His wife’s – Yelena Baturina – is the only Russia's female billionaire.
The Russian president has signed a decree firing Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who was in power for almost two decades.
The Russian president has signed a decree firing Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who was in power for almost two decades.
Dmitry Medvedev says he did so due to a loss of confidence in the city's top official.
“I decided to dismiss the mayor of Moscow. The decree I signed states that I, as President, have lost trust in Yury Luzhkov. And it is a legal reason for his dismissal. It has happened for the first time but I don't rule out that such cases might happen again. I cannot work with officials I cannot trust,” stated Dmitry Medvedev.
The president has appointed first deputy mayor Vladimir Resin acting mayor of Moscow.
Commenting on Luzhkov’s dismissal, Vladimir Putin acknowledged that he had done a lot for the development of Moscow, but forgot about the boundaries in his defiance.
“It is quite obvious that there was a strain in Moscow mayor's relations with the president, but the mayor is subordinate to the president, not the other way round. He should have taken the necessary steps to normalize the situation on time.”
Putin added that he and President Medvedev have already discussed candidates for the mayor’s post, but the decision on the matter is yet to be made.
Medvedev’s press secretary Natalya Timakova told reporters in Shanghai on Tuesday that the president was not planning to meet with Luzhkov. She added that the federal leaders met with Luzhkov in the Kremlin and that Luzhkov had been granted a vacation to make a decision on his retirement.
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