In September 2017 first-term
Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai Viktor Tolokonsky asked for his resignation, which was approved by
President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and
Aleksandr Uss was appointed acting Governor. Uss is a fixture in
Krasnoyarsk Krai politics as he has held public offices in the region since 1993, most recently serving as Chairman of the
Legislative Assembly of Krasnoyarsk Krai (since 1998). Uss also previously ran for governor in
2002, losing to
Alexander Khloponin in a second round by 6 points. Aleksandr Uss won an
election for a full term in September 2018 with 60.2% of the vote, facing just two opponents from
LDPR and
A Just Russia. Despite being a longtime politician in the region, during his gubernatorial term Uss faced low approval ratings as he was viewed as an out-of-touch oligarch – Uss consistently ranked one of the wealthiest governors in Russia. In summer 2019
Siberia faced one the most devastating
wildfires in history, meanwhile Aleksandr Uss said that fire fighting in remote forests is "useless and in some cases – even harmful", for which he received public criticism. Former Krasnoyarsk Krai Accounts Chamber chair Tatyana Davydenko even suggested that the lack of response to wildfires was caused by deliberate attempt to cover up mass
illegal logging. In June 2020 Vladimir Putin criticised Uss's report about
Norilsk oil spill for an absence of adequate response and potential solutions. In June 2022 a massive corruption scandal hit
Krasnoyarsk as former
Rosprirodnadzor deputy chairman
Oleg Mitvol and Krasnoyarsk Krai transportation minister Konstantin Dimitrov were arrested for an embezzlement of more than 900 million rubles in the
Krasnoyarsk Metro construction. Another scandal hit Uss personally: his son Artyom Uss was arrested in
Italy at the request of the
US Department of Justice on the charges of
sanctions evasion and
Venezuelan oil smuggling. Artyom Uss was able to escape from custody and return to Russia in April 2023. Due to governor's low public ratings and numerous conflicts, Aleksandr Uss was named a potential candidate for replacement prior to the 2023 election. His age and lack of necessary education (the so-called "School of Governors" courses) also contributed to speculations about his potential resignation at the end of the first term. Nevertheless, Uss publicly announced his intention to run for a second term in November 2022. Among Uss's possible replacements were mentioned
State Duma members
Yury Shvytkin,
Aleksandr Drozdov and
Aleksey Veller, former
Moscow Oblast vice governor Natalya Virtuozova,
Norilsk Nickel vice president Andrey Grachev,
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia Alexander Kozlov and
Federal Antimonopoly Service deputy head
Vitaly Korolyov. On 20 April 2023 Governor Uss announced his resignation, President Putin appointed Deputy
Minister of Finance of Russia Mikhail Kotyukov, a Krasnoyarsk native who previously served as regional finance minister, acting
Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai. ==Candidates==