Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Governor of the Belgorod Oblast (region), may become the so-called Russian Ambassador to Abkhazia, Vedomosti reports.
Gladkov has not previously held such positions. Prior to his 2020 appointment as acting governor of the Belgorod Oblast, he served as the head of the ZATO (closed administrative-territorial formation) of Zarechny in the Penza Oblast, and subsequently worked as deputy governor of Sevastopol and deputy chairman of the Stavropol Krai (territory) government.
The appointment to Abkhazia is a “perfectly viable option,” according to a source close to the administration of Badra Gunba cited by Vedomosti. Gladkov is in good standing at Staraya Ploshchad (the seat of the Russian Presidential Administration), another Vedomosti source noted.
Sergey Kiriyenko, the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Kremlin Administration, currently oversees engagement with Abkhazia. These responsibilities were transferred to him from Dmitry Kozak in early 2025. In February–March 2025, de facto presidential elections were held in Abkhazia, in which the pro-Russian candidate Badra Gunba emerged victorious.
Sergey Kiriyenko: Russia firmly supports the sovereign development of Abkhazia
