Russian President Vladimir Putin has abruptly reshuffled the leadership of the Republic of Udmurtia in the Western Urals. A decree published on the Kremlin's official website announced that Aleksandr Brechalov, who had governed the region since 2017, had stepped down "at his own request."
The regional administration announced that Brechalov would "move to a new position," but provided no details on what that post would be. Putin then appointed Olga Abramova, a native of Udmurtia, as acting governor until next year's elections.
Abramova previously served in Udmurtia as agriculture minister and first deputy prime minister before moving to Moscow in 2024 to take up an advisory role to Russia’s agriculture minister. During a televised meeting at the Kremlin, Putin stressed Abramova’s local roots and pointed out that defence production accounts for a "large share" of the republic’s economy. Udmurtia’s capital, Izhevsk, is home to major arms manufacturers including the Kalashnikov Company, which produces Kalashnikov assault rifles, guided missiles and combat drones.
Political strategist Yevgeniy Minchenko had warned earlier this month that Brechalov’s "micromanagement" of the mayoralty in Izhevsk could land him in trouble. A gubernatorial ranking published in June also noted that Brechalov faced a "medium" risk of dismissal due to weak performance, administrative infighting and arrests of local elites.
Nevertheless, the resignation took most observers by surprise. "All the discussions were initially planned for the fall," Minchenko said. "He was heading the United Russia regional list for the State Duma elections and theoretically could have transitioned there. That would have been an orderly and smooth exit, but instead we got a sudden resignation whose reason even party insiders don’t know." He added: "For me, this situation is completely baffling."
Another political analyst, Vitaliy Ivanov, said: "I’m not even sure this resignation was on the radar a month ago. But Brechalov probably learned about it a week or so ago." He added: "My working theory is that he got caught up in something. The question is: what?"
Brechalov took office in April 2017 after his predecessor, Aleksandr Solovyov, was arrested on bribery charges. In September 2022 he ran for re-election and won with 64.37% of the vote — the lowest share among the 14 incumbent governors on the ballot.
