New Leadership in Novgorod: Putin Appoints Alexander Dronov as Acting Governor

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin appointed Alexander Dronov as the interim governor of the Novgorod region in northwestern Russia, just weeks after the former governor resigned.

Dronov, previously the first deputy governor of Novgorod, takes over from Andrei Nikitin, who stepped down on February 7 to assume the role of Russia’s deputy minister of transportation.

According to reports from the business newspaper Vedomosti, Nikitin will be responsible for overseeing Russia’s drone production as the country aims to address Ukraine’s advantage in unmanned aerial technology on the battlefield.

At 45 years old, Dronov is an alumnus of the Kremlin’s governance training program, which is conducted under the supervision of First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Kiriyenko.

His appointment precedes gubernatorial elections in Novgorod and 17 other regions scheduled for this September.

Analysts have observed a change in the Kremlin’s strategy regarding regional leaders, now prioritizing stability rather than frequent changes.

«This trend indicates that [Moscow] believes the existing team in the region has adequate potential for further development and that a significant overhaul is unnecessary,» said Konstantin Kostin, a former senior official in the presidential administration, in a conversation with Vedomosti last month.