Vladimir Yakunin, one of the most influential members of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, could leave his post as head of state-owned Russian Railways next month, in what would be the highest-level personnel change in the country’s leadership in more than three years. The revelation follows a flurry of speculation among government critics that big political changes lie ahead as Russia’s economy takes another turn for the worse and a lifting of sanctions imposed over the Ukraine crisis appears nowhere in sight. The election commission of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, said on Monday that Nikolai Tsukanov, the regional governor, had nominated Mr Yakunin to represent the region in the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament.