Press Release, 5.10.2020

A tense situation has developed in the relationship between the administration and the Council of Deputies in the Zaboryevsky rural settlement (one of the largest settlements, includes 15 settlements near Ryazan) over the past month. The head and new deputies of the Council were elected a year ago. Irina Kopylova, representing the ruling United Russia party, became the head of the administration. Anatoly Kivva, candidate from the Yabloko party, won a mandate in the elections of deputies in the largest district of the settlement.

One of the first initiatives of Kopylova was a proposal to increase the number of the administration staff and raise their salaries. On the initiative of Yabloko deputy Anatoly Kivva, this decision failed to pass.

Activists of the Ryazan branch of Yabloko also note that at the first meeting of the Council deputy Olga Vorobyova became the Chair of the Council. But she obviously had neither the time, nor the desire, nor the competence to fully engage in the work of the Council. Anatoly Kivva did not support her candidacy, however, under administrative pressure, the majority of the Council’s deputies voted for Vorobyova, whose functions from now on were only trying to ensure the loyalty of the Council to the Administration.

In the course of further work, other deputies also became dissatisfied with such a situation, they had increasingly more questions about the work of the Administration, as the latter did not conduct normal work with the population and tried to evade the pressing issues the residents and deputies were raising.

In September 2020, a group of deputies brought about an issue of replacing the Chair of the Council, so that the Administration should regularly inform deputies about its work. By a majority of votes, it was decided to remove Vorobyova from the post of the Chair of the Council. However, head of the Administration, Irina Kopylova, in response engaged in intrigues, persuading her friendly deputies not to attend meetings to break the quorum.

“Now the work of the Administration aims only at ensuring it is not controlled [by the Council], while there are many problems in the settlement that require urgent solutions,” Anatoly Kivva says.

The regional branch of the party emphasises that they will provide Yabloko deputy with full information support and ensure publicity of what has been happening in the Zaboryevsky rural settlement.