The governor of southern Russia’s Samara region on Tuesday abruptly fired a local district head during an inspection visit caught on camera, with the video since going viral for the governor’s profanity-laced outburst.
Footage showed Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, the 36-year-old governor, confronting Yury Zhidkov, head of Samara’s Kinelsky district, over a damaged memorial stone dedicated to local World War II veterans.
When Zhidkov dismissed the monument as “just a rock,” Fedorishchev slapped him twice on the shoulder and told him, “You’re f****** fired.”
The governor later confirmed the dismissal in a social media post, saying his anger stemmed from Zhidkov’s “disrespect for the memory of our heroes.”
“You can make up for a lack of competence or experience. But there’s a limit if this is your attitude toward our heroes,” Fedorishchev said.
In a video message posted on Telegram, Fedorishchev said he planned to appoint a new district head “in the next few weeks.”
Fedorishchev, Russia’s youngest regional governor, is seen by Kremlin insiders as part of a new generation of officials known for their brash public personas and active social media presence.
Last month, he drew criticism after appearing to joke online about visiting a bathhouse with sex workers and aides, prompting speculation among analysts that he could be at risk of dismissal himself.
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