Svetlana Uchaykina, the Minister of Culture of the Sverdlovsk Region, is leaving her post.

      Svetlana Uchaikina, the Minister of Culture of the Sverdlovsk Region, has submitted her resignation. Svetlana Nikolayevna confirmed this information to journalists. The official reason given is reaching the maximum age for civil service (65), RBC reports.

      Ilya Markov, head of the Department of Culture of the Yekaterinburg administration, is being named as a likely candidate for the post. At the same time, the EAN agency earlier mentioned that the post could be sought by Evgenia Shevchenko, an official from Orenburg.

      Last week the anonymous insider Telegram channel about Sverdlovsk elites "Podlivtika 2.0" reported that Uchaikina had been elected head of the local Union of Theatre Workers for a five-year term. Svetlana Uchaikina was born in the village of Vysokoye, Akhtyrsky District, Sumy Region, RBC reports in a biographical note. In 1981 she graduated from the Khabarovsk State Institute of Culture. After moving to Sverdlovsk in 1982, she began working at the VIZ Palace of Culture (DK VIZ). She later headed two Yekaterinburg theatres — the puppet theatre and the theatre for young audiences.

      She had held the position of Minister of Culture of the Sverdlovsk Region since December 1, 2016. After the regional government resigned on September 16 in connection with the election of a new governor, she remained in an acting capacity.