed rail link between Moscow and St. Petersburg indicates that government spending on tracks for the project could reach as much as $35 billion. A plan for financing a high-speed rail link between Moscow and St. Petersburg indicates that government spending on tracks for the project could reach as much as $35 billion...

... Gazprom to become more reformist. Many skeptics objected to this argument because Russia has barely reformed anything for the last eight years. But that is the very reason why there is now a big backlog of reforms, and everybody realizes this. The Russian government has just gone through its biggest personnel change since 1991, with 20 out of 28 ministers being first-time appointees. The same skeptics, however, claim that it does not matter because Putin decides everything. But Putin is not omnipotent...