Starovoit admitted that Smirnov has problems in communicating with the population

Former Kursk Region Governor Alexei Smirnov apparently had problems in communicating with the population of the region. This was stated by Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit to journalists on December 6. Previously, Starovoit also headed the region in question.

"Apparently, Alexei Borisovich Smirnov has recently had problems in establishing communications with people. Because at the regional and federal levels a large number of support measures have been adopted - both material and legal. More than 160. But to organize communication to people about how these measures are being implemented - there were problems with this," Starovoit said.

The head of the Ministry of Transport noted that the situation in the region was not easy, and it seems that the decision to dismiss Smirnov was connected with it. Starovoit added that he had already talked to both Kursk Region's acting governor Alexander Khinshtein and Smirnov, adding that he would help if the new head of the region needed any recommendations.

On December 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Alexander Khinshtein as interim governor of Kursk Region. The decree also specifies that Putin accepted the resignation petition of Kursk Region Governor Alexei Smirnov.

The resigned governor, in turn, said that he was moving to a new place of work by decision of the leadership, and thanked his team and the people of Kursk region for their support.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on December 6 linked the change of the region's governor to the fact that the Kursk region needs crisis management, and Putin has already spoken about it.

Alexei Smirnov took office as governor of Kursk Region on September 16.