Sergei Lavrov has been my "one to watch" for several years now . Could even be the next President when Putrid finds his exit strategy and retires on his ill gotten gains stolen from the Russian people . Now let's watch for an expected clamp down -- I think opposition groups will suffer and he will find ways to better control the internet to his advantage . Would he dare make any moves against Estonia or my beloved Georgia ? I doubt it . My guess is the Ukraine is his key priority . Taking steps to drag it back further under much closer Russian control . He has the perfect opportunity because Yanokovich , current President , is an old style Communist at heart and a very old friend of Putin .He is also a man of very limited talents and spent many years doing exactly what he was told .By Putrid . I am going over there between the finish of the Euro Football and the start of our Olympics and I will bring you back the latest dirt . And there is a lot of dirt in Ukraine . Nearly all of the top politicians are oligarchs with a grubby past and no obvious interest in improving matters . Putin announces new Russian government Reuters 37 minutes ago Reuters - 54 minutes ago MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin named loyal allies to top posts in Russia's new government on Monday, taking a firm grip on economic policy and limiting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's ability to push a reform agenda. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov remains and pro-Putin economist Andrei Belousov takes over as economy minister, while Igor Shuvalov keeps his post as first deputy prime minister in overall charge of economic policy. Medvedev had promised substantial change in the cabinet after trading jobs with Putin, who began a six-year presidential term on May 7, but Shuvalov is one of five deputy prime ministers who will stay in place. Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and longtime Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also keep their jobs.
