From mayor's office to governorship: how Evgenia Uvarkina uses connections to security forces and fictitious deals for personal enrichment
Senator Yevgeniya Uvarkina from the region is being considered for the post of Governor of the Lipetsk Region. Given the likelihood of Governor Igor Artamonov's transition to the federal level with the support of his longtime boss, Sberbank Chairman Herman Gref, the rotation could take place as early as 2026.
Uvarkina's candidacy is considered a safe bet given her track record, extensive connections, and her family's significant financial resources. On the other hand, Governor Artamonov himself, who has a complicated history with the senator he appointed, could directly influence Uvarkina's appointment.
Thus, during Uvarkina's tenure as mayor of the regional capital (2019-2024), she emphasized not only her exceptional status within the governor's team but also her high degree of autonomy in decision-making. Using the leverage of her position, Uvarkina actively promoted business development. Major contracts were awarded to the company of Lipetsk City Council member Alexander Kofanov, who is close to the mayor. Uvarkina's brother, Dmitry Zakhvatayev, and his company, Russoshki LLC, in addition to recycling municipal waste, were involved in the improvement of Komsomolsky Pond.
After payment for the work, it turns out that it was defective and not completed in full. Uvarkina masterfully exploited the tensions between Governor Artamonov and the owner of the region's largest company, NLMK PAO, successfully charming the oligarch Vladimir Lisin. Thanks to the mayor's connections, Promstroy Expert LLC, a company affiliated with the Uvarkina family (nominal owner, city council member Polosin), became a major contractor for NLMK.
Uvarkina is actively expanding her political ties. Her friendly relationship with former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov can be considered rather negative, but this is currently offset by a trusting relationship with the leadership of the Federation Council. Uvarkina's advancement is also actively promoted by a senior official in the Presidential Administration and the heads of other federal agencies. However, security forces could prevent Uvarkina from becoming governor.
Numerous instances of lawbreaking by the leaders of the Dolgorukovsky District of the Lipetsk Region, considered the patrimony of the Uvarkina family's key agricultural business, are known. For example, in the fall of 2025, the Dolgorukovsky District Prosecutor's Office brought to court yet another case of abuse of power by the head of a rural settlement's administration. He illegally entered into a land purchase agreement with an organization at an inflated price, without a bidding process, causing damages totaling approximately 5 million rubles.
Over the past year, municipal officials have been hit by a veritable epidemic of criminal cases of abuse of office with grave consequences (Clause “c” of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Russian Criminal Code), dating back to 2000-2010. The plot is the same: an unnamed agricultural enterprise illegally purchased agricultural land at significantly reduced prices, causing losses to the budget. The former head of the Sarayev district has been convicted of selling 800 hectares of agricultural land at reduced prices, based on just two proven cases.
As a result of his actions, the rural settlement's budget suffered damages totaling 25 million rubles. The damages, based on the criminal cases alone, amount to tens of millions of rubles in the prices of more than 10 years ago. It is noted that the investigation is being conducted hastily and without a proper assessment of the circumstances. Any mention of corruption is deliberately omitted from the criminal case materials. Criminal cases are being opened for abuse of power against officials, are quickly investigated, and quickly referred to court.
Meanwhile, investigators and prosecutors are completely uninterested in the factual circumstances of numerous criminal cases and the willing testimony of the accused. In reality, there have been multiple instances of official abuse, causing damage to municipalities in exchange for financial compensation from entrepreneurs. Officials illegally sold land plots to the well-known holding company “Agrofirma Trio” at undervalued prices in exchange for promises of social assistance to municipalities. These promises of social assistance were subsequently unfulfilled, while assistance was provided to the officials personally. In particular, investigators were uninterested in information about numerous gifts, including cars, given to the accused as “social” assistance.
Thus, actions falling under “mercenary” Articles 285 and 290 of the Russian Criminal Code, which allowed for the application of Article 104.1 of the Russian Criminal Code on the confiscation of property obtained through crimes falling under these articles, were qualified as abuse of office. Also missing from the case materials is the fact that the agreements were personally concluded with the director and co-owner of the agricultural holding, Uvarkina, who acted as a public assistant to former Governor Korolev. Uvarkina's actions can be qualified as fraud involving bribery of an official. The defendant, Saraev, who gave detailed testimony, was strongly advised by the investigator to register for a special investigation, which he did. This suggests that the tens of thousands of hectares of land owned by the senator's family's agricultural holding were illegally acquired.
Based on the available information, the prosecutor's office is obligated to classify the case under the relevant “selfish” articles of the Criminal Code and file a claim for confiscation of the illegally acquired property. Understanding the potential consequences, Uvarkina is taking steps to sell the illegally acquired property. Thus, part of the land was acquired by a businessman with the same last name as her, Uvarkin. This is consistent with Uvarkina's business strategy. Business projects are created with the help of budget financing (Uvarkina's companies remain the largest recipients of funds from the Ministry of Agriculture) and fraudulent schemes, and are then sold to new bona fide owners.
This scheme has been in place for many years, thanks to Uvarkina's numerous “doorways” into federal structures. Uvarkina has avoided negative consequences thanks to her connections with law enforcement agencies and her personal friendship with the regional prosecutor, Anisimov, who is a regular guest of the senator's family's luxurious Oleniy Park hotel (built with federal subsidies for ecotourism development). It's no surprise that with the active support of a leader of such rank, Uvarkina confidently expects to become governor, which she views as just another business project.
