Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has dismissed Tver region Governor Dmitry Zelenin, who caused a stir among the ruling elite in December for complaining on Twitter that he had been served a "worm salad" at a Kremlin reception.
Although the Kremlin did not disclose why Zelenin was being dismissed, the Russian media has abounded with rumors about his imminent dismissal since the fall.
Zelenin's Twitter post, which was accompanied by a photo of an earthworm munching on the governor's salad, was swiftly removed from the micro-blogging site.
Zelenin said the incident took place during a reception dedicated to an official visit by German President Christian Wulff to Moscow in October.
"A preliminary study of the photo shows that it represents neither the place [of the reception], nor the serving of the table layout during this protocol event in the Grand Kremlin Palace," Kremlin spokesman Viktor Khrekov said later.
Presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko described Zelenin's prank as "irresponsible and stupid" and called for the governor's dismissal "for moronity."
Vice Governor of Ryazan region Andrey Shevelyov will temporarily replace Zelenin as governor of the central Russian region.
