Statement by the Bureau of the Novgorod Region branch of Yabloko, 21.07.2025

Photo: Alexander Dronov and Stanislav Shultsev / Photo from the social media of Acting Governor of Novgorod Region

On 18 July 2025, [media] reported about the arrest of Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Novgorod Region Stanislav Shultsev. He was with receiving a bribe worth 250 million roubles. Stanislav Shultsev is a member of the team of Andrei Nikitin, the former Governor of the Novgorod Region, now Minister of Transport of Russia, and Alexander Dronov, his associate and now Acting Governor of the Novgorod Region. Stanislav Shultsev worked in the Government of the Novgorod Region for eight years, overseeing road management and transport issues. Throughout this time, the road contracting system was based on non-competitive procurement, placing large lots worth about a billion roubles each in competitions and auctions, and concluding contracts with the same contractors. The absence of competition did not lead to reduced procurement prices or budget savings and opened up opportunities for abuse.

We believe that the charge against a high-ranking official of the Government of the Novgorod Region of receiving a bribe of a particularly large size is not an isolated corruption case. This is a symptom of a deep management crisis in the Novgorod Region.

Since 2017, for eight years, the political field has been “cleared out”. The Novgorod Regional Duma has turned into an appendage of the executive power, completely losing its function of parliamentary control and criticism of the Governor and Government. Independent media ceased to exist in the region, and the regional media holding Agentsvo Informatsionnykh Kommunikatsiy (Agency for Information Communications) is used for promoting the Governor and officials, creating an illusion of prosperity without any criticism or presentation of alternative viewpoints on what is happening. Former Governor of the Novgorod Region Andrei Nikitin subordinated local self-government to regional authorities. Feedback with people has been severed. All this created a favourable environment for corruption, abuse, and inappropriate and inefficient spending of budget funds.

Over the past eight years, Acting Governor of the Novgorod Region Alexander Dronov was the direct supervisor of Stanislav Shultsev and personally responsible for his activities, for creating an anti-corruption environment in the departments he oversaw. The fact that his subordinate is accused of such a serious crime indicates that either the Acting Governor cannot cope with his duties or condones such practices.

Appointments to key positions in the Government of the Novgorod Region have long raised questions among the public and experts. The principles of professionalism, honesty and openness have been replaced by loyalty and cronyism. Such personnel policies inevitably breed abuse and corruption.

The corruption scandal causes enormous damage to the reputation of the Novgorod Region, scares off investors, demoralises honest officials and, most importantly, destroys citizens’ trust in regional power.

The “kickback” of 250 million roubles for road contracts that, according to the investigation, Stanislav Shultsev received, equals the annual budget of the Volotovsky Municipal District. These funds could have been spent on the needs of regional residents: major road repairs, educational institutions, gas supply, and purchasing of  buses. The Stanislav Shultsev case can be compared with the so-called “road case”. Then, in 2013, its main figure was First Deputy Governor of Novgorod Region Arnold Shalmuev. And now we see another blow.

We believe that real, effective fight against corruption in the highest echelons of regional power has not been conducted. There are no effective mechanisms of parliamentary control, independent audit, competitiveness of government procurement, or transparency of power. The scandal with Deputy Chairman for Roads Stanislav Shultsev is a natural result of this inaction.

We consider Acting Governor of the Novgorod Region Alexander Dronov politically responsible for the flagrant corruption incident in the regional Government he heads. And we express no confidence in him. Alexander Dronov’s continued tenure as Acting Governor causes reputational damage to the Novgorod Region and its residents.

The Novgorod regional branch of the Yabloko party demands the following:

1. The immediate voluntary resignation of Acting Governor of Novgorod Region A.V. Dronov.
2. The introduction of real mechanisms of parliamentary and public control over the activities of the regional executive power, including independent anti-corruption examinations of key decisions and appointments.
3. Conducting deep reforms of personnel policies in the regional government bodies, based on the principles of open competitive selection, verification of business reputation and professional qualities.

We call on all residents of the Novgorod Region who care about the future of the region, who are fed up with corruption and incompetence of power, to support our demands.

The Yabloko party has been and remains a consistent fighter against corruption at all levels of power. We stand for transparency, rule of law and accountability of power to citizens.

Bureau of the Novgorod Region branch of Yabloko