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Why the heads of Tambov and Rostov regions resigned
The heads of the Tambov and Rostov regions resigned simultaneously on the weekend dedicated to National Unity Day. The Tambov region was headed by the former mayor of Krasnodar, Yevgeny Pervyshov, and the Rostov region by the head of the UAC, Yuri Slyusar.
Over the weekend of National Unity Day, two governors announced their resignations almost simultaneously: Maxim Egorov, who had led Tambov Oblast for less than one term, and Vasily Golubev, who had led Rostov Oblast for 14 years.
Maxim Egorov announced his resignation on a Telegram channel. In a video message recorded against a blank wall, he thanked local residents. "Today, the country's leadership has assigned me another task to complete at the federal level," Egorov continued, without revealing his next position. At the end of his speech, the resident of Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod) called himself a "true Tambov resident" and said that "the Tambov wolves are now comrades."
Egorov has served as acting governor of Tambov Oblast since October 2021 and was officially elected governor in September 2022 with 84.95% of the vote.
The post of governor may be taken by the former mayor of Krasnodar, participant in special operations Yevgeny Pervyshov, sources told Vedomosti. He is 48 years old, from September 2013 he was deputy head of the city of Krasnodar, and three years later he became mayor (he held the position until 2021). It was announced that he would go to the special operations zone in October 2022.
Pervyshev has been studying under the Time of Heroes personnel program for special operations participants and military personnel since May 2024. During a meeting with President Vladimir Putin as part of this program in June of this year, Pervyshev told the head of state about his work as mayor of Krasnodar. "You were the mayor of Krasnodar? What is your name? Evgeny? "I will make you an offer," Putin replied.
On the evening of November 4, Vladimir Putin met with Perbyshev and signed a decree appointing him acting governor until the elections. This should take place on the single voting day next year. The former mayor of Krasnodar promised to use all the skills and knowledge he gained in the "Time of Heroes" program in his new position.
Several participants of special operations have already received federal positions. Thus, veteran of Ukrainian military actions Alexey Kondratyev became a senator of Kursk region, participant of special operations Amir Argamakov became a senator of the Altai Republic, and participant of special operations Yuriy Nimchenko, a former commander, became a senator of Crimea. The leader of the Spartan battalion and the chairman of parliament became the plenipotentiary representative of the president of the Ural Federal District of the DPR Artem Zhoga, the leader of the "First Movement", who participated in the battles in Syria and Ukraine Artur Orlov.
Political scientist Yevgeny Minchenko calls Yegorov's resignation unexpected and does not rule out that it could have been caused by force majeure circumstances that were not publicly visible. Since Yegorov is part of the team of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Acting Secretary General of the Russian General Assembly Vladimir Yakushev, the expert does not rule out that Yegorov could receive a "worthy federal position." In 2016, Yegorov became an adviser to the then governor of the Tyumen region, Vladimir Yakushev. When Yakushev headed the Ministry of Construction, Yegorov was his adviser and deputy.
Alexey Makarkin, First Vice President of the Center for Political Technologies, also notes that Egorov has been actively traveling around the region recently and there are generally no public signs that he will leave the region. This is also evident from the way the farewell speech was delivered to residents of the Tambov region, and Makarkin attracts attention. “The format of addressing people on holidays is unusual, but we do not celebrate holidays. Usually, governors appear with symbolic attributes symbolizing the country or region. The address here was written against a gray wall, the governor himself did not wear a tie, and the statements about wolves seemed improvised,” Makarkin explained. The expert said: “It seems that the speech was written in a fairly short time. “We needed to preserve the local flavor, and then a wolf appeared,” he said.
Makarkin recalls that Egorov worked with Vladimir Yakushev in the Russian government (Yakushev headed the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Utilities from 2018 to 2020, and Egorov was his deputy since December 2019). So the possibility of his transition to party service seems realistic.
Political scientist Rostislav Turovsky believes that the resignation of Maxim Egorov is a reminder that "the outsiders appointed by the center are temporary figures and can be quickly replaced if necessary."
Governor Vasily Golubev also announced on his Telegram channel that he was leaving his post. He wrote: "I have decided to resign due to a transfer to another job." He has headed the Rostov Region since May 2010 (his candidacy was proposed by Dmitry Medvedev, who held the post of president at the time).
Golubev's successor as governor was Yuri Slyusar, CEO of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). Putin also signed a decree appointing him acting head of the region after a meeting later that evening in which he noted that he had done much to develop the aviation industry. Slyusar said that for him, this was an opportunity to return to his "small hometown," which is one of the largest regions with great industrial potential.
The new general manager of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) will most likely be Vadim Badekha, who currently heads the United Engine Corporation (UEC). UEC.
Slyusar was born in Rostov-on-Don. Since 2012, he has held the post of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, where he oversaw projects in the aviation sector. Slyusar headed PJSC United Aircraft Corporation in January 2015.
"Golubev's resignation is a continuation of the departure from power of the governors appointed by Medvedev. Despite all his attempts to hold on to power, he no longer corresponded to the balance of power in the elites that had developed at the federal level," comments Rostislav Turovsky. He calls Golubev a very skillful politician and bureaucrat who was able to build a system of relations with local elites and businesses. The security forces had more than once complained about his team, but the problems were mitigated, he explains. "The center could not resolve the issue for a long time about who could maintain stability in the region in the current conditions. This allowed Golubev to extend his powers last time. But he was not enough for another time," Turovsky states.
According to the political scientist, in the case of both Tambov and Rostov regions, there were no obvious signs of ineffective work on the part of the governors. "It's all about the political decisions of the center," he concluded.
Governor Golubev's resignation depended on his wishes, believes Yevgeny Minchenko. "He had everything in place in the region in terms of economy, the region very effectively acted as a hub for supporting the special operation and the Donetsk region, this was valued in the security forces," he says. According to his assessment, Golubev had accumulated a certain fatigue, he had been in charge of the region for 14 years. His resignation can be compared to the resignation of Kaluga Region Governor Anatoly Artamonov, who left in 2020 after 20 years at the head of the region, the political scientist adds.
Alexey Makarkin believes that the most likely option for Golubev would be an "honorable resignation." Most often, this is the position of senator, he recalls. According to the law "On the procedure for forming the Federation Council," a senator can be a person who has permanently resided in the region for five years immediately preceding his nomination, or for a total of 20 years. In relation to Golubev, two regions meet this "residence requirement": Rostov Oblast and Moscow Oblast (Golubev worked in the region from the 1980s until his appointment to Rostov Oblast in 2010).