At least 120 residents of Russias northwestern Vologda region have filed a formal complaint to President Vladimir Putin over their bewildering governor, the Vedomosti business newspaper reported Wednesday.The letter, reportedly written by supporters of the ruling United Russia party of which Governor Georgy Filimonov is also a member did not explicitly call for his removal.
However, it accused Filimonov of publicly praising Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, driving businesses away with an alcohol sale ban and making nationalist statements.On Tuesday, Filimonov appeared to reference nationalist organizations as he vowed to block the mass influx of 6,000 migrant workers set to build a new unit at the Cherepovets Steel Mill, a subsidiary of the Severstal metals company.Weve heard the arguments of those who support the mass and uncontrolled stream of labor migrants and consider them untenable, he wrote on Telegram.The letters authors also accused Filimonov of frequent personnel changes, orchestrating the ouster of Cherepovets City Duma deputies and stripping a prominent local lawmaker of United Russia party membership.United Russias press office said it had not received a complaint about Filimonov addressed to party leader Dmitry Medvedev.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to Vedomostis request for comment.Putin appointed Filimonov as Vologda governor in 2023, and he was formally elected to a five-year term in September.
His office features portraits of multiple Soviet political leaders, such as Stalin, as well as secret police chiefsFeliks Dzierzynski andLavrentiy Beria.Experts cited by Vedomosti described the complaint as part of political infighting among regional elites and expressed doubt that it would significantly impact Filimonovs political career.