Lov accepts The Proposal Moscow mayor Yuri Lov seen in happier times he was nowhere to be found around his office Tuesday leaving early after he was fired by Russian president Dimitri Medvedev the Russian leader signed a decree relieving the 74y old mayor of his duties and then explained the move to reporters while on a visit to Shanghai the reason stems from the order as president of the Russian Federation I lost my confidence in Yuri Lov as the mayor of Moscow Lov submitted a letter quitting his United Russia party but otherwise made no public comment a party member had held it up for the cameras in his resignation note Lov complained of media attacks and a lack of backing he'd given the crumbling Russian capital a glamorous facelift during his 18 years in office which people like Victoria Mika appreciated she even stood outside his office holding a sign of support but the former mayor had plenty of critics too some were upset he stayed away on vacation when Moscow was blanketed in Smoke from forest fires over the summer some like Olga savela were unhappy about his bulldozing historic buildings he shouldn't have such an attitude to the city to the historical Heritage to the mosis he shouldn't think only about his own wife and the family Pockets that need to be filled up that was another red flag for lov's critics who suspected the long building boom he presided over in Moscow ly the pockets of his wife who owns a construction company yena baturina is believed to be Russia's only female dollar billionaire but in the end it was more likely the change to confronting instead of cooperating with Russia's leaders that finally finished his tenure in office Karen Sloan the Associated Press