Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order to increase the number of deputy prime ministers from nine to ten.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin proposed appointing Energy Minister Alexander Novak as the tenth deputy prime minister, the official website of the cabinet said on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Putin relieved several ministers of their duties earlier in the day, and Mishustin proposed candidates for these posts, saying that they have extensive experience in various industries.

At his daily briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the government reshuffle a routine rotation..