Novgorod Mayor Aleksandr Korsunov was killed on the evening of 8 September on the territory of an administration-run resort by an unidentified man who ran him down with Korsunov's own car, Russian and Western news agencies reported on 9 September. According to RIA-Novosti, a man has been arrested in the case.

Oblast Prosecutor Anatolii Chugunov has declined to comment on that report. Chugunov also declined to speculate on whether the incident was a contract hit. Korsunov was the only mayor serving on a commission headed by deputy presidential administration head Dmitrii Kozak that is charged with drafting a new law on local self-government. That draft law, which is supposed to be presented to President Putin on 13 September, includes a number of controversial provisions, including an option to replace elected mayors with hired managers. Korsunov resolutely opposed the draft, which he said is "unacceptable to the majority of mayors", strana.ru reported.

(RFE/RL 20.ix.02)