A Ukrainian incursion has been underway in parts of the Russian border region since early August
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed long-serving MP Aleksandr Khinshtein as the acting governor of the Kursk Region, where a Ukrainian incursion is ongoing.
The relevant decree was published on the presidential website on Thursday evening.
Shortly before that, Putin offered the position of acting governor to Khinshtein during a meeting at the Kremlin.
“Crisis management is now in demand” in Kursk Region, the president said. “And as the territory is being liberated from the enemy, of course, a lot will need to be done to restore housing and communal services, to restore the economy of this territory.”
Providing assistance to residents of the region is of utmost importance, he added.
Putin also noted that Khinshtein’s experience as an adviser to the commander of Russia’s National Guard between 2016 and 2018 should help him in his new position.
Khinshtein accepted the role, describing it as a great honor. He said he understood that the situation in the Kursk Region was “complicated.”
“This is our land, and, of course, we must do everything to make sure that all residents of Kursk Region feel that they are part of our one big country,” the 50-year-old MP stated.
Khinshtein is a former investigative journalist. He has been a deputy of the Russian State Duma since 2003 and joined the ruling United Russia party in 2007. For the past four years, he has headed the parliament’s Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.
“I am heading out to the Kursk Region soon and starting work. I serve Russia! Victory will be ours!” Khinshtein wrote on Telegram on Friday.
The previous governor of Kursk, Aleksey Smirnov, announced his resignation on Thursday, saying he would be moving to another position.
Ukrainian troops invaded Kursk Region on August 6 in the largest attack on internationally recognized Russian territory since the escalation of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. The area under the control of Ukrainian forces has been steadily shrinking in recent months, but they still maintain a presence in some parts of the region.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kiev’s total losses in the four months since the launch of its incursion have reached over 38,200 servicemen, 230 tanks, 160 infantry fighting vehicles, 120 armored personnel carriers, and hundreds of pieces of other equipment, including 11 US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
