Putin is militarizing the Russian elite

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday dismissed the governors of Bryansk and Belgorod regions, appointing a military general and a former official from occupied Ukraine to lead the two border regions, in a move that analysts say is part of a broader effort to militarize Russia's elite.

The Kremlin said that Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov and Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz, who had held those positions for more than five and 11 years respectively, had resigned at their own request after working for years “in truly extraordinary circumstances,” adding that they had “demonstrated high efficiency.”

The Belgorod and Bryansk regions have been hit by frequent cross-border drone attacks, as well as damage to infrastructure, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Putin, as reported by the Moscow Times, appointed Alexander Shuvayev, a highly decorated army general, as acting head of the Belgorod region, and Yegor Kovalchuk, who previously held a position in the occupied Luhansk region in Ukraine, as acting governor of the Bryansk region.

Political analysts have pointed to several different reasons for the dismissals, including corruption scandals in both regions, broader efforts to militarize Russia's elite, and growing war fatigue.

The dismissed Gladkov, according to the Financial Times, made rare criticisms of the way the Russian government is waging the war in Ukraine, at a time when the Kremlin is seeking to shore up support for the increasingly unpopular conflict.

Gladkov questioned government internet shutdowns and moves to restrict the operation of the messaging app Telegram, which he used to warn residents of impending Ukrainian missile and drone strikes.

A friend of the former governor told the FT that “Gladkov complained that Putin keeps promising to rebuild (the bombed areas), but that he doesn’t believe it will ever happen. You have to re-lay roads and build communication infrastructure in places where only pensioners live.”

“Gladkov was a very popular governor, beloved by the population,” despite the Belgorod region facing constant Ukrainian attacks and frequent interruptions in water, electricity and heating supplies, said Nikita Parmyonov, head of the independent local media outlet Pepel.

“To a large extent, this was thanks to the PR machine that built Gladkov’s image as a transparent governor who cares about the problems of the population,” Parmyonov told The Moscow Times.

“Of course, there were many complaints,” Parmyonov said. “But the residents did not want Gladkov to leave office, they were ready to turn a blind eye to the corruption scandals and PR failures of recent months.”

His departure followed weeks of rumors that he would soon be replaced. In mid-April, he announced that he was taking an extended leave of absence.

Some sources point to apparent tensions between Gladkov and federal authorities, including the Ministry of Defense, which he has openly criticized for Ukrainian attacks and cross-border incursions.

“Everyone in the Federal Security Service (FSB) simply hates Gladkov,” a source close to the Kremlin told the exiled investigative portal IStories, claiming that the reason was his Telegram channel, a popular source of information about upcoming drone strikes.

“They forbade him from publishing information, but he continued to do it because he believed it was saving lives,” the source said. Putin himself has reportedly always viewed Gladkov with skepticism.

Political scientist Ivan Preobrazhensky told the Moscow Times that one reason for the dismissals is the Kremlin's ongoing campaign to militarize the elite.

Political analyst Yekaterina Shulman made a similar point, adding that “the president is calling for a new elite.” “The idea is that military figures should be favored, because, in case anyone hasn’t noticed, there’s a war going on,” she said.

Experts have assessed that Bogomazov's resignation and Kovalchuk's appointment as head of the Bryansk region also fit into the trend of militarization of state officials.

Before his appointment, Kovalchuk had been the head of the administration established by Russia in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine since 2024, which Moscow claims to have annexed.

Kovalchuk's appointment reflects "the forcing of a part of the Russian ruling class, which previously avoided and resisted involvement in the war, to work in the occupied territories of Ukraine, to become involved in (the war), and then to be allowed to return and continue their careers as usual," Preobrazhensky said.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told reporters on Thursday that Gladkov and Bogomaz "have worked for many years in truly extreme conditions and have proven to be very effective."

Political analyst Mikhail Vinogradov wryly noted on Telegram that the duo “worked so efficiently” that they had to be replaced. “Every wise apparatchik knows that it’s better not to do too well — nobody likes that.”

The difficulties of governing a province alongside an active war zone likely made the job less attractive to Kremlin technocrats.

The FT recalls that a court earlier this year sentenced Alexei Smirnov, the former governor of the nearby Kursk region, to prison on corruption charges after he lost his post following a major Ukrainian incursion. Roman Starovoit, Smirnov's predecessor, killed himself last year while awaiting charges related to similar allegations.

Ten businessmen and officials, including two of Gladkov's deputies, have also been charged in a criminal case over the construction of fortifications on the border with Ukraine.