MOSCOW, February 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed decrees to replace four governors and name their replacements, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Medvedev removed Pskov Governor Mikhail Kuznetsov, Oryol Governor Yegor Stroyev, Voronezh Governor Vladimir Kulakov, and Valery Potapenko, the head of the Nenets Autonomous Area administration.
The president nominated Andrei Turchak, Alexander Kozlov, Alexei Gordeyev, and Igor Fyodorov, respectively, as their replacements.
Experts have viewed the dismissals as punishment for the governors' poor performance and a warning to others.
The changes are subject to approval by regional legislatures.
In his televised interview on Sunday, Medvedev said some of the regional governors were "inept and inefficient," and not "responsible enough in dealing with unemployment" amid the ongoing financial crisis.
