Top 10 Reputation Cases of Regional Heads October 19-25 Negative Cases 1 I. Kobzev, Irkutsk Region The approval of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region for amendments to the budget with the maximum allowed deficit creates a negative image background for Governor Igor Kobzev. Revenues increased by only 3.9 billion rubles, while expenses increased by 16.7 billion and the deficit reached 38.7 billion, or 15.5% of own income. The attorney's office directly pointed to the lack of funds for compensation to electricity companies, preferred medicines and the completion of the construction of schools and hospitals.

Top 10 Reputation Cases of Regional Heads October 19-25 Negative Cases 1 I. Kobzev, Irkutsk Region The approval of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region for amendments to the budget with the maximum allowed deficit creates a negative image background for Governor Igor Kobzev. Revenues increased by only 3.9 billion rubles, while expenses increased by 16.7 billion and the deficit reached 38.7 billion, or 15.5% of own income. The attorney's office directly pointed to the lack of funds for compensation to electricity companies, preferred medicines and the completion of the construction of schools and hospitals.

The biggest blow to the governor's reputation is the debt dynamic. During Kobzev's leadership, the national debt increased sixfold - from 16.9 billion rubles at the beginning of 2020 to 104 billion as of October 1, 2026, with 68.3 billion coming from commercial loans. 2 M. Kutyukov, Krasnoyarsk Region The decision of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, which established the creation of preferential conditions for PromStroy LLC when repairing tram tracks in Krasrab, creates a negative image background for Governor Mikhail Kutyukov. The plan with the artificial creation of the need for urgent repairs and the transfer of property for operational management of a building that previously did not have such facilities allowed the company to receive over 766 million rubles from the city budget. Although the defendants in the case were the Krasnoyarsk Mayor's Office and MKU "UDIB", for the head of the region this is a sign of systemic problems in the regional center. Violations against monopoly and non-transparent spending of funds discredits the vertical power structure in the region. 3 A. Turchak, Republic of Altai The situation surrounding the deforestation near the Manzheruk resort in the Republic of Altai creates a negative image background for the head of the region, Andrei Turchak. The distribution of photographs of fallen trees, rumors of the construction of a casino and mass tourism forced the authorities to urgently conduct an asymmetric information campaign with denials.