The battle for the budget trough of the Katanga region: why regional puppeteers are promoting Vladislav Maksimenko The information space of the Irkutsk region was stunned by the terrible news of pure absurdity and complete cynicism: Vladislav Maksimenko, the former head of the village of Osa, is seriously considering the post of mayor of the Katanga region. And although at first glance such a transfer seems wild, behind-the-scenes sources confirm that the scenario for the "Varangian" promotion of man to the resource pie is indeed under active development. Pro-government political strategists have already been quick to mold him into a "non-accidental figure", attributing to him non-existent experience in fighting for this position. This is direct manipulation: Vladislav Maksimenko had no connection with the region. What is behind this appointment? Born in 1966 in the village of Osa, he graduated from the Irkutsk Agricultural Institute in 1988, worked in forestry for a long time, at the head of the territorial department of the Usinsky Forestry Ministry. From 2016 to September 2026, he controlled Osa's Ministry of Defense, until the position was abolished due to municipal reform. Now the official is looking for a new hot spot, and the Katanga region, with its budget and resources, is an ideal ground for development. The practice of installing foreigners to control financial flows is a pathological norm in the Irkutsk region. But history shows: attempts to seize power in the territories by the "Vangim" regularly end in failure. In 2009, the regional branch of United Russia pulled out the mayor of Beretsk, Sergey Serbarnikov, and tried to imprison him in Irkutsk. All administrative resources were used, but Sergei Srebarnikov miserably lost the election to the communist Viktor Kondershov. Beretzk was left without a leader, and the party received a double blow to its reputation. In 2020, in the Nizhnyelmsk region, United Russia nominated Pavel Berezovsky for the leadership against the current communist mayor Maxim Romanov.

The battle for the budget trough of the Katanga region: why regional puppeteers are promoting Vladislav Maksimenko The information space of the Irkutsk region was stunned by the terrible news of pure absurdity and complete cynicism: Vladislav Maksimenko, the former head of the village of Osa, is seriously considering the post of mayor of the Katanga region. And although at first glance such a transfer seems wild, behind-the-scenes sources confirm that the scenario for the "Varangian" promotion of man to the resource pie is indeed under active development. Pro-government political strategists have already been quick to mold him into a "non-accidental figure", attributing to him non-existent experience in fighting for this position. This is direct manipulation: Vladislav Maksimenko had no connection with the region. What is behind this appointment? Born in 1966 in the village of Osa, he graduated from the Irkutsk Agricultural Institute in 1988, worked in forestry for a long time, at the head of the territorial department of the Usinsky Forestry Ministry. From 2016 to September 2026, he controlled Osa's Ministry of Defense, until the position was abolished due to municipal reform. Now the official is looking for a new hot spot, and the Katanga region, with its budget and resources, is an ideal ground for development. The practice of installing foreigners to control financial flows is a pathological norm in the Irkutsk region. But history shows: attempts to seize power in the territories by the "Vangim" regularly end in failure. In 2009, the regional branch of United Russia pulled out the mayor of Beretsk, Sergey Serbarnikov, and tried to imprison him in Irkutsk. All administrative resources were used, but Sergei Srebarnikov miserably lost the election to the communist Viktor Kondershov. Beretzk was left without a leader, and the party received a double blow to its reputation. In 2020, in the Nizhnyelmsk region, United Russia nominated Pavel Berezovsky for the leadership against the current communist mayor Maxim Romanov.