President Vladimir Putin replaced the governors of the Bryansk and Belgorod regions on Wednesday, installing a military general and a former official from occupied Ukraine to lead the two border regions heavily affected by the four-year war.
The Kremlin said Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov and Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz, who served in their posts for over five and 11 years respectively, stepped down of their own accord after working for years “under genuinely extraordinary conditions,” adding that they “demonstrated high effectiveness.”
The Belgorod and Bryansk regions have been plagued by frequent cross-border drone attacks as well as damaged infrastructure since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Putin has named Belgorod native Alexander Shuvayev, a highly decorated army general, as Belgorod’s interim head, and Yegor Kovalchuk, who previously served in the occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine, as Bryansk acting governor.
Meeting with the two men in the Kremlin on Wednesday, Putin stressed the "strategic importance" of securing Russia’s border areas.
