The governor of the Murmansk region, Marina Kovtun, and the head of the Orenburg region, Yuri Berg, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for early resignation.

Kovtun said she did not intend to run for the elections of the head of the region, appointed for September.

"I will not participate in the gubernatorial elections, I believe that the update in the higher echelons of power is necessary," - RIA Novosti cites her words.

Kovtun led the region since 2012. She noted that the decision to leave the post was difficult, but her early resignation would help the successor to get acquainted with the region. As Kovtun stressed, she and her team formed a “powerful foundation for the development of the future” and leaves “with a sense of satisfaction and even pride.”

“We managed to do a lot during these seven years. Of course, there were shortcomings, mistakes - nowhere without them, but I believe that our successes outweigh our blunders. The one who does nothing is not mistaken, ”she said.

The ex-governor intends to transfer the affairs to the future and go on leave, of which she has accumulated 150 days. Subsequently, Kovtun plans to leave Murmansk for Moscow.

Andrei Chibis, deputy head of the Ministry of Construction, was appointed interim head of the Murmansk region.

“The President held a working meeting with Andrei Chibis, during which he informed of his decision to appoint him Acting Governor of the Murmansk Region,” the Kremlin’s press service reports.

Chibis was born in the city of Cheboksary in 1979, and in 2001 he graduated from Moscow University of Consumer Cooperatives.

In the early 2000s, Chibis led a private law practice, and his career in the civil service began as an adviser to the governor of the Ryazan region in 2004. Since 2006, he has held several key leadership positions in public and private organizations in the construction and housing and utilities sectors.

Over the years, Chibis has gained extensive experience in regional and federal government. In the Ministry of Regional Development, he was responsible for the implementation of the measures of the national project “Affordable and Comfortable Housing”.

In 2013, he took the post of Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Public Utilities of the Russian Federation and began to oversee the development of a strategy for the development of housing and public utilities in the period up to 2020.

Chibis himself considers his appointment as acting governor of the region a "serious challenge."

“This is a huge responsibility and a serious challenge: the Murmansk region is a strategically significant region for our country with geopolitical, economic, tourism, logistics, industrial potential, and most importantly, talented and persistent people,” Chibis wrote on Facebook.

Head of the Orenburg Region

March 21 also became aware of personnel changes in the leadership of the Orenburg region. As noted earlier, the governor of the region, Yuri Berg, addressed Vladimir Putin with a request for early resignation.

The address of the 65-year-old Berg to the Orenburg citizens was published on the website of the regional government.

“Since 2010, I have led the region, which is my native. I, my children and grandchildren live and stay here. First of all, I want to thank you, dear compatriots, for the confidence you placed in the governor’s elections five years ago, and also for the tremendous support in any undertakings aimed at the welfare of the people, ”wrote Berg.

The ex-governor hoped that there was enough time before the election of the new head of the region to allow the new leader to prove his effectiveness.

"I promise that in whatever positions I would have to work in the future, I will always defend the interests of the Orenburg region and my countrymen," concluded Berg.

  • Denis Pasler
  • RIA News
  • © Mikhail Klimentyev

Denis Pasler, the former chairman of the government of the Sverdlovsk region and the head of T-Plus, was appointed acting head of the region. In the Kremlin, he was received by Vladimir Putin.

“Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Denis Pasler, during which he announced his decision to appoint him Acting Governor of the Orenburg Region,” the presidential press service reports.

Pasler was born in Severouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region, in 1978. In 2001 he graduated from the Ural State Mining University, and later continued his education at the PRUE. Plekhanov.

From 2008 to 2011, Pasler was a representative of the upper chamber of the Sverdlovsk Region Parliament, and in 2011–2012 he was a deputy to the regional Legislative Assembly. From 2012 to 2016, he headed the government of the Sverdlovsk region.

Pasler has extensive experience in politics and public administration at the regional level. He also worked a lot in leadership positions in business. His last place of work is the largest privately held company, T Plus, in the electricity and heat sector.

Recall that over the past three days, five heads of Russian regions went to early resignation. On March 20, Altai Governor Alexander Berdnikov and the head of Kalmykia, Alexey Orlov, reported the corresponding decision. Oleg Khorokhordin (Altai) and Batu Hasikov (Kalmykia) have been appointed to temporary government posts. Hasikov said he intends to participate in the elections of the head of the region.

In addition, on March 19, the head of the Chelyabinsk region, Boris Dubrovsky, resigned. Temporarily perform the duties of the governor will be Alexei Teksler.

"In the cage of the presidential reserve"

The presidential press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, spoke about the selection criteria for temporary heads of regions. According to him, all appointed managers were part of the presidential reserve.

“The general selection system - all of them, one way or another, are participants in either the last or the penultimate waves of general practice in the formation of the presidential reserve. Everyone was, as they say, in the cage of the presidential reserve, ”RIA Novosti quotes Peskov.

According to him, an additional criterion, of course, was their experience in the federal and regional authorities.

“In this case, all are appointed acting heads of the regions; they meet these criteria,” the presidential press secretary concluded.