President Vladimir Putin replaced Vyacheslav Gladkov, a popular Belgorod governor, with Alexander Shuvayev, a military commander whose unit fought in the battle for Avdiivka. Ukrainian investigators have accused Shuvayev's unit of war crimes including executions of prisoners. The appointment marks Putin's boldest move yet to build a new elite of war veterans inside Russia's political system.

Shuvayev graduated from Time of Heroes, a Kremlin program started in 2024 that has trained about 160 veterans for government roles. In the past two months, at least nine veterans received regional appointments. Putin has publicly framed veteran hiring as support for men "performing well" on the front line, pushing ministers to prioritize them in heavy industry jobs.

The shift drew skepticism even from Putin supporters. Gladkov, who occasionally criticized the Defense Ministry and Kremlin policies, had deep local goodwill. Residents expressed wariness on social media about a military governor replacing a hands-on civilian leader. A Kremlin-friendly analyst warned Russia has no successful examples of generals serving as regional governors.