President of Russia Vladimir Putin accepted the resignation of Alexander Burkov, the former governor of the Omsk region, according to the Kremlin website.

Putin has appointed Vitaliy Khotsenko, former head of the administration of the annexed Donetsk People’s Republic, as acting governor.

The Kremlin reports that Burkov resigned his post of his own volition. He has served as Governor of Omsk since September 2018.

On a video call with Khotsenko, Putin noted that Khotsenko “had worked in the north for almost five years” and understands “Siberia’s problems.”

“I’ll make every effort to make people’s lives better. It’s a lot of work, but we’re not afraid of it,” said Khotsenko.