2026 Tver Oblast gubernatorial election

Igor Rudenya, an agriculture executive and former high-ranking Government of Russia staffer, was appointed acting Governor of Tver Oblast in March 2016, replacing one-term incumbent Andrey Shevelyov.^[1] Rudenya won the election for full term in September 2016 with 72.13% of the vote.^[2] Governor Rudenya ran for a second term in 2021 and won re-election with a lackluster 52.33% of the vote, narrowly crossing the 50%-threshold to avoid a runoff.^[3] During his two terms in office Rudenya did not became a political heavyweight and allegedly grew tired of leading Tver Oblast.^[4]

In late September 2025 Igor Rudenya was named a potential candidate for a position of Presidential Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District, left vacant by a newly-appointed Prosecutor General of Russia Aleksandr Gutsan.^[5] On September 28, 2025, Rudenya was appointed Presidential Envoy by President of Russia Vladimir Putin and resigned from office,^[6] while Deputy Chairwoman of the Tver Oblast Government – Minister of Finance Marina Podtikhova became acting Governor of Tver Oblast on a temporary basis. Several candidates were considered for Rudenya's replacement, including Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia Denis Butsayev (who briefly served as acting Governor of Belgorod Oblast in 2020), former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Viktor Yevtukhov, First Deputy Governor of Tomsk Oblast Andrey Dunayev, Hero of Russia Anatoly Sysoyev, and former Tver mayor Vasily Toloko, however, some of the candidates allegedly declined the position which resulted in a monthlong vacancy.^[7][8] On November 4, 2025, Putin appointed Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service Vitaly Korolyov as acting Governor of Tver Oblast, replacing Podtikhova.^[9] Korolyov was previously named a potential candidate to replace then-Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai Aleksandr Uss in 2023.^[10]