PM Putin names new government

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reshuffled the Russian government yesterday in his first major action since leaving the Kremlin, bringing in some high-profile figures from his presidency but leaving prominent ministries unchanged.

The hawkish Sergei Ivanov, once seen as a possible successor to Putin as president, was moderately demoted to deputy prime minister - a step down from his previous position as first deputy premier.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin retained their posts.