Russian Duma to confirm Mikhail Mishustin as Prime Minister

The State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, is expected to confirm their nominee for Prime Minister today.

The move comes just after Russian President Vladimir Putin was sworn in for this fifth term this week. Putin nominated current Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in January 2020, leading many to believe he would become a technocratic-authoritarian placeholder. However, Mishustin has maintained a strong track record and a relative popularity with the Russian electorate, increasing the likelihood that he will remain Prime Minister in Putin’s fifth term.

Amid anticipations for Putin to announce the rest of his cabinet—many of whom will likely retain their positions from the previous term—the president is setting the tone for his next term. At a Kremlin ceremony on Tuesday, Putin said it was up to the West to decide between confrontation and cooperation, and that he was not rejecting dialogue on nuclear weapons, a shift after Putin made warning comments about nuclear war back in March. Russia recently announced it would practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons as part of a military exercise, after citing perceived threats from France, Britain, and the U.S. Tensions will likely remain between Russia and the West, especially as the Ukraine war continues.