Putin appointed Zhoga as plenipotentiary representative in the Ural Federal District - Kommersant
Chairman of the Parliament of the Donetsk People's Republic Artem Zhoga has been appointed presidential plenipotentiary representative in the Ural Federal District. Decree of Vladimir Putin on the appointment of Mr. Zhogi published on the Kremlin website.
Artem Zhoga will replace Vladimir Yakushev in the new post. Mr. Yakushev has held the position of plenipotentiary representative since November 2020. On September 24 he was relieved of his post. On September 25, Mr. Yakushev became the first vice-speaker of the Federation Council.
The president suggested that Artem Joga take up the post of plenipotentiary at a meeting with the Kremlin. “This is a big and important job. The Urals are an industrial region and not just industrial, a large number of defense enterprises of the industrial complex are concentrated there,” Vladimir Putin said at video from the meeting, published by the Kremlin press service. He noted that Artem Zhoga is “a famous person” and “has done a lot for Donbass and for Russia as a whole.”
“I am a soldier, I will work and serve where I am needed at the moment. This is a very responsible job, but I am ready to carry out the task, I am a soldier first and foremost,” answered Mr. Zhoga (quoted by TASS).
Artem Zhoga became known to the general public after the death of his son Vladimir Zhoga, who led the Sparta battalion. In 2022, Mr. Zhoga Sr. became the commander of this unit. In September 2023, he was elected to the DPR parliament on the United Russia list and was elected its chairman. In December 2023, Mr. Zhoga asked Vladimir Putin to run for a new presidential term, after which he became one of the three co-chairs of his campaign headquarters.
Kommersant reported on the likely appointment of Artem Zhoga to the post of plenipotentiary representative on September 24, citing sources. According to them, consideration for the post of plenipotentiary included the current head of the State Duma Committee on Ecology Dmitry Kobylkin, the head of the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs Igor Barinov, as well as State Duma deputies Ivan Kvitka and Evgeny Pervyshov.
Read more in the Kommersant article "This is Sparta"
