MOSCOW: On Thursday, Natalia Komarova, the governor of the oil-rich Khanty-Mansiisk region in Siberia who last year faced criticism for comments she made regarding Ukraine’s military conflict resigned from his office.
In a movie which was released on her official Telegram channel, the regional head overseeing more than 40% of Russia’s total oil production said that she is moving to another undisclosed job even though her term in office does not expire until next year.
It was in regard to one anti-war activist’s call for her prosecution for smearing Russian army when Moscow did not want or expect what it called its special military operation in Ukraine.
According to her aides, those remarks were taken out of context and Komarova supports the military.
In a farewell video clip, she also thanked President Putin for trusting her and spoke about how much Russian troops have done on this front line.
Komarova is 68 years old and has been at the helm since 2010. She became the only female governor serving then after heading committee on natural resources at State Duma lower house of parliament before that.
According to local media reports, Ruslan Kukharuk who is mayor of Tyumen city may be appointed as the new Governor.
