Putin reappoints his prime minister, a technocrat who has kept a low political profile

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, escorted by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin arrives for a meeting with Cabinet members in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 6, 2024. Putin thanked Cabinet ministers for their work ahead of his inauguration Tuesday. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as the country’s prime minister on Friday, a widely anticipated move to keep on a technocrat who has maintained a low political profile.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin arrives to attend the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 9, 2024, marking the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Mishustin and other technocrats in the Cabinet have been credited with maintaining a relatively stable economic performance despite bruising Western sanctions for Russia’s role in Ukraine. Most other Cabinet members are expected to keep their jobs, though the fate of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appeared uncertain.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cabinet members in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 6, 2024. Putin thanked Cabinet ministers for their work ahead of his inauguration Tuesday. (Alexander Astafyev, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP)

In line with Russian law, Mishustin, 58, who held the job for the past four years, submitted his Cabinet’s resignation on Tuesday when Putin began his fifth presidential term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration.

Mishustin, the former head of Russia’s tax service, steered clear of political statements and avoided media interviews during his previous tenure.

The speaker of the parliament’s lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin, announced that Putin submitted Mishustin’s candidacy to the State Duma, which will hold a session later Friday to consider it.

Under the constitutional changes approved in 2020, the lower house approves the candidacy of the prime minister, who then submits Cabinet members for approval. The changes were ostensibly meant to grant parliament broader power, but the procedure is widely seen as pro forma given Kremlin control over the body.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin attend a meeting with Cabinet members in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 6, 2024. Putin thanked Cabinet ministers for their work ahead of his inauguration Tuesday. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP)

Most Cabinet members are expected to keep their jobs, but it was not clear if Shoigu, the defense minister, would be among them after last month’s arrest of his top associate, Timur Ivanov.

Ivanov, who served as deputy defense minister in charge of massive military construction projects, was arrested on bribery charges and was ordered to stay in custody pending official investigation.

The arrest of Ivanov was widely interpreted as an attack on Shoigu and a possible precursor of his dismissal despite his close personal ties with Putin.

Shoigu was broadly criticized for Russian military’s setbacks in the early stage of the fighting in Ukraine. He faced scathing attacks from mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who marched on Moscow nearly a year ago to demand the ouster of Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

After Prigozhin’s death in a suspicious plane crash two months after the rebellion — widely seen as the Kremlin’s revenge — Shoigu appeared to shore up his position. But Ivanov’s arrest, interpreted by many as part of Kremlin’s political infighting, again exposed Shoigu’s vulnerability.