Putin ally takes charge of 2014 Olympics preparations

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has promoted Regional Development Minister, Dmitry Kozak, to Deputy Prime Minister in charge of preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Dmitry Kozak is known as Vladimir Putin's close ally. During the 2004 Russian election he was official head of Putin's election team.

On September 24, 2007, Kozak was appointed to the new Russian cabinet headed by Viktor Zubkov as Russian Regional Development Minister. Up to that point, he'd served as a special representative of the Russian president in the Southern Federal District, which includes the North Caucasus and southern European part of Russia.

Kozak will be replaced by Viktor Basargin, deputy presidential envoy to the Urals Federal District.

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