Putin appoints the former deputy prime minister of the LPR as the head of Chukotka

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Vladislav Kuznetsov as acting head of the Chukchi Autonomous Okrug. Previously, the official was the first deputy chairman of the government of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). The current governor of Chukotka, Roman Kopin, resigned of his own free will.

Upon learning of the new appointment, Kuznetsov told Putin that he was “ready to serve the motherland where necessary.” “If I had the honor of serving in the region you’re talking about, I’d be happy to serve there,” he said.

Kuznetsov told TASS that in the coming days he will go to a new place of work to “get acquainted with the situation and decide more structurally on the first steps.”

Kuznetsov is a graduate of the staff reserve training program of the Higher School of Public Administration, or “School of Governors”. From January 2019 to June 2022, he was the Deputy Head of the Kurgan Region, and, among others,the item went to LPR. He says he went there voluntarily. The European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada imposed sanctions on Kuznetsov for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As for Kopin, he he headed Chukotka after the resignation of Roman Abramovich in 2008. pro-Kremlin political scientists they said he could be replaced due to his long tenure.