Krasnoyarsk Court Upholds Controversial Local Governance Changes Amid Public Outcry

A court in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia dismissed a lawsuit on Tuesday that contested Kremlin-supported reforms aimed at eliminating most local councils and transferring authority to the regional government, as reported by local news sources.

Residents and officials from several dissolved rural districts—analogous to U.S. counties—had filed a lawsuit against Krasnoyarsk Governor Mikhail Kotyukov and the regional parliament, claiming that the reforms were enacted without public consultation.

These reforms have reduced the number of municipalities in the expansive region, which is home to 2.8 million residents, from 472 to only 39. Consequently, most villages and small towns will no longer have the ability to elect their representatives. The initiatives have led to the consolidation of many rural districts into larger entities, with several elections scheduled for next month.

Opponents argue that this restructuring undermines local political representation and grants the Kremlin greater control over regional governance, while officials from the regional legislature assert that the changes merely established new districts. The reforms took effect on June 19, following a federal law signed by President Vladimir Putin.

Governor Kotyukov belongs to the ruling United Russia party, which possesses a two-thirds majority in the regional assembly. According to local reports, the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court rejected all claims against the reforms on Tuesday.

This court decision followed a ruling the day before by the Supreme Court of the Siberian republic of Altai, which also dismissed a similar lawsuit regarding municipal reforms. A significant number of residents gathered outside the courthouse in Gorno-Altaysk to protest that decision.