Putin chooses Ukraine conflict veteran to govern southern region

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Evgeny Pervyshov, a veteran of the Ukraine conflict and former mayor of the southern city of Krasnodar, as acting governor of Tambov Region.

Pervyshov is a native of Krasnodar and held the post of mayor from 2016 to 2021. He was then elected to the Russian parliament, the State Duma. When mobilization was announced in Russia in autumn 2022, he volunteered to join the military and traveled to the front line in the conflict with Ukraine.

Since May, Pervyshov has been a participant in the Russian government’s ‘Time of Heroes’ program, aimed at preparing veterans of the conflict to occupy leadership positions in state institutions.

Putin offered the governor’s post to Pervyshov during a meeting at the Kremlin on Monday.

“Of course, I accept the offer,” Pervyshov replied. “It is a great honor for me. The skills that I have and the knowledge that I am now obtaining as part of the Time of Heroes retraining program… I think that I will be able to find opportunities to apply everything that I am talking about in Tambov Region.”

The presidential decree on Pervyshov’s appointment as acting governor was later published on the Kremlin website. The 48-year-old will head Tambov Region until an election is held, according to the document. The local election commission told RIA Novosti that the vote is scheduled for September 2025.

Tambov Region’s previous governor, Maksim Egorov, announced his resignation earlier on Monday, saying that he has been tasked with other duties “on the federal level.”

Putin and Pervyshov had a brief chat in June when the president met with the participants of the ‘Time of Heroes’ program. When the Russian leader learned about the veteran’s career, he said: “You were the mayor of Krasnodar? What is your name? Evgeny? I will have a proposal for you.” Pervyshov replied that he had a whole team with him, to which Putin responded: “That is also good.”

Tambov Region is located in southwest Russia and has a population of around a million people. It is known for its agriculture, including the production of grain, and livestock farming.

Also on Monday, the governor of Rostov Region, Vasily Golubev, announced that he will be leaving his post. The vacant position has been offered to the head of the state-run United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Yury Slyusar.