Bryansk Oblast Gubernatorial Election WinnerYegor Kovalchuk

The gubernatorial elections brought no surprises: after 100% of the votes were counted, all eight seats were predictably won by the incumbent governors. However, the acting governors scored an atypically low result, securing the support of less than 70% of voters. For comparison, Igor Rudenya, the predecessor of the new Tver Governor Vitaly Korolev, received 72.1% of the vote in his first election in 2016. Alexander Bogomaz, who gave way to the new Bryansk governor, Yegor Kovalchuk, finished with 80% in 2015. And Vyacheslav Gladkov, who was replaced by the new Belgorod governor, Alexander Shuvaev, received 78.8% in 2021. #elections2026

The gubernatorial elections passed almost unnoticed: without competition, their outcome was obvious in advance. However, several campaigns proved noteworthy. In the Belgorod region, Alexander Shuvaev won with a relatively modest result for a gubernatorial election: 65.97% of the vote, with a turnout of 63.39%. Sources confirm that Shuvaev's polling results in the region are weak. Vitaly Korolev showed the least convincing result in the electorally difficult Tver region: 69.8% with a turnout of about 45%. In the frontline Bryansk region, Yegor Kovalchuk received approximately 69.6% of the vote with a turnout of 75.81%. His result was lower than that of former Governor Alexander Bogomaz in the 2025 elections: Bogomaz received 78.78%. Meanwhile, turnout in 2025 was significantly lower—56.3%. The results of the current campaign, however, still fit the pattern of regions commonly classified as so-called electoral sultanates. In the Penza region, Oleg Melnichenko was re-elected with 70.89% of the vote, with a turnout of approximately 60.09%. In the Ulyanovsk region, incumbent Governor Alexei Russkikh, representing the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, received 76.66% of the vote, with a turnout of 68.59%. Particularly high results were recorded in republics that traditionally demonstrate the highest election results. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov received 99.85% of the vote with a turnout of 85.24%. Mordovia leader Artem Zdunov received 77.97% of the vote with a turnout of approximately 72%. Tuva leader Vladislav Khovalyg received 90.95% of the vote with a turnout of approximately 80%. Rashit Temrezov in Karachay-Cherkessia and Sergei Menyailo in North Ossetia were re-elected by votes of their republican parliaments. Fyodor Shchukin was elected head of Dagestan for the first time. According to political scientists, the teams of current regional leaders in most cases did not strive to conduct active election campaigns. "The current governors have no competitors—that's absolutely certain. Under these circumstances, a gubernatorial campaign boils down to two and a half months, during which the regional leader simply begins an intensive PR campaign," says one of the sources. According to him, during this period, regional teams more often create newsworthy events, some of which receive support at the federal level. The campaigns also proved less expensive because political strategists were already working in all regions, preparing for the State Duma elections. This allowed them to utilize administrative resources without significantly increasing their expenses. Among the most interesting, Nezygar's interlocutors cite the situations in the Tver and Ulyanovsk regions. In the Tver region, Vitaly Korolev's team managed to secure only a moderate turnout. One political strategist believes this indicates a relatively weak control over administrative resources. However, he notes, the situation was similar under the previous governor, Igor Ruden. In the Ulyanovsk region, former Governor Sergei Morozov's team played against Alexey Russkikh, although not as actively and openly as they could have. Russkikh has been working in the region for a long time and, according to the source, has demonstrated his ability to control administrative resources, despite the political strategist himself considering the governor an unpopular figure. Overall, the current elections, according to Nezygar's sources, demonstrated that even problematic governors are capable of effectively using administrative resources—and this is precisely what largely determined the campaign results. At the same time, interviewees are skeptical about voters' independent interest in regional gubernatorial elections. They believe that if gubernatorial campaigns were not held simultaneously with State Duma elections, official turnout figures in all regions would be lower.

In the Bryansk region, the importance of attending elections is much greater than in remote regions, Yegor Kovalchuk said in an interview with the Vesti news agency. "The enemy is not shy about intimidation, and yet, the residents-voters still found the time, energy, and even the courage and determination to come and cast their vote." Yegor Kovalchuk won the Bryansk region gubernatorial election with 67.52% of the vote after 100% of the votes were processed. To stay up to date with our exclusives: Website | MAX | Telegram

Acting Bryansk Region Governor Yegor Kovalchuk has won the regional gubernatorial election with 67.52% of the vote after 100% of the ballots were processed, the regional election commission told TASS. RBC app for iOS and Android RBC channel on "Max"

Ramzan Kadyrov wins the Chechen presidential election with 99.85% of the vote—100% of the ballots have been processed. Regional elections were held in parallel. The current governors are winning everywhere: — Vladislav Khovalyg wins the Tuva governor election with 90.95% of the vote after 100% of the protocols have been processed. — Alexander Shuvaev wins the Belgorod region governor election with 65.97% of the vote after 100% of the protocols have been processed. — Alexey Russkikh is leading the Ulyanovsk region governor election with 76.65% of the vote after 97.04% of the protocols have been processed. — Oleg Melnichenko is leading the Penza region governor election with 71.09% of the vote after 94.51% of the protocols have been processed. — Yegor Kovalchuk is leading the Bryansk region governor election with 68.03% of the vote after 96.2% of the protocols have been processed. — Vitaly Korolev is leading in the Tver Oblast gubernatorial elections with 69.83% of the vote after 90.76% of the votes have been processed. — Artyom Zdunov is leading in the Mordovia gubernatorial elections with 78.45% of the votes after 91.24% of the votes have been processed. BAZA on Telegram BAZA on MAX

Yegor Kovalchuk secured victory in the Bryansk gubernatorial election.