Meet Russia’s new arms industry boss — a fan of Stalin and business consolidation – By Defense News Staff (Defense News) / July 27, 2022
Russia’s newly appointed deputy prime minister has a challenge ahead of him: protecting and building the country’s defense-industrial base amid Western sanctions and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Denis Manturov, 53, is now in charge of the country’s weapons industry, having been appointed July 15 by President Vladimir Putin. Most recently, Manturov served as the minister of industry and trade and reportedly has Putin’s favor, accompanying the Russian president on most foreign and domestic trips.
Manturov replaces Yuri Borisov, who was appointed to run the Russian state space agency Roskosmos.
Unlike Borisov, who spent his early career serving in the armed forces, Manturov has a civilian background. A government-published biography says Manturov helped run the the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant from 1998 to 2000, and then became business director of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant. At the former, he focused on export efforts of the Mi-8 helicopter.
