MOSCOW, April 18 Former speaker of the Irkutsk legislature and State Duma deputy from «United Russia» Sergei Sokol said that he was returning from the zone of the special military operation to Khakassia.
At the end of September 2022, Sokol wrote a statement to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the United Russia with a request to send him as a volunteer to the NVO zone, and already in October he left for the training unit for combat coordination. It is known that he served in the air reconnaissance unit of the BARS «Kaskad». In January, after completing the first one, he renewed his contract. In early April, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree awarding Sokol with the Order of Courage.
«Well, my term of service is ending, I'm going to Khakassia, wait for me at home,» Sokol said in a video message on his social networks.
Earlier, a number of media outlets, including RBC and Kommersant, reported that the 52-year-old Sokol in 2023 could become a United Russia candidate in the September elections for the head of Khakassia. Sokol himself did not comment on this information.
The acting governor of Khakassia, 35-year-old Valentin Konovalov, represents the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. He was elected head of the region in the second round of elections in November 2018. Prior to Konovalov, the republic was headed by United Russia Viktor Zimin since 2009. In September 2018, in the gubernatorial elections, he won 32.42% of the vote, after which he decided to withdraw his candidacy and later resigned. Konovalov remained the only candidate for the post of head of the region, on November 11, 57.57% of voters cast their votes for him, 41.16% voted against.
Konovalov, whose possible resignation appeared in the media during his entire term as governor, announced in August last year that he was ready to run for a second term. The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov stated that «4.5 thousand dirty stories were published about Konovalov in the media, which were told by an absolutely honest, worthy person.»