Head of the Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev asked the president to accept his early resignation after the fire in the Winter Cherry shopping center, in which, according to official data, 64 people died.

The only right decision

Aman Tuleyev, who led the Kemerovo region for 21 years, announced his resignation. This is stated in a message on the regional administration website. About resignation "by at will"he asked President Vladimir Putin, the report notes.

Tuleyev explained the reasons for his resignation in a video message. “I consider it the right, conscious, and only correct decision for myself, because with such a heavy burden as governor, well, it’s impossible, it’s morally impossible.”, said the regional governor.

He noted that the emergency in Kuzbass was a terrible tragedy that all residents of Kuzbass are experiencing: “Each of us has already passed all this through our hearts, all this horror, the pain of this catastrophe... The whole of Russia and the whole world mourn with us.”

The outgoing governor said he did "everything he could." “I met with the families of the victims and tried to resolve issues with assistance. Once again I offer my deepest condolences. But we must live, continue to live. Live to cherish the memories of those we have lost.", - added Tuleyev.

Punish those responsible for the tragedy

Vladimir Putin signed a decree on early termination powers of Tuleyev and appointed acting head of Kuzbass Sergei Tsivilev, who became deputy governor in early March.

Tsivilev also made a video message to the residents of Kuzbass. In his statement, he promised to do everything to ensure that those responsible for the fire in the Winter Cherry shopping center were punished. The politician stressed that the investigation will be provided with all necessary information, and no one “will be fenced off or hidden.”

“I am taking over the region at a very difficult moment, when dozens of people, and above all our children, died in a terrible fire. I want to tell you, the residents of Kemerovo and the entire region, that I will do everything to ensure that those responsible for this terrible tragedy suffered the strictest punishment", - emphasized the acting governor.

Tsivilev also promised to provide assistance to the victims and relatives of the victims of the fire in Winter Cherry.

“We must all do everything together to make the lives of Kemerovo residents safe and dignified. Our future depends only on you and me,”- the politician’s address says.

A fire in the Winter Cherry shopping center in Kemerovo occurred on March 25. According to the latest data, at least 64 people died, including 41 children. According to the investigation, the fire alarm was not working in the shopping center that day, and the security guard on duty turned off the fire safety system.

On the morning of March 27, a spontaneous rally began in Kemerovo demanding a transparent investigation into the fire and the resignation of Tuleyev and city administration officials. Tuleyev did not appear at the rally. But he met with President Vladimir Putin, who had arrived in Kemerovo, and asked him for forgiveness for what happened.

April 1, 2018 Governor of the Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev resigned. And the Russian President accepted it. We tell you what is happening.

Aman Tuleyev was not joking? Did he really resign?

Yes, this is not an April Fool's joke. Aman Tuleyev really resigned. Tuleyev himself announced this on April 1, 2018. And the Russian President has already accepted his resignation Vladimir Putin. Information about this is posted on the official Kremlin website.

“In connection with the statement of the Governor of the Kemerovo Region A.G. Tuleyev about the early termination of powers ... I decide: to accept the resignation of the Governor of the Kemerovo Region A.G. Tuleyev at his own request,” says the published order of the President. The order came into force from the date of its signing.

Why did Tuleyev resign?

As Tuleyev himself explained in his video message to residents of the region, his decision is related to the tragedy in the Winter Cherry shopping center, which occurred on March 25, and this is “the correct, conscious, and only correct decision.” “Because it’s impossible, morally impossible, to work with such a heavy load as governor,” said the governor of Kuzbass. Aman Tuleyev recalled that 64 people died in this fire, most of them children.

“We lost 64 people and most of them were children. Our children. Each of us missed all this through our hearts, all this horror, the pain of this catastrophe... The whole of Russia and the whole world mourn with us.”

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We think not. Recently, 73-year-old Aman Tuleyev has had serious health problems. He underwent heart surgery. Even during Putin’s visit to Kemerovo after the fire, when the president announced a minute of silence, Tuleyev was able to get to his feet only with the help of plenipotentiary Sergei Menyailo.

Rumors about Tuleyev's resignation have been circulating for about a year. And after Tsivilev was sent to Kuzbass, these rumors became very persistent. Even then they started talking that he would be the one to replace Tuleyev.

Who will act as governor of the Kemerovo region?

According to the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the acting governor of the Kemerovo region will be appointed Sergey Tsivilev, who received the post of Deputy Governor of the Kemerovo Region for Industry, Transport and Consumer Market in early March 2018. Before this, Tsivilev was the general director of the Kolmar coal company (mining coal in the south of Yakutia) and owned 100% of the shares of ANTE Holding and Danrit. After taking office as vice-governor, Tsivilev transferred shares of the company to his wife.

“I want to assure all of you, every resident of the Kemerovo region, that I am implementing all initiatives and decisions for the development of the region. And you and I will determine what, first of all, what needs to be done in the long term for the future of Kuzbass,” Tsivilev said in his address to the residents of the region.

But the governor of the Kemerovo region will still be elected by the residents of Kuzbass. It is not yet known when the elections will take place.

How will Tuleyev’s resignation affect Kuzbass?

The question about this remains open. Experts say that after Tuleyev’s departure, a so-called redistribution of property among local elites fighting for influence is possible. From this point of view, Sergei Tsivilev is a convenient option, since he is a “Varangian” and does not support any of the warring local parties, which means the conflict will not flare up.

In addition, before Tsivilev’s appointment to the position of vice-governor, the President of the Russian Federation met with him, and this indicates very serious support from the federal center.

If we look at the situation solely from the point of view of the fire in Winter Cherry, then, unfortunately, this shopping center is not the only one in which fire safety rules were grossly and even cynically violated. And this situation will be affected not by Tuleyev’s resignation, but by the targeted and tough policy of the authorities and supervisory authorities throughout the country.

Aman Tuleyev will leave the post of governor of the Kemerovo region early at his request, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the regional administration. The message that Tuleyev “appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a statement of resignation of his own free will” also appeared on the website of the regional administration.

It has not yet been announced who will act as governor.

Tuleyev wrote down video message to residents of the region in which he confirmed that he had resigned. First, in his address, he recalled the fire that occurred in Kemerovo, which killed dozens of people. "I did everything I could. Met with the families of the victims. Tried to resolve issues regarding assistance. Once again I offer my deepest condolences. But we must live, continue to live. To live to preserve the memory of those we have lost. Russian law enforcement agencies are investigating the causes of the fire,” he said.

Tuleyev called the decision to resign “correct, conscious, the only correct one.” “Because it’s morally impossible to work with such a heavy load as governor,” he said.

“Dear fellow countrymen, together with you we have gone through a great, very great life path. From Kuzbass striking, sitting on the rails, banging helmets, hunger strikes, strikes to Kuzbass creating and supporting our state. And you did it all. And I am immensely grateful to you. Quite honestly, as before an icon, I can tell you that in my work I have always been guided by the interests of our country, Russia, and our region. Thanks again to everyone for always being there in sorrow, joy, and take a bow,” Tuleyev said.

Tragedy in Kemerovo

A week ago, on March 25, in Kemerovo “Winter Cherry”. The fire started on the top floor, where there were cinema halls and game rooms. 64 people died, including 41 children. The Investigative Committee stated that the shopping center building was erected without permission. Seven people have been arrested in connection with the fire.

Putin came to the city on Tuesday. On the same day, a spontaneous rally was held at the regional administration, which was attended by thousands of people. They also demanded the resignation of the governor. Tuleyev's deputies came out to the protesters - in particular, Sergei Tsivilev, who was appointed only at the beginning of March. He reproached one of the rally participants, who demanded to know why so many people could not be saved, is that he is “promoting a tragedy.” The protester, Kemerovo resident Igor Vostrikov, responded by saying that he had lost his wife, three children and younger sister in the fire.Tsivilev later knelt in front of those gathered and asked for forgiveness from the people who found themselves “in this difficult situation.”

Tuleyev himself did not come out to those gathered in the square. That day, at a meeting with Putin, he stated that in Kemerovo“on the mountain of humanity” the opposition arose. “These are not relatives of the victims at all, these are generally those who are constantly causing trouble,” he said about the protesters. He alsoapologized to Putin for the fire: “I apologize to you personally for what happened on our territory.”

The next day in a video messageTuleyev said that during the days of the tragedy, “certain forces are trying to pit people against each other,” and “they are simply shaking the situation terribly.” Its nFirst Deputy Vladimir Chernov, in turn, called the rally a planned provocation to discredit the authorities.

Putin met in Kemerovo withinitiative group delegated by the participants of the spontaneous rally. Heassured that all those responsible for the death of people will be held accountable and that no one will be covered up. “Everyone who has to answer, everyone will answer,” he said (quotes from TASS).

When asked whether Tuleyev’s resignation was planned, Putin said that there was no need to immediately “appoint” those responsible. “In order to make decisions of this kind... Firstly, this is not done in front of cameras, for the sake of a nice word and against the backdrop of a tragedy. And secondly, you need to determine exactly who is to blame for what. And when we do this, and we will definitely do this, there will be appropriate decisions. Status has nothing to do with it when people died, children,” Putin said.

Tuleyev has been leading Kuzbass since 1997. Kommersant wrote about his imminent resignation back in June 2017. Before this, in May, Tuleyev went on a ten-day vacation, but after it did not appear publicly. Only at the end of June the regional administration reported that Tuleyev was in Germany, where he underwent spinal surgery. The governor returned to Kuzbass in mid-August, after rehabilitation in Moscow.

The Kremlin had a plan to replace Tuleyev this spring, after the presidential elections, Vedomosti’s interlocutors close to the Kremlin said: a potential successor to Tuleyev was agreed upon - the former general director of the Kolmar coal company Sergei Tsivilev, who becameat the beginning of March, Tuleyev’s deputy for industry, transport and entrepreneurship.

The fact is that upon taking office, Tuleyev did not take the oath, as required by local legislation. Kemerovo social activist Maxim Uchvatov drew attention to this.

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The man demanded that the Russian Prosecutor General's Office look into the situation and deprive Tuleyev of his deputy mandate, Ura.ru reports. “Aman Gumirovich did not take the oath during the entire session. Based on this, I formed an appeal addressed to the Prosecutor General of Russia Yuri Chaika with a request to take prosecutorial response measures,” Uchvatov explained.

On April 10, the ex-governor of Kuzbass was elected chairman of the Council of People's Deputies of the Kemerovo Region. Aman Tuleyev was the head of the region for more than 20 years. He resigned on April 1 in connection with a major fire in the Winter Cherry shopping center in Kemerovo on March 25. The tragedy claimed the lives of 64 people, including 41 children.

As the site wrote, Kemerovo resident Igor Vostrikov, who lost his family in a fire, was outraged by the appointment of the former head of Kuzbass to a new position. He believes that after the tragedy, the ex-governor should have left politics completely.

The head of Kuzbass, Aman Tuleyev, who has headed the region since 1997, wrote a letter of resignation of his own free will. This happened after a fire in the Winter Cherry shopping and entertainment center in Kemerovo, which claimed the lives of 64 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the early resignation of Aman Tuleyev and appointed Vice-Governor Sergei Tsivilev as acting head of the region.

The governor of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, submitted his resignation. Kommersant was informed about this by the press service of the administration of the Kemerovo region. “Exactly. The governor of the Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, addressed President Vladimir Putin with a statement of resignation of his own free will,” Alexey Dorongov, head of the main department for work with media of the regional administration, told Kommersant. In his address to local residents Aman Tuleyev said that this was due to a fire that occurred in the Winter Cherry shopping center in Kemerovo. Vladimir Putin accepted the resignation of Mr. Tuleyev, acting. Vice-Governor Sergei Tsivilev was appointed head of Kuzbass. The President also called Aman Tuleyev to thank him for his many years of work as governor of the Kemerovo region.

“Each of us has already passed this through our hearts, through ourselves, this horror, the pain of this catastrophe. Well, all of Russia and the whole world mourns with us. Dear Kuzbass residents, I did everything I could. Met with the families of the victims and tried to resolve issues regarding assistance. Once again I offer my deepest condolences, but we must move on with our lives. Live to cherish the memories of those we have lost. Russian law enforcement agencies are investigating the cause of the fire. Dear fellow countrymen, together with you we have come a long, very long journey in life. From Kuzbass striking, sitting on the rails, banging helmets, hunger strikes, strikes... To Kuzbass creating and supporting our state. And you did all this, you, and I am immensely grateful to you. Quite honestly, like an icon, I can tell you that in my work I have always been guided by the interests of our country, Russia, and our region. Thank you all again for always being there, in sorrow and joy. And take a bow (bowed to the table, sitting at the table in his office. - “Kommersant”). Today, now, I want to tell you, I submitted my resignation to the President of the Russian Federation. I consider it the right, conscious, and only right decision for myself. Because it’s morally impossible to work with such a heavy load as governor. Peace and goodness to you and your families! May God protect each of you and our native Kuzbass land,” said Aman Tuleyev.

Let us remind you that on March 25, a strong fire occurred in the Kemerovo shopping center “Winter Cherry,” which killed 64 people, including 41 children. Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the fire. The court took into custody the manager of the shopping center Nadezhda Suddenok, the technical director of the center Georgy Sobolev, the security guard Sergei Antyushin, as well as two employees of the company involved in servicing fire protection system, Igor Polozinenko and Alexander Nikitin, general director of Kemerovo Confectionery Plant LLC (the company that owns the burned-out shopping and entertainment center "Winter Cherry") Yulia Bogdanova, former head of the state construction supervision inspection of the Kemerovo region Tanzilia Komkova.

Aman Tuleyev did not come to the scene of the tragedy. Meanwhile, at a meeting held on March 27 in Kemerovo under the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the head of the region asked for forgiveness from the head of state: “I apologize to you personally for what happened on our territory.” Shortly before the start of the meeting, a spontaneous rally began in Kemerovo, which lasted more than 10 hours. People demanded the resignation of the city and regional leadership. “Aman Tuleyev has long lost his authority. The people are asking - leave. Let's resign! - the crowd shouted and chanted “Come on, leave!”

The Kemerovo branch of Yabloko also demanded the resignation of the head of the region and the mayor of the city, Ilya Seredyuk. “We believe that in addition to the owners of the building, the control and inspection services that allowed the building of the Winter Cherry shopping and entertainment center to be used, each bearing their share of responsibility for the death of adults and children, responsibility for this tragedy also lies with authorities of Kemerovo and the Kemerovo region,” says a statement from the regional party council. The appeal was sent to the presidential administration, the presidential embassy in Siberian federal district, as well as to the State Duma and the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. The head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov said that the tragedy in Kemerovo is a consequence of the incompetence and corruption of the authorities. “We insist on the creation of a parliamentary commission to investigate the circumstances of this disaster and develop effective measures to prevent such events,” according to the party’s website.

73-year-old Aman Tuleyev has headed the Kemerovo region since October 1997. In September 2015, he was again elected head of Kuzbass, gaining 96.69% of the votes. In 2017, the governor went on a long vacation (more than 1.5 months) due to health problems - he underwent spinal surgery in a clinic in Germany, and then postoperative rehabilitation began. Against the backdrop of this information, the possibility of Mr. Tuleyev’s resignation due to his state of health was actively discussed in the Kemerovo region. Last summer, the regional administration issued a statement that the head of the region, Aman Tuleyev, intends to fulfill his duties until the end of his term in 2020. A new wave of speculation about the resignation of Aman Tuleyev appeared in March of this year after the appointment of the general director of the Kolmar coal company Sergei Tsivilev to the post of vice-governor of Kuzbass, whom many considered the most likely successor to the current governor.

Aman Tuleyev nominated his candidacy for presidential elections three times. According to the Civil Society Development Foundation, from 2013 to 2014, Mr. Tuleyev was one of the ten most successful governors of Russia.

Oksana Pavlova, Ilya Galaguz, Novosibirsk; Yulia Matyushchenko, Kemerovo