Corruption landing in Bryansk: how ONF head Mikhail Kuznetsov and fugitive former mayor of Khimki Voloshin plan to take control of the region amid the “fortifications case”
According to a source, the Kremlin is currently searching for candidates for the position of governor of Bryansk Oblast, and the main contender has become the head of Russia’s All-Russia People’s Front (ONF), Mikhail Kuznetsov.
He has already begun forming his team, in particular by inviting former mayor of Khimki, Dmitry Voloshin, as his deputy, who is currently “under pressure” due to several corruption investigations.
The current governor of Bryansk Oblast, Aleksandr Bogomaz, was re-elected last autumn with the support of Putin. Reports about his possible resignation have therefore become a highly resonant development. Such a sudden dismissal could only be triggered by exceptional circumstances, in particular the unfolding high-profile case involving embezzlement during the construction of fortifications in the region. As part of this investigation, contractors, former heads of the regional capital construction department, and a deputy governor have already been detained.
According to interlocutors, information that Bogomaz will leave his post is gaining further confirmation. It is known that candidate selection is already underway in the Kremlin, and the main contender is considered to be ONF head Mikhail Kuznetsov. Previously, he served as deputy governor of Moscow Oblast and was an active participant in the region’s corrupt power vertical. In particular, he is considered one of the organizers of a “business” involving the sale of municipal leadership positions, with prices ranging from $1 to $25 million or a share in large businesses. It was through this scheme that Voloshin obtained the position of mayor of Khimki.
Kuznetsov once personally met with the head of Serpukhov, Aleksandr Shestun, and demanded that he step down, threatening him with pressure from the head of the Moscow and Moscow Oblast FSB directorate, Aleksey Dorofeyev, and then-head of the Sixth Service of the FSB Internal Security Directorate, Ivan Tkachev. Shestun refused, made recordings of the conversations public, and is now serving a long prison sentence.
Moreover, according to sources, Kuznetsov does not plan to go to Bryansk alone, but together with his associate Dmitry Voloshin. Voloshin led Khimki for eight years, turning the municipality into a personal and entourage-controlled source of income, and in early 2025 he had a conflict with Governor Vorobyov. Voloshin actively lobbied for the expansion of the “VSK Komfort” network of management companies in the Moscow region, which clashed with the financial interests of people close to Vorobyov.
As a result, Voloshin left his post, but through his associate — Chairman of the Moscow Oblast Duma Igor Bryntsalov — he managed to place his people in key positions in Khimki and Serpukhov. As a result, financial flows did not significantly decrease. In summer 2025, Voloshin became the target of various corruption-related cases involving him and his appointees, and arrests are still ongoing.
Amid these developments, in autumn last year he “sought shelter” with his associate Kuznetsov in the All-Russia People’s Front, where he began overseeing “relations with state corporations.” It was planned that in autumn 2026 Voloshin would run for the State Duma of the Russian Federation. However, a better and more lucrative option has now emerged: going to Bryansk Oblast together with Kuznetsov as deputy governor.
