Medvedev Fires Moscow Mayor After 18 Years in Power
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Dmitry Medvedev fired Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov after 18 years in office, opening the way for the Russian president to put his own person in charge of the capital as the country prepares for national elections next year.
Luzhkov was removed after three weeks of headlines accusing him of corruption and favoritism toward his wife, billionaire developer Yelena Baturina. After returning from a week-long vacation, Luzhkov yesterday refused to step down in the face of Kremlin pressure. He denies any wrongdoing.