Vladimir Putin (L) and Nikolay Patrushev (R) inspect the sports hall during his visit to St. Petersburg State Maritime Technical University, in St. Petersburg, Russia, 26 January 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE/ALEXEI DANICHEV / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL
Vladimir Putin has appointed his longtime friend and erstwhile patron Nikolay Patrushev as a presidential aide, after it was announced on Sunday that his post as secretary of Russia’s Security Council was to be given to outgoing Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, the Kremlin press service announced on Tuesday.
Despite speculation that Patrushev could have replaced Anton Vaino to head the powerful Presidential Administration, Vaino was in fact reappointed to the role, which he has held since 2016.
The Presidential Administration’s two current first deputy chiefs of staff, former Prime Minister Sergey Kirienko and veteran Kremlin staffer Alexey Gromov, were also both reappointed to their roles.
Dmitry Kozak, who served as the deputy prime minister of Russia from 2008 to 2020, Magomedsalam Magomedov, a former head of the republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus, and Vladimir Ostrovenko, who has served as the deputy chief of staff of the Presidential Administration since 2016, were appointed as deputies to Kirienko and Gromov, as was Maxim Oreshkin, previously a Putin aide.
The announcement provided details of other changes to key positions in a wide-ranging government reshuffle after Putin was sworn in for his fifth term as president last week.
The former governor of the Tula region and Putin’s former personal security chief Alexey Dyumin and head of the State Duma Committee on Culture Yelena Yampolskaya join Patrushev as presidential aides, while current presidential aides Andrey Fursenko and Vladimir Medinsky remain in their positions.
Putin also reappointed Dmitry Peskov to be the face of his administration as Kremlin spokesperson, a post he has held since 2008.
