Andrei Turchak, secretary of United Russia, the country's ruling political party, submitted his resignation on June 15, according to the Russian state-controlled media outlet TASS.
The move is regarded as a demotion initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who appointed Turchak earlier this month to serve as governor of the Altai Republic in southern Siberia.
Dmitry Medvedev, the chairperson of United Russia and deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, accepted Turchak's resignation. Medvedev appointed Vladimir Yakushev, presidential envoy in the Ural Federal District, to replace Turchak as acting secretary of the party.
Turchak, previously seen as a favorite of Putin's, vocally supported Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and visited occupied Ukrainian territories to organize illegal sham referendums on behalf of United Russia.
In recent weeks, Putin has dismissed or reshuffled several high-ranking officials, including those at the highest rungs of Moscow's military and security apparatus.
In April, now-former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was detained on suspicion of bribery, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was reassigned as the head of the country's security council on May 13, replacing Nikolai Patrushev.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
