Today Russian press reported the alleged forthcoming resignation of
some heads of the North Caucasian republics, Ingush President
Yunus-Bek Yevkurov among them. In particular, the RBC daily, citing a
source in the Kremlin, wrote that the head of Ingushetia may be
dismissed in the next six months in anticipation of the 2014 Olympics.
According to the publication, the authorities intend to replace some
regional leaders before the Olympics in Sochi. It assumes that the
start of this campaign took place in January, when the President of
Dagestan, Magomedsalam Magomedov, was dismissed and replaced by
Ramazan Abdulatipov.
Information about the possible dismissal of Yevkurov is nothing
more than an attempt to undermine his position, the Chief
Editor of VK Alexei Vlasov believes. "There are two possible versions. First,
the Kremlin has a contender for the post of head of Ingushetia. Or the
second option, it is a deliberate leak to undermine the position of
the authority of Yevkurov. It is a test balloon, with which either
someone in the Kremlin, or someone interested in the possible future
retirement of Yevkurov has decided to test how public opinion in
Ingushetia and the Kremlin will react. It has happened previously, and
always these test information campaigns ended with actual
resignations," he notes.
The acting head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, described the possible
resignation of Yevkurov as rumour and gossip. "I do not know about that, but
I appreciate Yevkurov very much as a friend, as a patriot and so on.
But everything else is rumour and gossip," he said.