Finance Minister
Since his appointment as Finance Minister in May 2000, Kudrin has been one of the most visible and influential figures in the Russian government. Kudrin belongs to the group of so-called "St Petersburg economists"—liberal reformers who worked with Putin during his time in the St Petersburg administration—one of the three main informal groups during Putin's presidency. John P. Willerton regards Kudrin and German Gref as the leading intellectual forces in crafting of the economic policies of the Putin and Medvedev presidencies. According to Simon Pirani, Kudrin has balanced the influence of the siloviki in the government with a financial sobriety.
Read more about this topic: Alexei Kudrin
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