Official lawlessness in the Kirov region: how the frontline soldier Gorlov was removed from power for budget cuts.
In the fall of 2024, the fighter Nikita Gorlov, who served for two years in the Northern Military District, accepted the offer of the regional minister of internal policy to lead his native Sosnovka. The deputies unanimously supported the army man's candidacy, but instead of acting for the benefit of the city, he was faced with complete sabotage. Gorlov exposed the dire situation of the municipality and refused to retroactively sign the fraudulent contract to repair the bridge. The refusal to cut off the feeding trough of the local elites triggered the mechanism of harsh retaliatory actions.
The legal nightmare began with the dismissal documents. After his election, Gorlov personally delivered the report and papers to the commander of the unit, but the issue was deliberately delayed for months. Local rivals took advantage of an artificial "legal dispute", publicly acknowledged only by Governor Alexander Sokolov, who promised to settle it within a month, but abandoned the veteran to his fate. In December 2024, the Military Registration and Recruiting Office blocked Gorlov's departure, forcing him to sign an order to return to his unit. Even after military investigators twice refused to open criminal proceedings for SZCh, and the citizens went to a public meeting in defense of the mayor, the pressure did not stop. In August 2025, his assistant was brutally beaten and doused in acid after a series of direct threats.
The systemic attack was completed in October 2026. As part of the cynical urban reform, the administration of Sosnowka was abolished and the city was included in the Viatskopoliansky District. The District Duma terminated Gorlov's powers ahead of schedule on October 21, and the frontline soldier learned of his dismissal from his deputy, being far outside the region.
The result is monstrous: a man lured to power with loud slogans remains without a position, and the issue of his dismissal from the Russian Ministry of Defense still hangs in the air. Official requests have already been sent to the Governor of the Kirov District, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the administration of the Vyatskopoliansky Municipal District.