Cabinet reshuffle: four new appointments, one "superminister"

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The Russian government reshuffle approved last week calls for the replacement of three deputy prime ministers and one minister. Until now, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had ten deputies. That number will now be increased to eleven. Observers view this first major reshuffle since the government was formed in 2024 as a move to strengthen the government’s financial bloc in light of a difficult budgetary situation and the need to ensure the stability of the Russian economy. This is evidenced by the additional, eleventh deputy prime minister position created for Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, bolstered by the appointment of Irina Okladnikova as the new deputy prime minister—who previously served as first deputy minister at the Ministry of Finance.

We have summarized all the government reshuffles for you below and analyzed their significance. You can find the detailed profiles linked under the respective names.

New Appointments

The financial dice have been cast

Anton Siluanov (63), Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for finance

Anton Siluanov, who has served as Finance Minister since 2011, is a veteran of Russian politics. He previously held both positions from 2018 to 2020, at that time as First Deputy Prime Minister. Siluanov began his political career in 1985 at the Ministry of Finance and has spent his entire career within the ministry. In the eyes of his colleagues, this makes him an expert who knows the mechanisms of budget planning inside and out and can manage state funds conservatively in times of crisis. Although Siluanov now has a trusted confidante with financial expertise at his side in the new Deputy Prime Minister Irina Okladnikova, political scientist Yevgeny Mintshenko remains skeptical: “He was already Deputy Prime Minister, yet despite his additional responsibilities, he still acted like a finance minister.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov justified Siluanov’s additional post by citing the need to ensure economic stability, which, according to Peskov, requires greater coordination and fiscal discipline. The business newspaper Kommersant interprets the reshuffle as a response to the strained budget situation and expects, above all, stricter budget enforcement as a result.

Siluanov’s methods are well known: continuity, conservative forecasts regarding global commodity prices, and measures focused primarily on replenishing the National Wealth Fund rather than drawing down its reserves. In recent years, however, this has not prevented the government from increasing government spending in priority areas and thus exceeding the planned budget, Kommersant writes. The draft budget calls for a normalization of government spending in 2027 following three cost-intensive years. Accordingly, spending is expected to remain at the 2026 level in the future. Financial experts note that draft budgets generally appear balanced when adopted, but “the authorities’ appetite for spending” tends to grow as the year progresses. With his expanded powers, Siluanov may be able to prevent ministry spending from exceeding the approved budget as the year progresses in 2027.

Political scientist Yevgeny Mintshenko recalls a time when there was only one deputy prime minister in the Russian government. However, he sees a certain logic in the expansion of the prime minister’s cabinet. “Deputy heads of government coordinate potentially contentious relationships between various ministries. The importance of budgetary and financial considerations is clearly on the rise.”

Irina Okladnikova (42), Deputy Prime Minister and Chair of the Government Administration

The biggest surprise is the new Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Government Secretariat, Irina Okladnikova. She was responsible for the budget at the Ministry of Finance; as the new head of the Government Secretariat, she replaces Dmitry Grigorenko, who, like Mishustin, moved from the Federal Tax Service to the government in 2020. In addition to digitalization, Grigorenko also coordinated the areas of budget efficiency and public debt. According to media reports, he is moving to Sberbank—as deputy chairman of the board of Russia’s largest bank. Grigorenko is expected to be officially confirmed in his new role at the next meeting of Sberbank’s supervisory board on November 10.

Insiders close to the Russian Presidential Administration, interviewed by the business newspaper Vedomosti, consider the leadership change within the government apparatus to be noteworthy, as this decision reshapes the close collaboration between Prime Minister Mishustin and his right-hand man in the government apparatus. “This official almost always has a direct line to the head of government. She holds the reins of power firmly in her hands,” emphasizes Mikhail Vinogradov, head of the St. Petersburg Politics Foundation. However, with Grigorenko’s departure, Mishustin is losing one of his closest allies. According to some observers, Okladnikova, as the new head of the government apparatus, may have more influence than her former superior, Siluanov. Thus, Okladnikova could also be pulling the strings in the future when it comes to foreign assets.

According to government spokesperson Roman Belyakov, Okladnikova has “demonstrated a high level of competence and skill in solving difficult state tasks.” Oleg Morozov, chairman of the State Duma’s Control Committee, describes the politician as “a methodical person who clearly defines her responsibilities and areas of authority.” “These qualities are also urgently needed in the position of head of the government apparatus,” Morozov said.

Okladnikova began her career at the Ministry of the Environment in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk before moving to the Ministry of Finance in 2012. In addition to the budget, she was also responsible for investments and financing in various economic sectors. Recently, the 42-year-old has been driving the implementation of artificial intelligence in the tax authorities. Okladnikova’s predecessor, Grigorenko, was in charge of digitalization. Whether the young politician will also take on this role remains uncertain, according to government sources.

Aviation and Strategic Trade Routes

Andrei Nikitin (47), Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for transportation

The former Minister of Transportation, Andrei Nikitin, will become the new Deputy Prime Minister in charge of transportation. He succeeds Vitaly Savelyev, who is moving to the Russian lower house of parliament (the Duma). Nikitin had held the office of Minister of Transportation only since June 2025, after his predecessor, Roman Starovoyt, committed suicide. In this short time, he was able to distinguish himself as an “effective department head,” as government spokesperson Boris Belyakov recently described him. He gained experience in leadership positions from 2011 to 2017 as head of the government-affiliated Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects (ASI).

According to experts, this period was formative for his future “political clout and his support from Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration and then-supervisor of ASI.” Between 2017 and 2025, Nikitin served as governor of the Novgorod Region. A native of Moscow, he studied public administration and earned his MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the Stockholm School of Economics in 2008.

His brief tenure as Minister of Transport included the highly publicized renovation of Leningradsky Station in Moscow, the modernization of airports, the introduction of biometric entry procedures at airports, and the renovation of border crossings with China and North Korea. Experts expect that, in his new role, the Deputy Prime Minister will focus primarily on the modern Moscow–St. Petersburg high-speed rail line. He is also likely to address future challenges related to export routes for Russian freight traffic and the technological infrastructure of the transportation sector.

The head of the Russian Republic of Sakha, Aissen Nikolayev, described Nikitin in an interview as a very talented, “innovative and forward-thinking person.” Former State Duma deputy Ivan Grachev attributes Nikitin’s appointment to his recent successes at the Ministry of Transport. “Nikitin met his ministry’s budget targets nearly 100 percent. That’s extremely rare,” Grachev emphasized. Furthermore, according to the politician, Nikitin “implemented all planned road construction projects.”

Dmitry Yadrov (38), Minister of Transport

Dmitry Yadrov, a native of Yakutsk in the Far East, is taking over as head of the Russian Ministry of Transport. Previously, he served as head of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) from 2023 onward. A certified aircraft engineer, he has worked exclusively for aviation authorities throughout his relatively short career to date. In government circles, Yadrov is highly regarded for having “maintained the stable operation of the Russian aviation industry” despite difficult conditions.

At 38, Yadrov is currently Russia’s youngest minister. The Russian business magazine *Monocle* views this reshuffle at the ministerial level in a broader context. “The appointments of Nikitin and Yadrov, on the one hand, attest to the importance of logistics projects for the Russian government,” writes the trade journal, referring to the Global South and associated large-scale projects of strategic importance. These include the 7,200-kilometer-long International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which runs from Russia through Azerbaijan and Iran to India, as well as the Northern Sea Route and various trade routes with China. “On the other hand,” Monocle continues, “this reshuffle appears to be an effort to fill the top leadership ranks with young and ambitious cadres,” which could also encourage other ministries to take similar steps.

Although Yadrov is now responsible for Russia’s entire transportation network, observers are certain that he will focus primarily on aviation. The security of Russian airspace is a top priority against the backdrop of intensified Ukrainian drone attacks and airspace closures in Russia. A second major challenge awaiting the new transportation minister is the renewal of Russia’s aircraft fleet, given the phasing out of old aircraft, the growing shortage of transport capacity, and the shift toward alternative modes of transportation.

A Veteran of Many Battles

Oleg Koshemyako (64), Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for Russia’s Far East

The experienced Oleg Koschemjako takes over the position of Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for Russia’s Far East. Thanks to his four terms as governor, the politician is very familiar with this region: Primorye Region (2018–2026), Sakhalin Oblast (2015–2018), Amur Oblast (2008–2015), Koryak Autonomous Okrug (2005–2007), now part of the Kamchatka Region. Koshemlyako is regarded as a crisis manager who has, on occasion, dealt with the aftermath of an earthquake and supply shortages. In addition, he was appointed to three of his gubernatorial posts after his predecessors were forced to step down.

The preferential regimes developed by the government for Russia’s Far East and the Arctic—which include subsidized mortgages and land grants—are in their final stages. Even though Koschemjako may have had a say in their development, experts surveyed by the business magazine Monocle suspect that Koschemjako’s work will have a distinctly social focus. Koschemjako is regarded as an efficient administrator who is attentive to the problems of ordinary citizens. Consequently, he is likely to focus in the future on housing, municipal services, and the energy sector, and to oversee the implementation of directives from the Russian president concerning Russia’s Far East.

Political expert Daniil Yermilov of the PRISP Research Center describes Koschemjako as a “very strong personality” who, unlike other governors, is not out to enrich himself. “Koschemjako does not view the state resources he is tasked with managing as his personal property. Nor does he allow others to do so.”

Koshemlyako is taking over the deputy prime minister post from Yuri Trutnev, who held the office for 13 years and is highly regarded by President Vladimir Putin for his work in the Far East. Insiders told Vedomosti that Trutnev had asked Putin several times to transfer him to a less demanding position, as the long flights to the Far East had taken a toll on his health. Trutnev could next be appointed to a position in the Presidential Administration.

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Source: German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade, “Cabinet Reshuffle: Four New Appointments, One ‘Superminister,’” October 30, 2026.

This article was prepared for the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade.