Governor of Samara Oblast, Dmitry Azarov, voluntarily stepped down from his position, as announced in a video message posted on his VK page on May 31.
"Since the first days of the special military operation, we have united to help our heroes, protectors, and their families. We started working under the motto 'Everything for the front, everything for victory' once again. The achievements we've made would have been impossible without the president’s support," Azarov stated.
Thirty-four-year-old Vyacheslav Fedorishchev has been appointed acting governor, making him the youngest current governor in Russia. Fedorishchev previously worked at the Ministry of Economic Development and the government of Tula Oblast.
Azarov led Samara Oblast for almost seven years and was re-elected for a second term in September 2023. Before that, he served as the mayor of Samara for four years and as a senator for the region for three years.
Azarov’s resignation comes amid a protracted conflict with Alexander Khinshtein, a State Duma deputy for Samara Oblast, and criminal cases against several of Azarov's subordinates. In November 2023, law enforcement officers detained Viktor Kudryashov, the Chairman of the Samara Oblast government, and Mikhail Aseyev, the acting head of the regional Ministry of Construction, on charges of economic crimes.
Vasily Chernov, the head of Samara’s urban planning department, and Olga Mikheyeva, a counselor to the governor, were also arrested. These officials were reported by Khinshtein; for instance, Kudryashov was denounced because his son had emigrated to Georgia.
This is the second gubernatorial resignation within the past two days. On May 30, Natalia Komarova, the head of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and the only female governor in Russia, stepped down after 14 years, announcing her transition to a new job. Additionally, four other governors left their posts in mid-May to join the new Russian government.
