MOSCOW, July 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has consolidated the Crimean Federal District into the Southern Federal District, the Kremlin press service said on Thursday.

The Crimean Federal District, formed in March 2014 following the peninsula’s reunification with Russia, was merged with the Southern Federal District "for the purpose of strengthening the operating efficiency of federal state bodies," the Kremlin said.

Vladimir Ustinov, who served as Russia’s Justice Minister between 2006 and 2008 and was appointed Presidential Envoy to the Southern Federal District in 2008, will remain envoy to the united district.

The Southern Federal District will now comprise the Republics of Crimea, Adygea and Kalmykia, the Krasnodar Territory, and the Astrakhan, Rostov and Volgograd Regions as well as the city of Sevastopol. Thus, the number of federal districts has been reduced to eight.

Oleg Belaventsev, the former Presidential Envoy to the Crimean Federal District, was appointed Presidential Envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District.

Sergei Melikov, the former Presidential Envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District, was appointed First Deputy Director of the Federal Service of the Russian National Guard.