Moscow, Nov 13: A former deputy governor of the Moscow region, Mikhail Babich, was appointed Prime Minister of the war-ravaged southern republic of Chechnya today, media reported. The head of the pro-Russian Chechen administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, announced the appointment of Babich, 33, to replace Stanislav Ilyasov, who was named Russian minister for Chechen affairs earlier this month, the Interfax news agency said.
The appointment of Babich, currently governor of the Ivanovo region 300 km northeast of Moscow, was vetted by the Kremlin, Interfax said.
A former career military officer, Babich was deputy governor of the Moscow region from February to August 2000. Bureau Report