Nikita Gorelov, the mayor of Sosnovka, a town of 8,000 people, spoke out in favor of election transparency. Authorities are trying to send him back to the front over his efforts to expose corruption.
Source: Nikita Gorelov's Telegram channel
Nikita Gorelov said he had received complaints from residents about members of precinct election commissions urging people to vote for specific candidates. The mayor did not specify which candidates they were supporting.
Gorelov promised to allow observers at all polling stations and set up a hotline for reporting violations during voting. He also pledged that all reports would be “forwarded to the relevant authorities without delay or bureaucratic holdups.”
In October 2024, the Sosnovka Town Duma appointed mobilized serviceman Nikita Gorelov mayor of the town of 8,000 while he was on leave. In December of the same year, Gorelov received an order to return to the front.
Gorelov’s aide said that Kirov Oblast Governor Alexander Sokolov had “orchestrated this dirty trick” of sending him back to the front. After residents held a gathering in support of Gorelov and a petition collected 4,000 signatures, the mayor retained his post and continues to lead the town. However, on June 1, 2026, a court upheld the decision to send him back to the front.
During his time as mayor, Gorelov helped secure a criminal investigation into Town Duma speaker Nail Saitov, who had built housing for resettled residents using second-hand construction materials. The Sosnovka mayor also organized a signature drive against the governor’s initiative to abolish village councils, criticized the district head for underfunding the town, and celebrated the governor’s defeat in a court case against Sosnovka’s water utility.
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