Moscow Mayor Fired

Eighteen years after he first became mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov has been fired from his position by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.The former mayor was a controversial figure during this time in power. While he did improve the economy and constructed several significant new buildings (including the Moskva-City skyscrapers), Luzkhov was criticized for his poor judgement in the reconstruction of historic buildings and monuments (or simply destroying them), poor handling of the smog crisis during the wildfires earlier this year, as well as corruption.

The mayor's sacking followed weeks of conflict between the Kremlin and the city government of Moscow, with Luzhkov publicly criticizing the country's leadership. When asked for his reason for firing the mayor, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he had lost confidence in Luzhkov.

There may still be problems ahead for the former mayor, as Russia's investigative committee considers possible criminal prosecution in regards to allegations of corruption.