Vadim Kstenin, the mayor of Voronezh who was re-elected last year, has resigned, as announced on his Telegram channel on May 23.
Vadim Kstenin will step down as mayor on June 13. He stated that during his six years in office, he received both residents' support and 'constructive criticism, which helped him improve.' He did not specify his new job but mentioned that it would also be in Voronezh.
Governor Alexander Gusev described the resignation as 'planned,' acknowledging that Kstenin 'made mistakes' but noting that 'avoiding them is nearly impossible' in a city of over one million residents. The selection process for Kstenin's replacement will begin in June, with the new mayor to be chosen through a competitive process.
In February, Voronezh residents launched a petition calling for the mayor's resignation and the reinstatement of direct elections due to issues with snow removal from courtyards. Vasily Uvarov, the author of the petition which garnered over 8,000 signatures, blamed Kstenin for heavy traffic jams caused by snowfall and problems with garbage collection. In December 2023, residents wrote the mayor's name on snowdrifts after experiencing shortages of supplies and delays in medical test results due to severe snowstorms.
