The same plus Ustinov

Medvedev's plenipotentiaries became Putin's plenipotentiaries

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev continued to form the top of the power vertical in the country . Yesterday, seven plenipotentiary representatives of the head of state in the federal districts were appointed. The only new person in their cohort was the former Prosecutor General and Minister of Justice Vladimir Ustinov.

Five presidential envoys remained in the positions they held under President Vladimir Putin. Georgy Poltavchenko will continue to represent the interests of the president in the Central Federal District, Ilya Klebanov in the North-Western, Pyotr Latyshev in the Urals, Anatoly Kvashnin in the Siberian and Oleg Safonov in the Far East. At the same time, Poltavchenko and Latyshev have held their posts continuously since the founding of the institution of plenipotentiary representatives.

One of Putin's youngest plenipotentiaries, Grigory Rapota, has had a new geography of his position. President Putin's plenipotentiary representative in the Southern Federal District, appointed to this position last fall , after Dmitry Kozak resigned as Minister of Regional Development, is now moving to the Volga Federal District. The former Volga region plenipotentiary Alexander Konovalov received the portfolio of Minister of Justice in the government of Vladimir Putin. But ex-Minister of Justice Vladimir Ustinov has now become President Medvedev’s plenipotentiary envoy in the “hottest” Southern Federal District . For Vladimir Ustinov, the new position is clearly not a promotion.

These appointments refute rumors actively circulating at the end of last year about the possible abolition of the institution of plenipotentiary representation, since it has already fulfilled its main task - to bring the legislation of the Russian regions into line with the federal one. Judging by the composition of the plenipotentiary representatives, this institute is needed at least to recruit personnel. In particular, the former mayor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Yakovlev managed to visit the Southern District as a plenipotentiary representative, who was then transferred to the Ministry of Regional Development. Former Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin, who had great political ambitions and was in conflict with some of the security forces, was “exiled” as plenipotentiary representative to the Siberian Federal District. Now a suitable place has been found for Vladimir Ustinov.

However, there is movement in the opposite direction - two Volga region presidential envoys, Sergei Kiriyenko and Alexander Konovalov, received positions in federal structures. Mr. Kiriyenko now heads the Rosatom state corporation, and Alexander Konovalov, as mentioned above, became the Minister of Justice.

Yesterday, Dmitry Medvedev appointed his representatives in government bodies. There have been no changes here. Mikhail Krotov will represent the head of state in the Constitutional Court, Alexander Kotenkov in the Federation Council and Alexander Kosopkin in the State Duma. All of them represented President Vladimir Putin in the same government bodies.

Ivan GORDEEV