President Vladimir Putin replaced the governors of the Bryansk and Belgorod regions on Wednesday, installing a military general and a former official in occupied Ukraine to lead the two border regions.
The Kremlin said that Vyacheslav Gladkov of the Belgorod region and Alexander Bogomaz of the Bryansk region both stepped down at their own request. The two men, both under U.S. and British sanctions, had led their respective regions since before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Gladkov’s departure follows weeks of rumors that he would soon be replaced. In mid-April, he announced that he was taking an extended vacation, which only further fueled speculation of his impending departure.
In his place, Putin appointed Alexander Shuvaev, a highly decorated army general, as the interim governor of the Belgorod region. Shuvaev, a native of the region, fought in the war against Ukraine and previously served in Russian military campaigns in Syria, Georgia and the North Caucasus.
In January, Shuvaev was appointed as deputy governor of the Irkutsk region as part of the Kremlin’s Time of Heroes program, a specialized initiative designed to transition military veterans into senior government roles.
