KIEV, March 24 – President Petro Poroshenko, in a surprise move on Tuesday, accepted the resignation of Ihor Kolomoyskiy as the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region.

Kolomoyskiy, a billionaire oligarch, played a crucial role in suppressing a pro-Russian unrest in the region a year ago. He turned the region into a Ukrainian bastion and logistics center in the war against the Russian aggression in the east.

Poroshenko signed the decree dismissing Kolomoyskiy during a meeting between the two, the presidential press service reported.

"We have to ensure peace, stability and calm,” Poroshenko said. “The Dnipropetrovsk region must remain the bastion of Ukraine in the east that protects peace and its people.”

Valentyn Reznichenko was tapped by Poroshenko to replace Kolomoyskiy, according to the report.

Kolomoyskiy’s political influence grew significantly over the past 10 months with some accusing him of using access to state resources, such as state oil companies, to benefit his business interests.

The resignation comes amid growing tensions between the government and Kolomoyskiy over control of two state oil companies that have been run by managers loyal to Kolomoyskiy.

The standoff culminated recently with the deployment of ‘volunteer battalions,’ seen by many as Kolomoyskiy’s private army, for protection of UkrTransNafta and UkrNafta headquarters to prevent the reshuffle of managers.

Poroshenko has repeatedly said all armed persons within the headquarters must be disarmed, and the companies must obey the government’s decision to reshuffle the managers.

Dnepropetrovsk and its surrounding region - Ukraine’s second largest, with a population of 3.5 million - are an island of calm amid the violence gripping the nearby Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Kolomoyskiy, an outspoken, bearded fireplug of a man, has ridiculed Vladimir Putin, calling the Russian president “a schizophrenic of short stature.”

In reply, Putin called Kolomoyskiy, who amassed a fortune of several billion dollars from banking and other businesses, “a unique crook.”

In a move said to have been inspired by the Swiss army, Kolomoyskiy’s administration has been training local citizen brigades to defend their communities against possible aggression. “Dnepropetrovsk will shoot from every window if the Russian soldiers try to climb in,” regional defense chief Yury Bereza said in a recent radio interview, Bloomberg reported.

Kolomoyskiy extended his unique crisis-management model to other regions. The Kharkiv and Odessa regions are run by governors seen to be loyal to Kolomoyskiy. (nr/ez)