Wave of resignations in Russia: several governors resign

Created: 05/10/2022Updated: 05/10/2022 7:47 p.m

By: Caroline Schäfer

Several Russian governors resign within a few hours.

The wave of resignations in the middle of the Ukraine war is fueling speculation.

Moscow - Putin is convinced of a victory in the Ukraine war, some regional governors apparently are not.

An unusual wave of resignations is currently causing a stir in Russia.

Within a few hours on Tuesday (May 10), five regional heads in different parts of the country announced that they would step down or not seek re-election.

As reported by the German Press Agency (dpa), Sergej Schwatschkin from Tomsk in Siberia and his colleague Igor Wassiljew from Kirov, around 1000 kilometers northeast of Moscow, are said to have been the first to announce their resignations.

Wave of resignations in Russia: Several regional heads resign

This was followed by the heads of Saratov and the Autonomous Republic of El Mari.

Nikolai Lyubimov, governor of the Ryazan region, however, stated that he no longer wanted to run for a second term.

According to the dpa, the reasons for the resignations are, among other things, the old age of the regional heads or the rather long tenure.

Russia consists of more than 80 so-called federal subjects.

In a way, these are politically autonomous areas run by governors.

The military parade on May 9, 2022 is overshadowed by the war in Ukraine.

The next day, five Russian governors resign.

© Anton Novoderezhkin/dpa

Governors in Russia resign: Wave of resignations causes speculation

At least it is certain that the wave of resignations from the five governors is fueling speculation.

According to dpa information, users in Telegram groups are wondering whether politicians might no longer want to support the Ukraine war and the economic consequences for Russia's provinces.

Due to the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, numerous companies have withdrawn from the federation.

Many people are losing their jobs as a result.

Others suspect that the five regional heads are not loyal enough to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin and have therefore had to vacate their posts.

In the current situation, this wave could be a sign that the ship was capsizing and that the "rats would rather disembark," political scientist Abbas Galljamov was quoted as saying by the dpa.

(kas/dpa)

Meanwhile, Russian forces' morale is plummeting in the Ukraine war.

Intercepted phone calls cast a bleak light on the situation of the Kremlin troops.