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Departure Sets Up Kremlin Changes

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The New York Times

Published: September 13, 2007

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin accepted the resignation of Russia's prime minister on Wednesday and nominated Viktor Zubkov, the low-profile chief of a financial crimes agency, to assume the post.

The moves signaled the beginning of an internal Kremlin rearrangement ahead of Parliamentary elections in the late fall and Putin's expected transfer of presidential power next year. But an aura of mystery filled the day.

Kremlin watchers and diplomats said they were perplexed by what Putin's pick meant for the pressing question of who might succeed him if he steps down next spring at the end of his second term, as he has said repeatedly that he will, and as is required under Russia's Constitution.

The instant rise to prominence of the unheralded Zubkov, a confidant of Putin, added a new element of suspense for the two Russian officials long regarded as the principal presidential contenders: First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov and First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Neither was elevated by the shifts, nor was one pushed aside.

But what motivated Putin to elevate Zubkov was puzzled over in political circles. Did he want to create a new competitor in the race to succeed him? Or was he trying to rebalance rival factions inside the Kremlin's inner sanctum while appointing a faithful bureaucrat to manage the government?

The prime minister, Mikhail Y. Fradkov, offered his resignation on national television, using the scripted format to say that Putin could now build 'a power structure in light of the upcoming political events.'

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