In March, new resignations of heads of Russian regions could take place, reported “Kommersant” three sources close to the presidential administration. We are talking about the leaders of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Orel region and Khakassia.
According to the publication, discussions about the possible departure of the head of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Alexander Uss, have been going on for a long time. Sources from “Kommersant” noted that the reason for the resignation is mainly related to rating issues. At the same time, none of the newspaper’s interlocutors can unequivocally say that the decision to resign from the governor of Krasnoyarsk has already been made, and one of the newspaper’s sources, on the contrary, said that Uss has every chance to stay in that position.
On the possible resignation of Uss earlier writing “Vedomosti”. United Russia Uss has been responsible for the Krasnoyarsk Territory since 2017.
For a long time, Kommersant sources predicted the resignation of the leader of Khakassia, Valentin Konovalov, who had ruled the region since 2018 following the victory over the former head of the republic, Viktor Zimin. Today, some Kommersant sources believe that elections will probably be held in Khakassia, in which the communist Konovalov will compete with the Deputy of the State Duma of United Russia Sergei Sokol.
Another candidate for a possible resignation was the governor of the Orel region Andrei Klychkov. Two well-informed Kommersant sources talk about it. He was appointed to of head of the region in 2017 in agreement with the Kremlin.
According to the newspaper’s interlocutor, the government is unhappy with Klychkov. The Communist Party leadership, for its part, sees no reason for the resignation of a comrade in arms, writes Kommersant. Yury Afonin, first vice-chairman of the Communist Party Central Committee, explained that the team of the governor of the Orel region is working effectively both socio-economically and politically, and in terms of helping the Donbass and support for the military operation.
According to him, Klychkov is doing well with his personal rating, so Afonin does not see any objective reason for the resignation of the head of the region.
“Kommersant” notes that if Klychkov resigns, he will become the second opposition governor who left his post this year, received under the “party quota”.
However, at present, as the newspaper’s sources note, the concept of a quota is not perceived so unequivocally. According to the publication’s interlocutor, close to the Presidential Administration, each regional chief is “the fruit of individual agreements”.
“And they also have to respect the KPIs. Yes, there is an opinion that the parliamentary opposition should be represented in the body of the governor. But if they have at least one governor each, then they are represented,” he said. -he declares.
Another Kommersant source explained that in 2023, the Kremlin is cautiously approaching the rotation of the body of governors due to the upcoming presidential elections next year.
The newspaper’s interlocutors also noted that, in particular, the resignation of the head of the Smolensk region, Alexei Ostrovsky, is connected with this. “According to them, Vladimir Putin’s ratings in the Smolensk region began to show a negative trend,” writes Kommersant.
On March 15, President Vladimir Putin replaced the leader of Chukotka. Roman Kopin, who has led the region since 2008, has filed a request for an early termination of his powers. He was replaced by Vladislav Kuznetsov, who previously worked in the leadership of the Kurgan region and the LPR. Two years later, the governor of the Smolensk region, Alexei Ostrovsky, voluntarily resigned. His interim place was taken by Vasily Anokhin.
Director General of the Center for Regional Policy Development Ilya Grashchenkov in a conversation with RTVI noted that Ostrovsky has been in the Smolensk region for quite a long time. “He was a protege of the LDPR, there is a certain rotation of party members, the LDPR will most likely receive another region instead of the Smolensk region,” the expert explained. According to Grashchenko, the Smolensk region is a rather depressed region, there, under Ostrovsky, a small amount of investment entered it, and this was previously the base for expanding his powers. Now, due to Western sanctions, investments have dried up, the Smolensk region most likely needs a new leader who, under the new sanctions, will change the economy and turn it into something new, added the political scientist.
