This is an unpopular decision among many, including some Russian citizens who have a good working knowledge of the parties involved.
Alexi Kudrin, the finance minister resigned at Putin's dare that he get in line or get out of government. He wanted to be the next prime minister, but that was not in Putin's plans. Putin quashed this challenge. Shame, he appears by all accounts to have been competent, if not completely compliant.
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Kudrin has won wide respect, here and abroad, for his handling of Russia’s huge oil revenue, putting billions of dollars aside into a reserve fund that, although now dwindling, stood the country in good stead during the worst of the economic troubles that began in 2008.
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