Nov 14, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Monday Sergei Sobyanin as the administration's chief of staff. Sobyanin was the governor of Russia's oil-rich Tyumen Region. In his new position, Sobyanin replaces Dmitry Medvedev, appointed by Putin as the first deputy prime minister of the Russian government. In addition, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was appointed deputy prime minister. He will keep his current post. It was not clear if Medvedev would replace Alexander Zhukov, who is the first deputy prime minister as well. In the 1990s, Russia sometimes had two "first deputy prime ministers" in the government simultaneously. Putin made the announcements at his meeting with government members Monday. The government appointments followed the recommendations of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Putin said at the meeting. Putin also appointed Alexander Konovalov, a prosecutor from the constituent republic of Bashkiria, as his envoy to the Volga Federal District, as well as Shamil Iskhakov, former mayor of Tatarstan’s capital Kazan, as his envoy to the Far East Federal District. In their new positions, Konovalov and Iskhakov replace Sergei Kiriyenko and Konstantin Pulikovsky, respectively.