Sergei Sobyanin

Background

Sergey Semyonovich Sobyanin is the Mayor of Moscow, a post he has held since 21 October 2010. In that role, he heads the capital’s executive administration and oversees the city government’s work on urban management, public services, planning, and municipal policy. As the chief official of Russia’s largest city and administrative center, he remains a significant figure in Russian domestic affairs and in the country’s broader political system.

Born on 21 June 1958, Sobyanin built his career through regional and federal office before moving to Moscow. He served as governor of Tyumen Oblast from 2001 to 2005, then became Head of the Presidential Administration from 2005 to 2008. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in Vladimir Putin’s second cabinet, serving from 2008 to 2010, and he holds the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation. He is a member of the United Russia party and has served in its governing bodies, including as a member of the presidium of the Regional Council of United Russia in Moscow and as head, or political council secretary, of the party’s Moscow branch from March 2011 to December 2012.

As mayor, Sobyanin became associated with major changes in Moscow’s urban policy, including the gradual relaxation of the large-scale construction projects promoted by his predecessor Yury Luzhkov. He also created Moscow Media, a holding company for television, radio, and print outlets owned and controlled by the Moscow government. His tenure has been marked by both support and criticism: he was praised for more restrained city planning, while he was also criticized for banning pride parades in Moscow, an action condemned by LGBT groups.