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Russian Defense Minister Promoted

February 15, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has promoted Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to the rank of first deputy prime minister, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported.

Anatoly Serdyukov, who was head of the Federal Tax Service, replaces Ivanov as defense minister, who held the post since 2001.

"I have two university decrees: one in economics and one in law," Serdyukov told journalists in Moscow today. "After receiving my economics degree, I was drafted into the armed forces, where I served for 1 1/2 years. For the past three years, I have worked in Moscow as head of the Federal Tax Service."

Putin praised Ivanov in a televised announcement, saying he "fulfilled the tasks he faced as defense minister." The president added, however, that Ivanov cannot "sit in two chairs."

"I have signed a decree expanding Sergei Borisovich Ivanov's responsibilities in the government of the Russian Federation, giving him the duties of coordinating, in addition to the military-industrial complex, the civilian sector of the economy," Putin said. "Sergei Borisovich's status is raised to the level of first deputy chairman of the Russian government."

Ivanov is widely considered a leading candidate to succeed Putin as president in 2008, and the promotion puts him on par with fellow First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is also often mentioned as a potential presidential candidate.

"I think certain progress in the development of the armed forces has been made," Ivanov said following the announcement. "Now, I will go back to civilian affairs, but I want to assure you that I have developed strong attachment to the armed forces during these six years, and I will always stand up for them. I will be overseeing, among other matters, the military-industrial complex, trying to support our army and navy from the point of view of industrial development and new technologies."

Putin today also appointed the head of the government apparatus, Sergei Naryshkin, as a deputy prime minister, giving him primary responsibility for overseeing foreign economic relations.

(with material from agency reports

Copyright (c) 2007. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org