MOSCOW, May 11. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has proposed that Denis Manturov be appointed his first deputy, according to a proposal submitted by the prime minister to the State Duma.

"The status of the deputy prime minister who is in charge of the industry sector should be elevated as it is crucial to provide technological leadership, as stated in the new May decree signed by the president. Nowadays, technology development is the cornerstone for a wide range of tasks set for the executive authorities. It is technological leadership in all sectors - be it aircraft building, the manufacturing, machine tool, and radio-electronic industries, or the military-industrial complex - that can become a powerful driver of economic growth," Russian Prime Minister Spokesman Boris Belyakov said.

During the State Duma’s debate on the candidacy for prime minister, the lawmakers proposed to promote the industry sector supervisor to first deputy prime minister.

Denis Manturov has been Russian Industry and Trade Minister since May 21, 2012. He has also been a deputy prime minister since July 15, 2022. He is responsible for state policy in the areas of industry, national defense, defense procurement, law enforcement, military-technical cooperation with foreign countries, mobilization preparations and management of the state material reserve.