It is difficult to imagine the feelings of the heads of regions forced to announce their resignation on a schedule, ever saying that "the shift of the regional head right now is the most appropriate." Apparently, there is a notorious "range of feelings ...". Nevertheless, the governor of Ryazan Oblast Oleg Kovalev, who on February 14 reported on the early resignation, addressed to his subordinates with an encouraging slogan: "Thanks all, all go to work".

"I have been working for almost nine years in Ryazan Oblast. In September, there will be a regular election of the governor ... I decided not to run for a new term," Oleg Kovalyov said at a meeting of the regional government (as opposed to three previously resigned governors, he did not summon the press conference). The decision wasn't hasty: he had sent a letter to the president more than a week ago. And he doesn't look offended that he was forced to leave, since he himself admits that he is "one of the most elderly governors in the country", he was 68 years old.

Targets previously assigned to him by President Vladimir Putin, according to Kovalev, he and his administration have fulfilled:

"As a result of our joint work over the years, Ryazan Oblast has seen major positive changes, I would say radical ones," as the governor summed up his two cadences.

To make it like in Kaluga

Ryazan Oblast, reminded the ex-governor is a good region with great potential. The society trusts the authorities, as evidenced, according to Oleg Kovalev, by all elections in recent years. Acting Governor of Ryazan Oblast has become a State Duma deputy Nikolay Lyubimov. His career started and developed in Kaluga, as Vladimir Putin reminded in the interview with the newly appointed interim head of the region.

"If I suggest to you to lead the neighboring region, Ryazan, would you do everything, as a minimum, on Kaluga's level? What prospects do you see there?," asked the head of state. Lyubimov agreed that it is possible to do "like in Kaluga", and that Ryazan Oblast in itself is "perspective, very beautiful, with a rich cultural and historical past, with a rich potential in tourism and, of course, the industrial and agricultural development edge."

Nikolay Lyubimov is 45 years old, he was born in Kaluga, where he graduated from the History Faculty of the Tsiolkovsky Pedagogical Institute. In 1997 he started to build up a bureaucratic career in the regional administration, but in 2000 went into business, leading the Central Agency for registration of securities of the companies in Kaluga, and in 2003-2004 headed OAO Kaluga Mortgage Corporation. In 2004, under the governor Anatoly Artamonov, Lyubimov got the post of the minister of economic development of the region, and in 2007 became the mayor of Kaluga. It was during his tenure as mayor of Kaluga that the Master Urban Plan was adopted,  opened after the reconstruction the Gagarin bridge across the Oka River, started the construction of public housing and built up the bank districts, started production of trucks at Volvo Vostok, Gestamp-Severstal-Kaluga as well as steel service centers Gestamp-Gonvarri-Kaluga. As a result, in 2010, Nikolay Lyubimov entered the top five best mayors of Russia. 

In his role as Deputy Governor, he was also the head of the administration. In September 2016 he was elected to the State Duma from United Russia party, and was included in the Budget and Tax Committee. Declared income of Nikolay Lyubimov for 2015 was 2 million 439.7 thousand rubles, his wife had 1 million 90,8 thousand rubles.

Ordinary rotation

Just as Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn and Sergey Mitin, Ryazan Governor Oleg Kovalev was considered a candidate to leave in accordance with the "black list" allegedly drawn up in the Kremlin. The fifth was the head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen. His press office until the last moment did not confirm the information about the possible resignation; however, the corresponding statement was made on Wednesday, February 15, at 10 am. The most likely Acting Governor of Karelia is said to be the head of the Service of Court Bailiffs of the Russian Federation Artur Parfenchikov.

The Kremlin does not think that a number of resignations is something extraordinary. According to President's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, it is an ordinary rotation, and there is no need to "look here for some opaque process", it is inappropriate. The rotary process is related to electoral calendars, Peskov said, "and, of course, everyone adjusts to this calendar."

Applications from the heads of regions, said Dmitry Peskov, have been submitted  on their own initiative: "not for the first year, and not for the first five-year terms they have been heading their regions. All of them were and are in constant contact with the president, and the president has repeatedly met with them several times and spoke very positively about the results of the work," the press secretary is quoted by Intefax. With regard to the presidential elections to be held in 2018, the Kremlin has no "election calender" for that campaign.