This presidential decree enters into force from the day it was signed

Vladimir Putin (center) in a meeting with Sergei Menyailo (left) and Alexei Chalyi

MOSCOW, April 15. /ITAR-TASS/. Putin has signed a decree appointing Sergei Menyailo as acting governor of the Russian federal city of Sevastopol, long-standing home base for Russian Black Sea naval fleet on the Crimean peninsula. The presidential decree was published at the Kremlin website on Tuesday.

“In virtue of the endorsement of the Charter of the Russian federal city of Sevastopol, establishment of the post of Sevastopol governor and on the strength of Article 80 of the Russian Constitution I decree to appoint Sergei Ivanovich Menyailo as acting governor of the city of Sevastopol until a governor of the city of Sevastopol is elected,” the presidential decree reads.

This presidential decree enters into force from the day it was signed.

On Monday, the Russian president met with Sergei Menyailo and Aleksey Chalyi saying that he would sign a decree appointing Menyailo, the former assistant commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as acting Sevastopol governor.

Putin asked Menyailo at the meeting when the latter retired from military service. Menyailo noted that he had retired from military service in 1990, after that all his work was linked with the city of Sevastopol and the fleet, currently he heads a state-run enterprise. “So, you are well acquainted with economic problems, aren’t you?” the president asked. Menyailo answered positively. In his words, tasks facing the city of Sevastopol are clear. He named primarily the fight against corruption, soonest formation of all authorities and “establishment of basic order” among these tasks.

“The rule in Russian constituent entities, a city is a specific type of activity related with a daily, sometimes at first sight, boring work linked with maintenance and development of city economy, housing and public utilities, electric power, water supplies and growth of life level of city residents - all this is a matter of activity of a chief executive, a governor,” Putin warned. “I understand that the most important thing, to my mind, to alleviate social tension and to do a systemic work,” Menyailo replied.