Chita city Mayor Alexander Sapozhnikov resigns from municipal position to go to war in Ukraine

Alexander Sapozhnikov, the head municipal manager of the Siberian city of Chita, has resigned from his post to go to war in Ukraine. He announced his decision on his Telegram channel, writing:

Dear Chita residents! I have made a decision to go to the place where I am most needed — which is the zone of the special military operation. As an experienced paratrooper, and as a citizen, I cannot remain a bystander in our Motherland’s fateful battle for its right to a future, which we inherit from our ancestors. My duty and calling is to defend our country.

Earlier, local media reported that Sapozhnikov would go to Ukraine as a volunteer conscript on November 23. The mayor himself did not then comment on this news.

Sapozhnikov became the head of Chita city’s municipal administration in November 2019.

• In late October, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported that 300,000 people had been conscripted under the president’s mobilization order, including 1,300 government officials and 27,000 entrepreneurs.

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