Governor of the Sakhalin Region Ivan Malakhov has accelerated the pace in solving the pressing problems of residents of the city of Nevelsk affected by the August 2 earthquake. He was prompted to do this by criticism of President Vladimir Putin, who the day before instructed the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations , Sergei Shoigu, to analyze and report to him within two or three days on the quality of the organization of rescue work after the earthquake on Sakhalin, in particular, on the activities of local authorities and the governor, “who on time was not at the scene of the tragedy.”

The president's critical remarks to the governor actually raised the question of Malakhov's future fate as head of the region. The powers of the head of the region expire in December of this year, and the chances of his re-appointment were already considered not the greatest.

To save himself, the governor used classic populist moves. During Tuesday, he managed to transfer his one-day salary to the victims’ fund and called on all other employees of the regional administration to follow his example. In addition, Malakhov personally visited Nevelsk, talked with the townspeople, and ordered to begin paying compensation in the amount of a thousand rubles for each resident of the city. He also instructed additional construction teams to restore two bridges - at the entrance to Gornozavodsk and on the Lopatinka River. But most importantly: Malakhov called on civil servants to treat people with care, “listen to the requests of every resident of the Nevelsky district and contribute as much as possible to solving their problems.”

The governor of Sakhalin paid the price - Gazeta.Ru