Gleb Nikitin, Evgeny Kuyvashev and Igor Kobzev received a “red light” in the Kremlin ?

After recent publications about the upcoming transition of several heads of Russian regions to work in federal authorities, reports appeared about possible problems with promotions for the Nizhny Novgorod governor Gleb Nikitin, Sverdlovsk Evgeny Kuyvashev and Irkutsk Igor Kobzev. Meanwhile, it was previously predicted that Nikitin would be appointed to the post of Minister of Economic Development instead of Maxim Reshetnikov. Moreover, the governor allegedly even enlisted the support of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina and presidential aide Maxim Oreshkin. In turn, Evgeny Kuyvashev is considered a person from the team of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, but his promotion may be affected by the hardware confrontation between the capital’s mayor and the head of the Cabinet of Ministers, Mishustin. The main obstacle to new appointments in the network is the overwhelming level of corruption surrounding all three governors. Thus, the other day, Oleg Lavrichev, speaker of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma, became a defendant in a criminal case on embezzlement and legalization of property obtained by criminal means: he is accused of fraud with medical equipment worth more than 22 million rubles. This is not the first corruption scandal in Gleb Nikitin’s team. In particular, a criminal case for taking a bribe was opened against the former director of the construction department of the Nizhny Novgorod administration, Dmitry Gorbunov. In April, the former Minister of Social Policy of the region, Natalya Isaeva, was convicted. In the Sverdlovsk region, Deputy Minister of Energy and Housing and Communal Services Andrei Kislitsyn and the former head of the State Institution “Administration of Highways” Vyacheslav Danilov were arrested. “Losses” are also observed in the team of a native of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Irkutsk Governor Kobzev. The current Minister of Property Relations Marina Byrgazova became involved in a case of negligence; ex-Minister of Health Yakov Sandakov is accused of particularly large-scale fraud and taking a bribe; Deputy Minister of the Forestry Complex Roman Baklenev also got burned due to a bribe.

Are there no prospects for new appointments for promotion candidates?

Discussed online publication telegram channel “Nezygar” about the problems with transfer to the federal level that three governors encountered – Nizhny Novgorod Gleba NikitinaSverdlovsk Evgenia Kuyvasheva and Irkutsk Igor Kobzev. Simultaneously “Agency of Political and Economic Communications” (APEC) published the next “Influence Rating of Heads of Subjects of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism)”, where Nikitin and Kuyvashev belong to the group with “strong influence”, occupying 21 and 42 lines, respectively, and Kobzev is included in the “medium influence” group and is in 65 position.

Let us recall that the possible promotion of Nikitin and Kobzev was reported at the end of April, with reference to our own sources. reported “Vedomosti”. At the same time, they, like Kuyvashev, do not need to prepare for the upcoming September re-election. Insiders of a number of telegram channels predicted transfer of Nikitin to Moscow to the post of Minister of Economic Development instead of Maxim Reshetnikova. However, they “say goodbye” to Reshetnikov with enviable regularity: for example, last March the media called his potential candidate for relegation from the cabinet. And just yesterday, Novye Izvestia wrote that Reshetnikov will most likely continue to work in the government. True, he prudently did not specify in what position.

As a kind of “lookout” for Gleb Nikitin for a ministerial position, experts indicate for his meeting with the prime minister Mikhail Mishustin and the head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina. Supposedly on promotion insists and assistant to the president Maxim Oreshkinwhom political scientists called potential “successor” to the deputy chairman Andrey Belousov. True, we should not forget that Nikitin already has experience in government work: he headed Roskomimushchestvo, and in 2012-2017. was deputy and first deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Evgeny Kuyvashev, in turn, is considered a man from “clips” Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Just considering the regularly appearing publications , which mention the hardware confrontation between the capital’s mayor and Prime Minister Mishustin, Kuyvashev’s possible promotion may encounter serious opposition. However, back in April, holding experts “Minchenko Consulting” in analytical report “State Council 2.0” named the Sverdlovsk governor among those who could go to work in federal structures. Ibid. appears and Gleb Nikitin, but Igor Kobzev, by the way, is absent.

Gleb Nikitin is let down by his surroundings

Let’s return to Nezygar’s pessimistic forecasts. The reason why new appointments may not take place, the telegram channel cites corruption in the environment, or more precisely, high-profile criminal cases involving persons from the governor’s teams. As an example, a recent arrest Speaker of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma Oleg Lavrichevaccused of embezzlement and legalization of property obtained by criminal means.

How reports Kommersant, Lavrichev is accused of fraud with the Planmed X-ray mammograph and software for it at a total cost 22.4 million rubles. In 2019, the equipment ended up in a private medical center “Thanksgiving” official’s wife Tatiana and the daughters of the head physician of Arzamas city hospital No. 1 Yulia Elinawhere it was used to provide paid services to city women and preferential examinations of female employees Arzamas Instrument-Making Plantwhose board of directors includes Lavrichev.

By versions of the investigation being the general director of the enterprise, Lavrichev decided “use medical equipment for the benefit of yourself and your relatives in order to obtain benefits”. At the same time, he was aware of the residents’ needs for medical examination using a software and hardware system that was not available in the city hospital. The problem was solved by purchasing a mammograph using a tax deduction provided to the plant for sponsoring one of the Nizhny Novgorod sports clubs.

Appeared online information about the possibility that investigators may have questions about the relationship between the former speaker and the head of the region. It’s just that what exactly might be of interest to the security forces is not specified. Today experts arguing about how much a single criminal case against Lavrichev can affect the career growth of Gleb Nikitin. However, other corruption scandals that took place during his leadership of the Nizhny Novgorod region clearly do not add points to the governor.

We can recall, in particular, about arrest ex-director of the construction department of the Nizhny Novgorod administration Dmitry Gorbunovrecently admitted guilt in receiving a bribe in the amount 10.3 million rubles for assistance to the company “Monolith” in receiving an order for the construction of a kindergarten and entering into a pre-trial agreement with the prosecutor’s office. In addition, last April the court issued an indictment sentence former minister of social policy of the region Natalia Isaevasentencing her to four years and six months in a general regime colony with a fine of 11.6 million rubles.

Isaeva was found guilty of two counts accepting bribes that took place in 2022-2023. In the first case, the director of the orphanage “Hope” Mikhail Zhinko, to maintain his position, he brought the official building materials for the cottage and, at his own expense, renovated the ministry’s service apartment. In the second Isaeva received 100 thousand rubles from a businessman Alexandra Ermakova for relocating refugees from Donbass who were housed in a country club he owned to a hotel “Ermak”.

In June last year, Gorbunov’s replacement as director of the construction department of the municipal administration was arrested. Ilya Gor. To him was incriminated bribery for assistance to commercial structures in obtaining budget contracts and “general patronage”. Other examples can be given, but the ones listed are enough to understand the corruption background that has formed around Gleb Nikitin.

Lobbyists from Kuyvashev’s team

The governor of the Sverdlovsk region, Evgeny Kuyvashev, has the same problems. As recently as the end of April, the Leninsky District Court of Yekaterinburg decided to take into custody Deputy Minister of Energy and Housing and Communal Services of the region Andrey Kislitsyn. Official accused in receiving a bribe in the amount 700 thousand rubles from an employee of the Sverdlovsk branch of the company “EnergoSbyT Plus”former deputy of the regional Legislative Assembly Pavel Myakishevawho lobbied for the interests of the company“Barled” from Barnaul, which supplies lamps to municipalities.

Myakishev, who is accused of mediation in bribery, was also arrested. Meanwhile, online publications that Myakishev could have transferred more order to Kislitsyn 2 million rubles in the interests of the company “UES-Garant”part of the structure of EnergosbyT Plus (part of PJSC “T Plus”associated with a billionaire Viktor Vekselberg). But there is no official confirmation of this information.

During Kuyvashev’s governorship, and he has been leading the region since 2012, there have been plenty of corruption scandals. Let us recall, in particular, about arrest last October of the former boss State Public Institution “Department of Highways” Vyacheslav Danilova, who resigned a month earlier. A criminal case was initiated upon receiving bribes at the rate of 4 million rubles for providing the company “Meliostroy” government contracts for road maintenance.

Another former Sverdlovsk official – ex-Deputy Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Igor Dubrovin – security forces detained in December in Transbaikalia, where he had recently taken a similar position in an acting capacity. But Dubrovin “inherited” it in Yekaterinburg: here a criminal case was opened against him under an article on especially large-scale fraud. By versions of the investigation he controlled a construction company“Omega-Stroy” and stole funds allocated to fulfill the order of the Ministry of Defense.

Corrupt officials of Kobzev

Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev is surrounded by his own criminal stories. For example, on website of the regional government by the Minister of Property Relations indicated Marina Byrgazova, who became a defendant in a criminal case of negligence. As established consequence in 2021, the official improperly fulfilled her official duties related to the formation of a specialized housing fund for orphans, without meeting the limits of budget obligations in the amount of 167 million rubleswhich resulted in a violation of the rights and legitimate interests of at least 87 children.

Currently, the case of Marina Byrgazova is under investigation. consideration Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk, however, judging by the information on the government website, the defendant still holds a ministerial post.

There was a huge scandal in the healthcare sector. In December 2022, to seven years in a general regime colony, the court sentenced ex-head of the regional Ministry of Health Natalia Ledyaeva, finding her guilty of particularly large-scale fraud and the sale of counterfeit medical products. In addition to the former official, her son was in the dock Ilya Belousov and four other defendants in the case.

Them was accused supply of counterfeit medical masks to medical institutions in the region during the pandemic, as a result of which damage to the budget was caused in the amount of more than 90 million rubles.

Person involved criminal case about particularly large-scale fraud and bribe-taking Yakov Sandakov, who replaced Ledyaeva in the ministerial post. He received money from the managers of a commercial structure for providing competitive advantages during auction for the purchase of medical equipment. The funds received were enough for the official to buy an apartment in Moscow. Sandakov’s case is being considered today in the Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk, and since January, meetings have been ongoing are postponed (in the case of Marina Byrgazova, a similar situation occurs).

And at the beginning of April it became known about detention security forces, Deputy Minister of Forestry of the region Romana Baklenevaaccused of receiving a bribe in the amount of 3.5 million rubles for the conclusion in 2022 with the company “Lenales” a settlement agreement allowing it to renew a previously terminated lease agreement for a forest plot in the Kachugsky district with an area of ​​over 50 thousand hectares.

As we can see, in the patrimony of Kobzev, a native of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the situation with manifestations of corruption is worse than ever. And, as in the cases of Nikitin and Kuyvashev, this is far from the best indicator for the federal center. Is it any wonder if, against the backdrop of such dubious “achievements,” the Kremlin will prefer to wait for promotions?