The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said he extended his vacation for two weeks “on the recommendation of doctors.” This message appeared on his Telegram channel on the morning of May 4.
On April 16, Gladkov went on a two-week vacation amid media reports that the Kremlin is considering replacing the official who has headed the region since 2021. A source from the Vedomosti newspaper close to the presidential administration said that the situation with government support is “not the best” in the region, because the quality of life is deteriorating, and “it makes sense to carry out a rotation, if possible.”
When Russian media wrote about Gladkov’s impending resignation, a source from Meduza close to the presidential administration said that the decision had not been made, and that his popularity ratings in the region “remain high, although they have declined.”
The newspaper “Vedomosti” wrote that according to various sources (1, 2), Gladkov could take the position of Deputy Minister of Economic Development or become Russia’s ambassador to partially recognized Abkhazia.
Many Russian media outlets reported that, according to sources, the Deputy Chairman of the Irkutsk Region, a participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war, Major General Alexander Shuvaev, is a candidate for the position of governor of the Belgorod region.
Gladkov’s first term as city governor ends in the fall of 2026.
With the beginning of the great war between Russia and Ukraine, the Belgorod region became in fact a front-line area; The area is regularly bombed. Meduza’s interlocutors said in 2023 that Gladkov’s future appears uncertain, because if the situation in the region continues to deteriorate, there may be a temptation to “attribute failures” to Gladkov and dismiss him under pressure from security forces.