2026 Ulyanovsk Oblast gubernatorial election
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20 September 2026
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The 2026 Ulyanovsk Oblast gubernatorial election will take place on 20 September 2026, on common election day, to elect the Governor of Ulyanovsk Oblast, coinciding with the 2026 Russian legislative election. Incumbent Governor Aleksey Russkikh is eligible to run for a second term in office.
Then-Governor of Ulyanovsk Oblast Sergey Morozov, who served in office since 2004, announced his resignation in April 2021 to run for State Duma.[1] At the time of his resignation Morozov was the longest-serving incumbent Russian governor. President of Russia Vladimir Putin accepted Morozov's resignation and appointed Communist Aleksey Russkikh, Senator from Moscow Oblast, as acting Governor of Ulyanovsk Oblast.[2] CPRF had strong positions in Ulyanovsk Oblast, as in 2016 Alexey Kurinny placed second in the gubernatorial election with 25%[3] and simultaneously was elected to the State Duma from Ulyanovsk constituency,[4] while in 2018 CPRF placed first in the Legislative Assembly of Ulyanovsk Oblast election.[5] Acting Governor Russkikh ran for a full term as CPRF candidate with the support from United Russia and overwhelmingly won the election in September 2021 with 83.16% of the vote.[6] Meanwhile, Morozov was elected to the State Duma on the United Russia party list and became party deputy faction leader.[7]
Russkikh's gubernatorial term was marked with conflicts with both his predecessor Morozov, who retained significant influence in Ulyanovsk Oblast, and Kurinny, who controlled CPRF regional branch.[8][9] Regional officials also faced anticorruption investigations with Dimitrovgrad mayor Andrey Bolshakov and former First Deputy Governor Igor Edel being arrested in August 2023,[10][11] while former Deputy Chairman of the Government of Ulyanovsk Oblast Vladimir Pushkaryov was apprehended in October 2025.[12] In September 2025 Russkikh was named among most vulnerable governors in Russia due to regional conflicts and party membership.[13]
Despite friction in the regional elite, CPRF first deputy chairman Yury Afonin and political experts viewed Russkikh as likely to seek a second term in office.[14]
