New Cabinet Nearly Same as Old One

President Boris N. Yeltsin has unveiled Russia’s new Cabinet, giving Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin virtually the same team as his predecessor. The reappointments were largely expected, as Putin, a former KGB spy named prime minister because of his loyalty to the president, had said he expected few changes. First Deputy Prime Ministers Nikolai Y. Aksyonenko and Viktor B. Khristenko, Finance Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, Defense Minister Igor D. Sergeyev and Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov were among those keeping their posts. The only new figure named was Alexei Gordeyev, the former first deputy agriculture minister, now the head of that ministry. The president also replaced Justice Minister Pavel Krashennikov after criticizing him in the past for failing to fight political extremism aggressively enough. Former top prosecutor Yuri Chaika will take his place.