Vladimir Putin has named Artyom Zhoga, a former military man in the DNR to be the plenipotentiary for the Urals federal district, an origin that has led many Russian observers to conclude the new appointee will serve as a kind of governor general and thus the harbinger of fundamental changes in the way the plenipotentiary system works.

Aleksey Shaburov, the editor of Yekatrinburg’s Politsovet portal, argues that while it is clear that Putin wanted to send a message that those connected with the fighting in Ukraine will have unlimited political possibilities in Russia, it is far from certain what Zhoga’s reign will mean (politsovet.ru/82154-polpred-soldat-chto-zhdat-uralu-ot-artema-zhogi.html).

“Commenting on his assignment,” the editor said, “Zhoga called himself ‘a soldier,’ giving everyone to understand that in his new post, he will in the first instance execute the orders of the president. But in the political plane, such a formulation is clearly insufficient: the position of plenipotentiary allows for a wider range of actions.”

Zhoga will have to decide what he wants and can do. For many, “the institute of plenipotentiaries........

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