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Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced a reshuffle on October 19 that would add four deputy prime ministers and a new transport minister. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov will hold both jobs, while his deputy Irina Okladnikova is set to become government chief of staff. The State Duma is expected to approve the appointments before presidential decrees formalize them.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced a cabinet reshuffle on October 19 that will add four deputy prime ministers, including Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who is expected to retain his finance portfolio. The changes would also place Siluanov’s first deputy, Irina Okladnikova, in the government chief-of-staff role, giving the reshuffle potential consequences for control of budget planning and access to the prime minister.
The State Duma is expected to approve the appointments shortly, after which President Vladimir Putin is to sign decrees formalizing them. Until those steps are completed, the announced changes remain pending. Siluanov has led the Finance Ministry since 2011 and previously served as first deputy prime minister from 2018 to 2020. The government had not previously had a deputy prime minister specifically overseeing finance, according to the report by Meduza.
Okladnikova, 41, will replace Dmitry Grigorenko as government chief of staff. At the Finance Ministry, she was responsible for drafting and implementing the federal budget. Kommersant reported that her new responsibilities will include monitoring the efficiency of budget spending, managing national debt and building up the National Wealth Fund. Grigorenko is regarded as close to Mishustin; Vedomosti and RBC reported that sources expect him to move to Sber, though no official announcement about his next position had been made at publication.
The reshuffle also names Primorsky Krai Governor Oleg Kozhemyako as a deputy prime minister, replacing Yuri Trutnev, who has held the role alongside the presidential envoy position for the Far Eastern Federal District for 13 years. RBC sources said Trutnev chose to leave and may become an aide in the presidential administration. Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin is to become a deputy prime minister while continuing to oversee transport. He replaces Vitaly Savelyev, who became a deputy speaker of the newly elected State Duma. Dmitry Yadrov, head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, has been nominated as transport minister.
Budget Oversight Shifts Inside Government
The main question is whether Siluanov’s new title comes with authority over economic policy beyond the Finance Ministry. The Bell reported that the agencies assigned to him have not been specified. Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center senior fellow Alexandra Prokopenko said that if Siluanov takes on oversight of the economy as a whole—currently the responsibility of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak—that would amount to a substantive gain in power. Without that broader remit, she wrote, the appointment may add a title to authority he already holds.
The personnel changes could also affect how spending decisions reach Mishustin. The government chief of staff controls which proposals are passed to the prime minister. The Bell reported that business representatives had previously been able to seek changes to Finance Ministry proposals before they reached Mishustin. Okladnikova’s budget role could give the Finance Ministry a stronger hand in that process, but the practical effect depends on the responsibilities formally assigned to her and Siluanov.
The reshuffle comes amid reported pressure on public finances. The Bell linked the appointments to the cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine, saying it is far above budgeted levels. Kommersant reported that recent federal budgets appeared relatively balanced on paper while actual spending rose. The outlets’ assessments point to a possible effort to tighten spending control; they do not establish that the new arrangements will reduce expenditure.
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How the Key Posts Are Changing
Siluanov’s elevation has prompted speculation about his standing relative to Mishustin. Faridaily reported that Mishustin has long wanted to replace him as finance minister with a figure from his own team, such as Federal Tax Service head Daniil Yegorov. The reshuffle does not announce such a replacement: Siluanov is expected to remain finance minister while taking the deputy prime minister role.
Prokopenko described the arrangement as “a return to a familiar arrangement, not preparation for a move” to replace the prime minister, noting that Alexey Kudrin previously held finance minister and deputy prime minister posts simultaneously. Faridaily likewise argued that the changes do not make Mishustin a “lame duck,” though it said he may have fewer opportunities to advance decisions on funding and personnel.
Grigorenko’s departure is seen by some analysts as a loss for Mishustin, but Prokopenko also said he had strained relations with virtually every cabinet member and suggested his exit could be part of an agreement Mishustin accepted. These are analysts’ interpretations, not official explanations of the reshuffle. The government has not publicly detailed the political reasoning behind each appointment.
“As external pressure intensifies, ensuring financial stability, a balanced budget, and efficient spending takes on particular importance.”
— Boris Belyakov, spokesman for Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin
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Portfolios and Departures Still Unsettled
The announced appointments have not yet been formally completed: State Duma approval and presidential decrees remain pending. It is also not yet clear which agencies, if any beyond the Finance Ministry, will report to Siluanov as deputy prime minister, or whether he will assume Novak’s broader economic oversight.
Grigorenko’s next position has not been officially confirmed. Reports citing sources have linked him to Sber, while RBC sources have suggested Trutnev may move to the presidential administration. Those possible destinations remain unconfirmed. The government has also not publicly set out the full division of budget responsibilities between Siluanov, Okladnikova and other officials.
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Parliamentary Vote and Formal Decrees
The State Duma is expected to consider the appointments shortly. If lawmakers approve them, Putin is expected to sign decrees making the changes official. Those documents and subsequent government assignments should clarify the new deputy prime ministers’ portfolios, including whether Siluanov receives economy-wide oversight and the precise scope of Okladnikova’s chief-of-staff duties.
Further official announcements may also settle the next roles for Grigorenko and Trutnev and confirm Yadrov’s nomination as transport minister. Until those steps occur, reports about their future positions and the reshuffle’s effect on spending decisions remain provisional.
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Key Questions
Who are the four officials expected to become deputy prime ministers?
The announced appointments are Anton Siluanov, Irina Okladnikova, Oleg Kozhemyako and Andrey Nikitin. Nikitin is expected to continue overseeing transport.
Will Siluanov leave the Finance Ministry?
No departure was announced. Siluanov is expected to become deputy prime minister while retaining his finance minister position.
Has the reshuffle taken effect?
Not yet, according to the report. The State Duma is expected to approve the appointments, followed by presidential decrees formalizing them.
What remains unknown about Siluanov’s new role?
The government has not specified which agencies he will oversee as deputy prime minister or whether he will take on broader responsibility for the economy. That distinction will help show whether the appointment changes his authority beyond his existing ministry role.
Source: rss
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