What is the new governor of Chukotka known for?

President Vladimir Putin replaced the first governor in 2023 late in the evening of March 15, voluntarily dismissing the head of Chukotka, Roman Kopin. Instead, Vladislav Kuznetsov, who served as the first deputy chairman of the government of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), will act as head of the region for a little less than a year.

At a meeting with Putin via videoconference (probably before the signing of the decree), Kuznetsov reported to the president that the LPR was developing a plan for the socio-economic development of the region until 2030, a “well-elaborated” document that outlines and integrates all goals and objectives with priorities. “Integration into the legal sphere of the Russian Federation, into tax legislation will take some time, but we have passed most of the problems,” he said.

After discussing the fate of the western territories, the president asked Kuznetsov whether he was aware of “possible administrative and personnel decisions related to proposals that could be made to you.” Kuznetsov guessed and replied: “I am ready to serve the motherland where I am needed.” Putin noted his extensive experience in various areas – in business, administrative structures and representative bodies – and wished him good luck in his new position. After that, Kuznetsov was sent to serve in Chukotka.

The acting head of Chukotka has a long track record. Kuznetsov, 53, since the 1990s worked in various banking and business structures. From 2005 to 2013, Kuznetsov worked in the structures of the Sibur petrochemical holding, including in senior positions, for example, deputy general director of Sibur-motors, general director of Sibur-polyef, Sibur-PET, etc. however, his biography does not say anything about his connection with the region, which he now has to lead.

Kuznetsov made his political career in different regions. In 2013, he was elected a deputy from United Russia of the kurultai (legislative assembly) of Bashkiria, but even after that he maintained ties with Sibur – he was an adviser to its general director, and after that, since 2018, he has been the head of the charitable foundation for supporting social projects Sibur holding” “Formula of good deeds”. In January 2019, he was appointed vice-governor of the Kurgan region and worked in this position until December 2021. In June 2022, even before the referendums on joining Russia, by decree of the head of the LPR, Leonid Pasechnik, he was appointed first deputy chairman of the government of the republic.

Kuznetsov had prospects for personnel growth. He is a graduate of the IV course of the training program for the personnel reserve of the Higher School of Public Administration of the RANEPA, the so-called school of governors, which is supervised by the administration of the President of Russia. In the LPR, according to an informed interlocutor of Vedomosti, he was one of the most professional personnel and was responsible for a wide range of issues related to the development and implementation of a program for the socio-economic development of the republic. In particular, it was Kuznetsov who oversaw industry, the economy, and agriculture, says a Vedomosti source.

In Chukotka, Kuznetsov replaced Kopin, about whose possible resignation Vedomosti wrote with reference to sources on February 3. Then the interlocutors of Vedomosti said that the governor of Chukotka had long wanted to leave his post, but the decision completely depended on the search for a “worthy replacement”, since “the region is not easy.”

At the same time, Kopin could already be considered an old-timer governor, despite his young age – he is only 49 years old. Back in 1999, he was appointed adviser to the head of the region, and in 2001, when Roman Abramovich headed Chukotka, he was elected head of the Chaunsky district, in 2003 – head of the Bilibinsky district of Chukotka. In April 2008, he took up the post of vice-governor of the region. In July of the same year, after the early termination of Abramovich’s powers, he replaced him in office.

Kopin’s term of office was coming to an end and something had to be decided, says political analyst Mikhail Vinogradov: “Initially, he was considered a transitional figure after Abramovich’s departure, but turned out to be an old-timer – in conditions when Abramovich ceased to be an obvious interest in the region, and no one particularly claimed” . Kuznetsov’s appointment shows what a career lift could look like for those working in the new territories, but with an eye to Chukotka’s population of just 50,000.

The appointment of Kuznetsov to this position is quite logical: it fully reflects the mechanics and traditions that are formed by the composition of the domestic political bloc – the so-called “proteges of Kiriyenko,” says Alexander Nemtsev, associate professor at the Financial University under the government. “His work on the territory of Donbass shows that he is a person who is not afraid of difficult tasks. Based on this, his appointment to Chukotka is logical: in the Donbass, he was the second person, and now he will be the first, ”the expert notes.

Given Kuznetsov’s work at those enterprises in the past, it is clear that he is a protege, including “serious lobbying groups,” adds Nemtsev. The expert notes that there are practically no governors who have been in power for about 15 years.