The Russian presidency said, on Wednesday, that President Vladimir Putin has appointed Alexei Dyumin, his former aide and bodyguard, as Secretary General of the State Council.

After his election for a new six-year presidential term earlier this year, Putin appointed Dyumin as an assistant specializing in defense industries, and the Kremlin spoke at the time about other responsibilities for him.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin published a decree signed by Putin appointing Dyumin as Secretary General of the State Council.

The State Council, which was first created in 2000, is an advisory body to the Russian President, and is charged with issues of utmost importance to the state.

A potential successor to Putin

Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin advisor, said earlier this month that many viewed Dyumin as a potential successor to Putin.

Putin has begun a new six-year presidential term, and expectations indicate that he will continue to rule for years to come.

 There is not yet reliable information available about who the Russian President might prefer to choose to succeed him in the future.

Dyumin's name, among others, has long been the subject of speculation in Moscow regarding who will take over after Putin.

Dyumin, 51, was appointed to the Kremlin earlier this month after serving as regional governor of Russia's Tula region.

Dyumin joined the Russian Federal Security Service, which guards members of the Kremlin elite, in 1995 and was Putin's personal bodyguard during his first and second presidential terms. He also worked as a former deputy head of Russian military intelligence.