Krasnodar Alters Mayor's Dismissal Rules as Residents Collect Signatures
Authorities in Krasnodar have decided to introduce changes to the procedure for electing and removing the mayor. Public discussions on the draft document were held on 26 January. Before the meeting began, a resident of the Yubileiny District, Yekaterina, held a solo picket with a sign: «Naumov resign.»
93.RU explains why it became necessary to change the rules for terminating the mayor«s powers and why Krasnodar residents are signing petitions for the resignation of the current head, Yevgeny Naumov.
What do the amendments say?
Before the New Year holidays, on 30 December 2025, a draft was published on the mayor«s website regarding amendments to the Charter of the Krasnodar City Council. It discusses amendments dictated by the federal law of 20 March 2025 »On the General Principles of Organizing Local Self-Government in a Unified System of Public Power« and the regional law of 12 December »On Certain Issues of Organizing Local Self-Government in Krasnodar Krai.«
At the end of last year, 93.RU wrote in detail about the new law. Previously, anyone could apply for the mayor«s position, as long as they met certain criteria: age, education, and others. Now, essentially, the new law prohibits any candidates from running independently. Candidates will be proposed personally by the governor. The governor may receive advice on which candidates to propose from political parties, public figures, the Council of Municipal Deputies of Kuban, and the Association for the Development of Local Self-Government.
According to the amendments, mentions that the population can participate in a vote to recall the head of Krasnodar if his violations are confirmed in court will be removed from the city charter.
Data has also been changed, stating that the mayor is now elected by the city council from candidates proposed not by a competition commission, but by the governor.
The head«s powers are terminated if:
The person dies.
He decides to resign of his own accord.
A court recognizes him as incapacitated or partially incapacitated.
A court recognizes him as «missing.»
A court finds that he can no longer serve as mayor due to health reasons.
A court issues a guilty verdict against him.
He moves abroad to live.
The official has citizenship of another country or a residence permit.
The administration terminates its powers early or undergoes reorganization.
He is called up for military service.
He becomes a foreign agent.
He loses the trust of the president.
He is removed from office by a decision of the council.
The number of voters in Krasnodar increases by more than 25%.
Previously, the Charter did not include information about foreign agent status, and there was an option for the mayor to be removed by «recall by voters.» Additionally, the point about losing the president«s trust has been clarified. Previously, resignation at the discretion of the head of state could only occur if the head, his spouse, or children had deposits in foreign banks, etc.; now there is no such specificity, simply »loss of trust.«
Separately, the draft outlines the following grounds for the mayor«s resignation:
Inaction by the head for three months or more in exercising his powers and addressing urgent city problems.
An unsatisfactory assessment of the head«s activities, given by the city council based on the annual report two years in a row.
Failure to comply with restrictions, such as opening deposits in foreign banks or using budget funds or information for »non-official purposes.«
Mass violation of »equality of human and civil rights and freedoms,« if it leads to an interethnic conflict.
Consistent failure to achieve performance indicators.
The initiative for the mayor«s resignation can be raised by local deputies or the governor. The decision will be made at a meeting of the city council. The official will be removed from office if supported by »no less than two-thirds« of all deputies, which in Krasnodar is 35 people.
«We want the head removed»
During public hearings attended by several dozen people (mostly of retirement age), the deputy chairman of the Krasnodar City Council, Zorik Sadoyan, noted that the proposed amendments are related to the need to bring documents in line with federal legislation.
Of all those present, only public figure and coordinator of the Yubileiny District activists, Vitaly Cherkasov, wanted to speak at the hearings.
«I am a resident of the Yubileiny District myself, and this topic is very relevant for us because decisions are now being made to develop the green zone and build a huge temple. The majority of residents are against it, and this dissatisfaction is expressed, among other things, in that we want the head removed, specifically referring to the current head — Yevgeny Mikhailovich Naumov. But according to the legislation, there are no mechanisms for us, as residents, to remove him.»
Despite the fact that no one else wished to speak, Cherkasov was repeatedly hurried by commission members and reminded of the scope of the topic under discussion when he tried to inform those present about the development plans for the embankment.
«I understand that no one else will speak besides me. In 15 minutes, we»ll all go home [ahead of schedule, everyone left in 13 minutes. — Ed.]. So, if I spend an extra two minutes, well, I think I«ll be forgiven. I»m just saying that we currently have no mechanisms to remove the current head, who does not satisfy us,« said Vitaly Cherkasov.
The public figure also pointed out that the final decision on the mayor«s resignation is made by the city council, where the majority of deputies are representatives of United Russia. And the current head, Yevgeny Naumov, is also the head of the local branch of the party. That is, essentially, he is the boss of the deputies who should obey him.
In response, Zorik Sadoyan stated that residents have «a mass» of options to demand the mayor«s resignation, namely: through the prosecutor»s office, the regional administration, the public chamber, and public organizations.
«In any case, we have a legal service, and we will make changes within the framework of current regional and federal legislation. We cannot deviate a single step to the left or right from this,» declared Sadoyan.
The conclusion based on the results of the public hearings will be published by 3 February.
Why are residents against the mayor?
Back in autumn, residents of the Yubileiny District in Krasnodar organized sending letters to the president«s office, asking Vladimir Putin to remove Mayor Yevgeny Naumov. Each person signed the letter at the end.
As locals explain, the last straw was that during public discussions on the territory planning, authorities rejected more than 1,400 comments from residents who opposed the construction of a temple on the embankment. At the same time, they accepted about 400 appeals from those who were in favor, even if they were people from another city.
Brief background: talks about building another temple in the Yubileiny District began 10 years ago, but back then, people managed to preserve the embankment area. The topic resurfaced in 2024 when the city«s general plan was changed and a plot in the green zone on Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment was allocated for religious use. In autumn 2025, after the governor»s elections, authorities held public discussions on the territory planning. In early 2026, the document was signed by the city mayor, thereby allowing large-scale construction near residential buildings, despite mass appeals from local residents to the governor and president to preserve the green zone where thousands of residents walk. Incidentally, the regional head, Kondratyev, also categorically stated that the temple will be built in honor of participants in the military operation. For more details on what is happening, read the report by 93.RU.
The Yubileiny District activists informed 93.RU that since the beginning of November 2025, more than 500 letters have been sent to the president calling for the city head«s resignation.
Simultaneously, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) has been collecting signatures for the mayor«s resignation since November. The main reasons include ignoring residents» opinions, collapse in housing and utilities and transport infrastructure, lack of action on environmental and everyday problems, as well as corruption scandals in the mayor«s office.
«We, the undersigned residents of the city of Krasnodar, declare a complete loss of trust in the head of the municipal formation of the city of Krasnodar, Yevgeny Mikhailovich Naumov. <…> We believe that Y. M. Naumov is failing in his duties as city head and has lost the moral and political right to lead the regional capital,» states the signature sheet.
The secretary of the regional committee of the party and city council deputy, Alexander Safronov, told 93.RU that more than 20,000 signatures have already been collected.
Incidentally, in the same month when the collection of letters and signatures for the mayor«s resignation began, the city council summarized the three-year work of Yevgeny Naumov as city head. Deputies spoke of »significant successes in education, healthcare, sports development,« the end of chaotic development, an increase in own revenues…
According to authorities, the mayor«s report on the work done for the year will be presented in March. Recall that last year, deputies evaluated Yevgeny Naumov»s work as satisfactory.
