Luzhkov: You can have Moscow when you pry it from my cold dead hands!

Posted By Joshua Keating Monday, September 27, 2010 - 5:29 PM Share

As Julia Ioffe reported last week, recent attacks on longtime Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov in state-controlled media outlets have made it clear that the Kremlin has finally had enough of the legendary power-broker and his resignation has been expected any day now. 

Unfortunately, it seems someone forgot to tell Luzhkov: 

"I am not going to resign of my own accord," Luzhkov, who celebrated his 74th birthday last week, said at a news conference.

A senior Kremlin official received the mayor on Sept. 17 and told him that he had one week to resign voluntarily, Vedomosti reported Sept. 21, citing an unidentified official in the presidential administration.

But Luzhkov's spokesman Sergei Tsoi told Interfax late Sunday that the mayor planned to work as usual Monday, from 8 a.m. until late afternoon.

Sources say the Kremlin will decide on Luzhkov's replacement around Oct. 6 or 7, after President Medvedev returns from a trip to China. However, Luzhkov is also theoretically planning three international trips of his own in October. It appears that the mayor is holding out to make sure that he and his extensive business interests are well taken care of after he steps down. 

Hat tip: The Moscow Diaries

Alexey SAZONOV/AFP/Getty Images

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