Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the resignations of two regional governors amid an ongoing shake-up of regional leadership.
Putin on March 21 accepted the resignation of Orenburg Oblast Governor Yury Berg, who held the post since 2010.
The same day, he accepted the resignation of Murmansk Oblast Governor Marina Kovtun, who had held her post since 2012.
Both officials submitted their resignations on March 20.
Also on March 21, Putin named politician Denis Pasler as acting governor of Orenburg Oblast, replacing Berg.
Pasler was chairman of the cabinet in Sverdlovsk Oblast from 2012 until 2016.
The announcements came after Putin on March 20 replaced the governor of the southern region of Kalmykia, Aleksandr Orlov, with professional kickboxer and former police officer Batu Khasikov.
On March 19, Putin appointed Russia's Deputy Energy Minister Aleksei Teksler as the acting governor of the Chelyabinsk region. Teksler replaced Boris Dubrovsky, who resigned on March 19.
Eighteen of Russia's 83 administrative regions are due to hold elections in September.
The daily newspaper Kommersant reported on March 18 that up to six regional governors could be replaced in the coming days.
