President Putin has officially nominated Mr Mikhail Kasyanov as Russia's new Prime Minister. The nomination must be ratified by the Duma before becoming official but it is almost certain that the lower house of parliament will vote in favour of Mr Putin's nominee.
Mr Kasyanov is a 42-year-old economist whose main achievement was to renegotiate Russia's debt with the London Club of creditors last February. The deal cut Russia's indebtedness by more than 35 per cent, with payments being rescheduled over three years. While he was lavishly praised by Mr Putin for bringing off the deal, some economists described it as merely a postponement of trouble or a legacy of debt to another generation.
Having worked at the Soviet Planning agency, Gosplan, Mr Kasyanov entered the finance ministry to become deputy minister and eventually finance minister. He has denied concrete connections with the "oligarchs", a group of tycoons which virtually ran the country for its own benefit during President Yeltsin's term. However, there have been persistent reports of his links with the sinister businessman, Mr Boris Berezovsky.
The Duma has one week to consider the nomination, but with strong support in parliament for Mr Putin it is unlikely that any serious opposition will arise. As prime minister, Mr Kasyanov will be involved in selecting a cabinet and, under the constitution, will assume office for at least three months should the President die, be incapacitated or resign.
He is also likely to be watched very carefully by Mr Putin, who is understood to like to exercise strict control over subordinates.
Most observers believe Mr Kasyanov's cabinet will show little change from the current council of ministers. Mr Igor Ivanov, who today in Strasbourg faces moves to expel Russia from the Council of Europe, is likely to remain as Foreign Minister.
The Defence Minister, Marshall Igor Sergeyev, and the Interior Minister, Mr Vladimir Rushailo, are also expected to retain their posts. In an important development in Chechnya, the former Justice Minister, Mr Pavel Krasheninnikov, who chairs the Duma's human rights committee, has held talks with Mr Kazbek Makhasev, a representative of the Chechen President, Mr Aslan Maskhadov. Mr Krasheninikov described the talks as "a big step towards rapprochement".
A French photographer, Mr Brice Fleutiaux, has spoken with a relative by telephone for the first time since he was kidnapped in Chechnya eight months ago, the media watchdog, Reporters without Borders (RsF), said yesterday. Mr Fleutiaux told his mother in the two-minute conversation that he was well and begged her to secure his release.
