New Russian Deputy Transport Minister Filippov will be in charge of security - sources

MOSCOW. July 19 (Interfax) - Deputy Minister of Transport Yevgeny Filippov will be responsible for transport security, a knowledgeable source told Interfax.

Prior to his appointment as deputy minister, Filippov served as deputy general director for security at RT-Capital LLC, Rostec's division for working with distressed and non-core assets, a source close to this company told Interfax.

The Ministry of Transport has not yet commented on Filippov's appointment.

The government order on his appointment came out on Tuesday. The day before, in the early hours of Monday morning, an emergency occurred on the Crimean Bridge when, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, it was attacked by two Ukrainian unmanned aquatic drones. As a result of the attack, the bridge's road section sustained damage, two Belgorod region residents were killed and a child was injured. A criminal case has been opened.

Previously, Transport Ministry security issues were the purview of Deputy Minister Alexander Sukhanov. He was relieved of his post at the end of October 2022, following the explosion on the Crimean Bridge on October 8 last year.