The de facto leader of Tskhinvali, Alan Gagloev, signed a so-called decree appointing Marat Kambolov as ‘premier’ of the occupied region of Georgia.
“In accordance with paragraph 5 of Article 50 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia, Marat Arkadyevich Kambolov is appointed Chairman of the Government of the Republic of South Ossetia,” the document reads.
Marat Kambolov was recently appointed as Gagloev’s ‘state adviser’ (and has already been relieved of the post). Observers reported that he is being groomed first for the position of ‘head of government’ and later for the ‘presidency’ of the occupied Tskhinvali region.
It was noted that Moscow is preparing a new political figure in the occupied region of Georgia, who is expected to reshape the region’s political architecture ahead of the so-called presidential election in 2027.
Marat Kambolov was born in North Ossetia-Alania, graduated from the agricultural institute in Gori, and spent most of his career in leadership positions within Russian federal agencies—at the Russian Ministry of Education, the Ministry for Nationalities and Federal Relations, as well as serving as deputy head of the Federal Agency for Science and Innovation, deputy head of the Ministry of Education, and at the Kurchatov Institute research center, which is considered one of Russia’s most influential scientific and technological institutions.