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authorities were suspecting company management of misusing millions of US dollars.
The functionalities of the abolished institutions will be transferred either to VEB or to the government.
The government reportedly did not consult with the development institutions during the reform process – in which some observers see a sign that Mikhail Mishustin is asserting himself as prime minister.
Mishustin’s recent reforms suggest that he is returning to Russia’s socio-economic agenda after focusing his first year as PM on fighting the coronavirus. Mishustin undertook to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies when he served as head of Russia’s tax service.
2.4 Russia’s regional development dilemma
When the tech-savvy Mikhail Mishustin was appointed prime minister in January after years spent improving the efficiency of federal-level tax collection, it seemed obvious that his main task is going to be breathing life into the 12 national projects, a set of twelve ambitious development goals set in 2018 by Vladimir Putin for his fourth presidential terms.
The implementation of the national projects was lagging behind and it seemed almost symbolic that a competent new handler should be appointed on the
14 RUSSIA Country Report January 2021 www.intellinews.com
