President on Tuesday signed a decree approving a new Russian government. “I have just signed decrees on the formation of a new government. I congratulate you on this. You have gone through the procedure for approval of the Duma in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation”, President Putin reportedly said. Mr. Putin met with the new government and congratulated them on their new roles. Prominent amongst the reshuffle is the replacement of the Russian defense minister with the former deputy prime minister, who has no military background but instead comes from a long career in economics and finance.