Putin Replaces Krasnoyarsk Governor As Regional Shake-Up Continues

Krasnoyarsk Governor Viktor Tolokonsky (file photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree accepting the resignation of Krasnoyarsk Krai Governor Viktor Tolokonsky.

Putin also named Aleksandr Uss, the chairman of the regional legislature, as acting governor on September 29.

Tolokonsky was named governor of the huge Siberian region in 2014 and was elected to the post with 63.3 percent of the vote in September. His resignation was attributed to "personal reasons." He previously served as governor of Novosibirsk Oblast and as Putin's envoy to the Siberian Federal District.

Over the past week, the heads of the Nenets Autonomous Region, Daghestan, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and Samara Oblast have also been replaced.

Russian media have attributed the shake-up in regional politics to preparations for next year's presidential election. Putin is widely expected to seek and secure a fourth term, although he has not yet officially announced that he will run in the March 2018 poll.

During past election campaigns, the Kremlin has relied on regional governors to secure predetermined levels of support for Putin in elections that were heavily managed by Moscow.