UFA, May 3. The mayor of partially flooded Orsk, Vasily Kozupitsa, said on Channel One that he will resign during the flood » not like a human being, not like a state.»
He said that a difficult moment for him was the day when people came to the city administration in protest and expressed personal distrust. “It was very emotional, difficult for me. I didn’t see any other way but to go out to people and talk to them, explain what was not clear,” Kozupica said. 
“I believe that in this situation it is easier to leave than not to leave. But how do you leave in such a situation? I clearly understand that in this case I must be with people, I must do what is necessary for their well-being. The time will come, of course, I I’ll make a decision, but now it’s simply impossible. They won’t understand me, it will be wrong, not humane, not state-like,” the mayor said. He said that he sheltered a family in his house whose home was flooded.
In Orsk, Orenburg region, on April 5, the dam that protected the city from the waters of the Ural River broke. Mass evacuation of residents of several villages began. They were able to fill the dam only on April 11, and water began to flow out of populated areas. On April 22, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the situation in the region had stabilized, the water level in flooded settlements was steadily decreasing. Kozupitsa said on April 24 that the housing of about 30 thousand residents of Orsk was in the flood zone.