Western Moscow deputy police chief resigns in continuing law enforcement turnover following Ivan Golunov case

Igor Petukhov, the deputy police chief for the Western Administrative District of Moscow, has submitted a resignation letter with a request for superannuated benefits. Two anonymous sources close to the Moscow police told RBC about the resignation.

Petukhov’s former boss, Moscow police chief Andrey Puchkov, was fired on the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Internal Affairs Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev requested the firing after the release of Meduza correspondent Ivan Golunov, who was arrested on fabricated drug charges and then cleared for lack of evidence.

RBC reported that Andrey Shchirov, who leads the drug division of Moscow’s police department and whose subordinates arrested Golunov, is on leave but has not been fired. One of the newspaper’s sources said Shirov had “taken all his things away from his desk” last week. Another top Moscow drug officer, Yury Devyatkin, was fired on presidential orders in the same manner as Puchkov.