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.<\/p>\n
Putin has named Belgorod native Alexander Shuvayev, a highly decorated army general, as Belgorod\u2019s interim head, and Yegor Kovalchuk, who previously served in the occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine, as Bryansk acting governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meeting with the two men in the Kremlin on Wednesday, Putin stressed the “strategic importance” of securing Russia\u2019s border areas.<\/p>\n
Political analysts have pointed to several different reasons behind the reshuffle, including corruption scandals in both regions, broader efforts to militarize Russia\u2019s elite and growing fatigue with the war.<\/p>\n
Belgorod under Gladkov, a PR-savvy governor<\/p>\n
As Belgorod\u2019s governor, Gladkov was popular among locals and became one of Russia\u2019s most visible regional leaders. He regularly posted<\/a> updates on drone strikes and local disruptions on the Telegram messaging app, where he boasts over 460,000 subscribers, or more than 30% of the region\u2019s population.<\/p>\n \u201cGladkov was a very popular governor, widely liked by the population,\u201d despite Belgorod facing constant Ukrainian attacks and recurring water, electricity and heating outages, said Nikita Parmyonov, head of the independent local media outlet Pepel.<\/p>\n \u201cIn many ways, this was thanks to a PR machine that built Gladkov\u2019s image as a transparent governor who cares about the population\u2019s problems,\u201d Parmyonov told The Moscow Times.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were plenty of complaints, of course,\u201d Parmyonov said. \u201cBut residents didn\u2019t want Gladkov to leave his post, willing to overlook corruption scandals and the PR missteps of recent months.\u201d<\/p>\n His departure followed weeks of rumors that he would soon be dismissed. In mid-April, he announced<\/a> that he was taking an extended vacation.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThen-Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov during a PR-ready visit to a Belgorod animal shelter in January. Sources close to the presidential administration told<\/a> the Vedomosti business daily last month that Gladkov could step down for health reasons, without providing further details.<\/p>\n A source familiar with Gladkov told<\/a> the exiled news outlet Meduza he \u201cwas genuinely burned out\u201d and \u201cworn down\u201d by the drone attacks, internet shutdowns and Belgorod\u2019s economic problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWith this kind of job, you sleep two or three hours a night. Your nerves are completely shot,\u201d the source said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Political analyst Yekaterina Schulmann said<\/a> she could \u201ceasily believe that Governor Gladkov himself asked to step down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis position has become absolutely nightmarish and bears no resemblance to the one he was originally appointed to,\u201d Schulmann wrote on Telegram. \u201cIt is now hard even to imagine and hard to remember the wealthy, comfortable and exceptionally quiet Belgorod region as it was before 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n Others pointed to apparent tensions between Gladkov and federal authorities including the Defense Ministry, which he openly criticized<\/a> over the Ukrainian attacks and cross-border incursions.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone in the Federal Security Service (FSB) simply hates Gladkov,\u201d a source close to the Kremlin told<\/a> the exiled investigative outlet IStories, claiming that his Telegram channel,\u00a0a popular source of information about upcoming drone attacks,\u00a0was the reason.<\/p>\n \u201cThey forbade him from releasing information but he kept doing it, because in his view it saved lives,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n Another source in the ruling United Russia party told<\/a> IStories that Gladkov was \u201cvery confrontational and has fallen out with everyone,\u201d adding that he had also clashed with the Prosecutor General\u2019s Office and state communications regulator Roskomnadzor.<\/p>\n Putin himself had always viewed Gladkov with skepticism, the source added.<\/p>\n Parmyonov said that while the security services had complaints about Gladkov, he maintained good ties with the presidential administration.<\/p>\n In 2025, his deputy Rustem Zainullin and several other regional officials were charged with corruption over the construction of defensive fortifications along the Ukrainian border. Still, Zainullin was only dismissed last month, officially \u201cdue to loss of trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Gladkov\u2019s departure may have been coordinated with the presidential administration to frame it as the start of a new phase in his career and to distance himself from the corruption case, Parmyonov said.<\/p>\n A source close to the presidential administration told<\/a> Meduza that \u201cduring 2023-2024, [Gladkov] was performing fairly well and there was even discussion of his promotion.\u201d<\/p>\n Reports said that Gladkov could be offered a position in the presidential administration overseeing relations with political parties and civic organizations in the regions, as well as local elections.<\/p>\n Vedomosti, citing anonymous sources, reported<\/a> last month that Gladkov could be promoted to deputy economic development minister and later suggested<\/a> he could become Russia\u2019s ambassador to the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.<\/p>\n Who is Shuvayev, Belgorod\u2019s newly appointed interim governor?<\/p>\n Shuvayev, a native of the Belgorod region, fought<\/a> in the invasion of Ukraine and previously served in the Russian military\u2019s campaigns in Syria, Georgia and the North Caucasus.<\/p>\n Before his appointment, he served as deputy governor of the Irkutsk region as part of the Kremlin\u2019s Time of Heroes program<\/a>, an initiative designed to promote military veterans into senior government roles.<\/p>\n According to Parmyonov, local officials and Belgorod residents see Shuvayev\u2019s appointment as \u201ca disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe is a man without sufficient managerial experience and with a military mindset,\u201d Parmyonov said, adding that he was unlikely to govern the region effectively during wartime.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\tnews \t\t\t\tWith Presidential Internships, Kremlin Seeks to Paint Ukraine Veterans as Russia’s ‘New Elites’ Exiled news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe last week cited<\/a> anonymous sources as saying that the Kremlin had been dissatisfied with Shuvayev even before his appointment.<\/p>\n One source familiar with the region\u2019s politics said that Shuvayev had performed poorly at a meeting with Putin, adding that \u201cmilitary lobbyists understood he was no good.\u201d<\/p>\n Another source claimed Shuvayev had gotten intoxicated before \u201can important meeting\u201d without providing further details.<\/p>\n Political scientist Ivan Preobrazhensky told The Moscow Times that while it is unclear what kind of administrator Shuvayev is, one of the reasons behind the reshuffle was the Kremlin\u2019s ongoing campaign to militarize the elite.<\/p>\n Schulmann shared<\/a> a similar view, adding that \u201cthe president is calling for a new elite.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea is that military figures are supposed to be in favor, since, in case anyone hasn\u2019t noticed, there is a war going on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n What does the reshuffle mean for Bryansk?<\/p>\n Experts said that Bogomaz\u2019s resignation and the naming of Kovalchuk to head the Bryansk region also fit the trend toward militarizing the country\u2019s officials.<\/p>\n Before his appointment, Kovalchuk had since 2024 served<\/a> as chairman of the Russian-installed administration in eastern Ukraine\u2019s Luhansk region, which Moscow claims to have annexed.<\/p>\n Kovalchuk\u2019s appointment reflects \u201cthe coercion of part of the Russian ruling class, which had previously avoided and resisted involvement in the war, to work in the occupied territories of Ukraine, become implicated in [the war] and then be allowed to return and continue their careers as usual,\u201d Preobrazhensky said.<\/p>\n Kovalchuk also has experience in administration. He previously headed the department of housing, utilities and energy in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district and later served as deputy governor of the Chelyabinsk region.<\/p>\n Yet Preobrazhensky said Bryansk residents should not expect any major changes in the region, which has also been marred by corruption scandals.<\/p>\n Several deputy governors and local officials have been sentenced for bribery and corruption in recent years, including former Deputy Governor Aleksander Petrochenko, who was sentenced<\/a> to 10 years in prison in March.<\/p>\n Preobrazhensky said the simultaneous resignation of two governors \u201cis a standard situation,\u201d when Putin chooses a relatively quiet period to carry out a reshuffle.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is why the quiet period in spring is convenient,\u201d he said, referring to the months ahead of the September elections, when governors in several regions, as well as State Duma deputies and members of regional legislative assemblies, will be elected.<\/p>\n A Message from The Moscow Times:<\/p>\n Dear readers,<\/p>\n We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated The Moscow Times as an “undesirable” organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a “foreign agent.”<\/p>\n These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work “discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership.” We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.<\/p>\n We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help<\/a>.<\/p>\n Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It’s quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.<\/p>\n By supporting The Moscow Times, you’re defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tContinue\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Not ready to support today? \u00d7<\/p>\n \t\tRemind me next month<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tThank you! Your reminder is set.\n\t\t<\/p>\n![\"
Then-Governor](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1212206-05-14142846.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t@vgladkov \/ Telegram<\/p>\n
\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tRead more
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"paiment](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775844130_930_payment_icons.png\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n
Remind me later.<\/p>\n