VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a degree to move the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD) from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The head of the presidential administration of Russia was instructed to carry out necessary organizational and staff measures related to the transfer of the center of the Far Eastern Federal District to Vladivostok," the decree read.

With a population of about 600,000, Vladivostok is an important Russian port city in the FEFD, the largest federal district of Russia with 11 regions but is sparsely populated.