Petersburg deputy governor resigns after Putin's criticism

"The governor accepted his resignation today, due to improper control over subordinate committees and managing companies in the housing and utilities sector, as well as insufficient explanations regarding the last year resolution on tariff hikes," Town Hall spokesman Andrei Kibitov informed on Wednesday.

Sergei Kozyrev was appointed St Petersburg's deputy governor on September 14, 2011. Previously, he was deputy governor of the Leningrad region and chief of staff of the regional government. In the city government, he was responsible for city economic issues, housing policy, housing and utilities sector, roads, transport development, urban development, electricity supply issues and environmental protection.

On Tuesday, the Russian president criticized a number of regions, including St Petersburg for sharp tariff hikes in the housing and public utilities sector.

Source: Itar-Tass