Putin Appoints Kick-Boxing Ex-Senator to Head Buddhist Region
- Batu Khasikov continued to fight professionally when a senator
- Khasikov named acting head of Kalmykia after incumbent resigns
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Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed a world champion kick-boxer and former senator to head Kalmykia, a remote Buddhist region on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Batu Khasikov, who continued to fight during his term representing Kalmykia in Russia’s Federation Council from 2012 to 2014, was named acting head of the region after the previous leader resigned, according to a decree posted on the Kremlin website Wednesday.