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Oleg Shakhov appointed acting Khimki mayor

The statement was written after Strelchenko's talk with the Moscow region governor, Sergei Shoigu

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, August 15 (Itar-Tass) — Former first deputy governor of the Tula region Oleg Shakhov has been appointed acting Khimki mayor, the press service of the Moscow region governor told Itar-Tass.

Shakhov's predecessor, former Khimki mayor Vladimir Strelchenko, has signed a statement of resignation of his own accord. The statement was written after Strelchenko's talk with the Moscow region governor, Sergei Shoigu, an aide to Shoigu for information issues confirmed to Tass.

The society has actively discussed several scandal themes around events in Khimki, in particular the situation with the construction of a highway through the Khimki forest and the brutal beating of editor-in-chief of the Khimki Pravda newspaper Mikhail Beketov.

The crime remains unsolved, but the journalist, a critic of the highway construction project, stated that Strelchenko might be involved in the blasting of his car.

The official sued Beketov accusing him of slander. A magistrate found the editor--in-chief guilty and fined him, but the Khimki town court and the Moscow regional court acquitted Beketov.

It is the second resignation of regional officials this week. On August 13, reports said Balashikha mayor Vladimir Samodelov had stepped down. Prior to that, the Sergiyev Posad mayor and an acting city manager had tendered their resignations.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan