Matthias Schepp, Spiegel Online Russian President Dimitri Medvedev has named a former opposition leader as the governor of the region of Kirov Oblast. The appointment is a test of whether Medvedev can assert himself against his powerful prime minister, Vladimir Putin.
Nikita Belykh has a difficult relationship with the armed forces. But on Defender of the Motherland Day, Belykh, who is governor of Kirov Oblast, located some 800 kilometers northeast of Moscow, attended a ceremony honoring the country's war veterans.
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