To support the post: what is the reason for the change of leadership in Udmurtia

Alexander Brechalov left the post of head of Udmurtia at his own request after nine years of work. Vladimir Putin signed a decree on this on July 29. The president entrusted the leadership of the strategically important region to Olga Abramova, a native of the republic, who worked for many years in the regional government. Political scientists are confident that the population will support such an appointment, since for the republic she is her own person. Brechalov is expected to be promoted to the federal level — in particular, experts do not rule out that the former head of the region will take a deputy seat in the State Duma.

What is Abramova known for?

On July 29, Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the resignation of the head of the Udmurt Republic, Alexander Brechalov. of my own volition. Olga Abramova has been appointed acting head of the region., who served as an adviser to the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. The President held a meeting with her.

— You were a deputy of the local council, and you worked there in joint-stock companies and in various government structures. You have a very good experience, knowledge of the environment and people. This is your small homeland. I wish you success," the head of state said at a meeting in the Kremlin.

"I grew up and took place there,— Olga Abramova remarked.

She began her career in the republican government in the spring of 2018 as Minister of Agriculture. In a few years, Abramova rose to become deputy chairman and then first deputy chairman of the regional government. In the summer of 2024, she temporarily headed the Cabinet of Ministers of Udmurtia, after which she was promoted to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Olga Abramova's return to Izhevsk is unlikely to surprise the locals — most likely, they will willingly support her candidacy. The election of the head of the republic is scheduled for 2027.

Alexander Bokov's political consultant She noted that in Udmurtia Olga Abramova they are highly appreciated for achieving career success. She stressed that Abramova had actually worked her way up from chief economist of an agricultural enterprise in Sarapul to acting chairman of the Government of the republic in front of local residents. Dmitry Orlov, head of the Agency for Political and Economic Communications, agreed that Russian voters would appreciate Abramova's combination of local roots and her federal experience as an adviser to the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.

It is noteworthy that Olga Abramova will become the third female head of the region after Maria Kostyuk in the Jewish Autonomous Region and Irina Geht in the Nenets Autonomous District.

Brechalov's future prospects

Experts did not expect this resignation: most political scientists agreed that there would be no personnel changes before the September elections, Alexandra Bokova noted. Political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko also stressed that there were no obvious reasons for Alexander Brechalov's departure. However, in nine years, residents of the republic could get tired of his managerial style, Dmitry Orlov added. In his opinion, a special feature of Alexander Brechalov's work was excessive activity, and sometimes a tendency to conflict.

The election results recorded a decrease in his support from 78.16% in 2017 to 64.37% in 2022, but experts note his relevance at the federal level. The former head of Udmurtia, who resigned of his own accord, was awarded the Order of Friendship (2023) and the Order of St. Daniel of Moscow (2025) for his services to the region.

"The current head has done a lot in recent years to develop the republic's economy," Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Abramova.

The President publicly noted the contribution of the outgoing head, and Olga Abramova, who replaced him, is a member of his own team: Alexander Brechalov himself appointed her Minister of Agriculture in 2018. Political consultant Alexandra Bokova stressed that leaving with the public gratitude of the head of state is a worthy resignation.

In any case, Brechalov heads the United Russia list for Udmurtia in the State Duma elections, which will be held from September 18 to 20, so he has every chance of getting a deputy mandate. In 2021, he already acted as a "steam locomotive" in a similar configuration, but then refused a seat in parliament. Now that there is no governor's post behind him, his transition to the federal level is quite likely.

The main tasks for the new leadership

Olga Abramova, the new head of Udmurtia, after signing the decree She immediately took up her duties, noting the strong foundation of the region in the field of road construction, housing and communal services and the economy. At the meeting with the president, she noted that the bet made nine years ago on small and medium-sized businesses had paid off, ensuring the greatest growth.

Vladimir Putin He emphasized Udmurtia's status as a key military-industrial center requiring effective management. Olga Abramova She called the new appointment a challenge, promising to ensure continuity in the development of the region.

Experts also note the difficulty of coordinating many areas in the leadership of the republic. Udmurtia unites a powerful military-industrial complex with enterprises like the Kalashnikov Concern and JSC Kupol, as well as developed oil and gas and agricultural sectors. At the same time, there are still high risks of external threats in the region, including UAV attacks on critical infrastructure.

Alexandra Bokova She noted the need to appoint a head capable of conducting systematic work, interacting with the federal center and understanding local specifics. According to her, Abramova knows the agricultural sector, small towns and districts, which will allow her to get involved in work without a long period of adaptation.

Udmurtia remains a subsidized region: as of July 1, its national debt had decreased to 44.1 billion rubles. During June 2026, 5.6 billion rubles were forgiven to the republic as part of a program to write off two-thirds of the debt on budget loans.

The new acting head of Udmurtia will face challenges in the form of an outflow of young people to large neighboring cities and Moscow. In addition, given the multinational composition of the region, the appointment of an "in-house" person like Olga Abramova is considered a critical factor., instead of "Varyag".