Russian war veteran who replaced exiled Navalny ally as local lawmaker becomes Tomsk City Duma speaker

Sergey Sechenov, a veteran of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has been elected speaker of the Tomsk City Duma by his fellow deputies. Sechenev joined the legislative body in September 2024, filling a seat previously held by Andrey Fateyev, an ally of Alexey Navalny who fled Russia under threat of criminal prosecution in 2021.

Sechenev served in Russia’s 234th Guards Air Assault Regiment until he was wounded near Kherson in August 2022. Since then, he’s spoken about being actively involved in “patriotic education” initiatives for young people and described Vladimir Putin’s “strategic course” as the “only correct” path for Russia.

As the war in Ukraine has dragged on, the Kremlin has increasingly sought to present veterans as the country’s “new elite” by promoting them to official positions — though typically ones with little real influence.