Putin may make major government reshuffle – Bloomberg
After the Russian elections, dictator Vladimir Putin may make a major government reshuffle for the first time since 2020, Bloomberg reported on March 12, citing people close to the Kremlin.
According to the sources, although the Kremlin has not yet approved the final list of names and appointments, several changes are likely as the dictator seeks to renew his team.
The 72-year-old Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov may leave his post, according to two people familiar with the situation. One of those who could replace him is Boris Kovalchuk, who is expected to step down as head of utility holding company Inter RAO this week, the people familiar with the matter said.
Kovalchuk’s father, Yuri, is a sanctioned financier who was described by the US Treasury in 2014 as Putin’s “personal banker.”
Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev, the son of Putin’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, could also be in line for the new post, three people said.
Officials are waiting to see if Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who turns 74 this month, will stay on.
Putin last reshuffled the government in 2020, ousting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and replacing him with former tax service chief Mikhail Mishustin.
After that, he made significant changes to the Russian constitution, which allowed him to retain power until 2036.
Late last year, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced his participation in the elections.
Later, it became known that the occupiers planned to hold “elections” in the temporarily occupied territories for three days – on March 15, 16, and 17.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that voting in the occupied territories of Ukraine would be “illegal and null.”
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
