2025 Sverdlovsk Oblast gubernatorial election

Then-Presidential Envoy to the Ural Federal District Yevgeny Kuyvashev was appointed acting Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast in May 2012, replacing first-term governor Alexander Misharin who resigned early.^[1] Later that month Kuyvashev was confirmed in the position by the Legislative Assembly of Sverdlovsk Oblast.^[2] Governor Kuyvashev ran for re-election in 2017 and 2022, winning with 62.16% and 65.78% of the vote.^[3][4] Under Yevgeny Kuyvashev Sverdlovsk Oblast saw dynamic social and economic development, while the governor was successful in managing conflicts in a traditionally politically active and protest-leaning region.^[5] For example, Kuyvashev was instrumental in removing opposition Mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman in 2018 and publicly supported building a church instead of public square in the city that sparked massive protests in 2019, while at the same time protecting Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center and fending off conservative critics, like Nikita Mikhalkov, Vladimir Solovyev and Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Governor Kuyvashev was also mentioned a potential candidate for promotion to the Government of Russia after 2024 Russian presidential election, however, he did not receive an appointment when the Mikhail Mishustin's Second Cabinet was formed in May 2024.^[6] In February 2025 Vedomosti reported that Presidential Administration of Russia was looking into replacing Kuyvashev as Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast in spring or fall of 2025,^[7] while Kuyvashev himself denied his intention to resign.^[8] Governor of Orenburg Oblast and former Prime Minister of Sverdlovsk Oblast Denis Pasler was viewed as the most likely successor to Kuyvashev,^[9] though other candidates reportedly were considered, including recently appointed Presidential Envoy to the Ural Federal District Artem Zhoga, First Deputy Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast Aleksey Shmykov, Yekaterinburg mayor Aleksey Orlov and Andrey Yarin, Head of the Presidential Office for Internal Policy.^[10]

On March 26, 2025, Yevgeny Kuyvashev tendered his resignation, later that day President of Russia Vladimir Putin met with Denis Pasler and asked him to become acting Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast, which Pasler accepted.^[11] Meanwhile, various sources alleged that Kuyvashev would soon receive a new position at the federal level.

In Sverdlovsk Oblast candidates for Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast can be nominated only by registered political parties. Candidate for Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast should be a Russian citizen and at least 30 years old. Candidates for Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast should not have a foreign citizenship or residence permit. Each candidate in order to be registered is required to collect at least 7.9% of signatures of members and heads of municipalities.^[12] Also gubernatorial candidates present 3 candidacies to the Federation Council and election winner later appoints one of the presented candidates.

Declared

More information Candidate name, political party, Occupation ...

Candidate name, political party			Occupation	Status	Ref.
Aleksandr Ivachyov Communist Party			Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Sverdlovsk Oblast (2021–present) Member of the Legislative Assembly (2016–present) 2022 gubernatorial candidate	Registered	[13][14] [15][16]
Aleksandr Kaptyug Liberal Democratic Party			Member of Legislative Assembly of Sverdlovsk Oblast (2021–present) 2022 gubernatorial candidate	Registered	[17][18]
Rant Krayev[a] New People			Member of Legislative Assembly of Sverdlovsk Oblast (2021–present)	Registered	[19][20] [21][22]
Andrey Kuznetsov SR–ZP			Member of State Duma (2021–present) 2022 gubernatorial candidate	Registered	[13][23] [24]
Denis Pasler United Russia			Acting Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast (2025–present) Former Governor of Orenburg Oblast (2019–2025)	Registered	[25][26]
Dinamudin Sadikhov Civic Initiative			Journalist	Failed to qualify	[27]
Ivan Volkov Russian All-People's Union			Lawyer 2017 and 2022 gubernatorial candidate	Failed to qualify	[28][29]
Stanislav Naumov Liberal Democratic Party			Member of State Duma (2021–present)	Withdrew	[30][31] [32]

Close

All sums are in rubles.

Governor Pasler re-appointed incumbent Senator Viktor Sheptiy (United Russia) to the Federation Council.^[37]

• 2025 Russian regional elections