Putin makes sweeping Cabinet changes

MOSCOW - With the most sweeping government changes since he was elected president a year ago, Vladimir Putin yesterday strengthened his control over Russia and expanded his power base by naming staunch loyalists to the key jobs of defense minister and interior minister.

The Cabinet changes, which come amid a chill in relations with the United States, put Sergei Ivanov, Putin's confidant and fellow KGB veteran, in charge of streamlining the bloated and underfunded military. And he put Boris Gryzlov, a newcomer to the political elite, in charge of police and interior forces.

While Putin described the shake-up as an effort to demilitarize Russia's political life, analysts interpreted it as an attempt to consolidate his grip on power and shed the staff and legacy of his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, who resigned on Dec. 31, 1999.

Putin won a special election on March 26, 2000.

"Putin has finally moved to form his own Cabinet," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, the head of the Politika think-tank.

Western governments had long recommended that Russia follow the practice of putting a civilian in charge of the military, and Putin described the reshuffle as a "deliberate effort to demilitarize Russia's public life."

"Civilians are taking key positions in the military structures," he said in announcing the Cabinet changes at a Kremlin meeting.

Although Putin has touted him as a civilian defense minister, Ivanov spent his career with the KGB and its successor spy service. He reached the rank of lieutenant general and retired from active service only in November.

Ivanov, 48, is a fluent English speaker who was posted to several foreign countries during his KGB career and has long been close to Putin. He is broadly considered the No. 2 figure in the Russian political establishment and has played a key role in shaping Russia's foreign and security policy.

Putin dismissed Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo and appointed him to replace Ivanov as the secretary of the policy-setting Security Council.

Replacing Rushailo will be Gryzlov, a leader of the pro-Kremlin Unity party. His appointment was considered a surprise.

Putin also named a woman, former deputy finance minister Lyubov Kudelina, as deputy defense minister. It was an unusual move for Russia, which has not moved to open more military posts to women.