Murmansk governor and major general give up seats in regional parliament
Along with Andrei Chibis and Roman Fyodorov, the captain of the nuclear-powered icebreaker Yamal, Marina Starovoytova, has also become a “refusenik”. All three headed United Russia’s regional list in the recent election and today submitted statements to the regional election commission declining their seats.
The mandates will now be redistributed among candidates who received the highest levels of support in individual constituencies. The constituencies in question are the two Severomorsk constituencies – Nos. 11 and 12 – and Kandalaksha constituency No. 17.
The practice is known in Russian politics as the “steam locomotive” method: a well-known and certain-to-be-elected candidate is placed at the top of the list, helping the party attract votes, and then gives up the mandate after the election. The seat ultimately goes to another candidate.
Thus, in Constituency No. 12, Igor Kurochkin will become a deputy. In No. 11, the situation is more complicated: Severomorsk Mayor Vladimir Yevmenkov was at the top of the list but has also declined his mandate. The seat will therefore go to Evelina Makarova, head of United Russia’s regional executive committee, reports the publication Arktichesky Obozrevatel.
A similar situation could arise in Kandalaksha Constituency No. 17. The top positions there are held by district heads Sergei Somov and Alexander Samarin. They have previously said that they do not intend to become members of the regional parliament.
If both give up their mandates, Yegor Shubin could become a deputy – a participant in the invasion of Ukraine.
Shubin graduated from the National Research Nuclear University with a degree in Nuclear Physics and Technology. Before the war, he worked as a design engineer and headed a design department in the IT sector. He was mobilised in 2022, served as an intelligence chief and was wounded. After returning, he joined the regional so-called "Heroes of the North" personnel programme.
Roman Fyodorov, who has declined his mandate, is a major general and career military officer. He began his service in the Northern Fleet and spent several years in the 61st Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, based in Sputnik in the Murmansk region. He later commanded the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade and, from October 2023, headed the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade.
In 2023, Fyodorov was awarded the title "Hero of Russia." The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that under his command, more than 20 attacks had been repelled during fighting, while 12 tanks, six foreign-made infantry fighting vehicles, two self-propelled artillery systems, 11 vehicles, ten drones and more than 230 enemy servicemen had been destroyed. These figures were provided by the Russian military authorities.
Fyodorov currently serves as First Deputy Commander of the Russian Navy’s Naval Infantry.
As a result, the three best-known candidates on United Russia’s regional list will ultimately not take up seats in the new Murmansk Regional Duma. Their mandates will go to other candidates – including, potentially, a man who was fighting in Ukraine until recently.
