Siberian Governor Natalia Komarova Resigns After Controversial Remarks

Natalia Komarova, the governor of the oil-rich Khanty-Mansiisk region in Siberia, has announced her resignation. She was criticized last year for comments on the war in Ukraine. Komarova did not provide reasons for her departure, and President Vladimir Putin offered her job to Ruslan Kukharuk, the mayor of Tyumen.

Natalia Komarova, the governor of Siberia's oil-rich Khanty-Mansiisk region who was last year criticised for remarks she made about the war in Ukraine, announced on Thursday that she was resigning from her post.

In a video posted on her official Telegram channel, Komarova, who oversaw a region which accounts for more than 40% of Russia's total oil output, said she was moving to another undisclosed job even though her term in office does not expire until next year. Hours later, the Kremlin released video of President Vladimir Putin meeting Ruslan Kukharuk, the mayor of the city of Tyumen, and offering him Komarova's job.

"I wish you success and good luck in your new job," Putin told Kukharuk. Komarova, who did not explain what had prompted her decision to step down, was criticised by an anti-war activist last year who called for her to be prosecuted for discrediting the Russian army after she appeared to suggest that Moscow had not needed or been ready for what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

Aides said her remarks had been taken out of context and that Komarova supported the military. In her resignation video, she thanked Putin for his trust and spoke of the efforts being made by Russian forces on the frontline.

Komarova, 68, was the only serving female governor and had been at the helm of the regional administration since 2010. Before that, she had headed the committee on natural resources at Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament.