Former Tambov Governor Detained Amid Bribery Investigations

The previous governor of the Tambov region in central Russia has been arrested and placed in pre-trial custody following allegations of power abuse, as reported by state media and court officials on Thursday.

Maksim Yegorov, who held the governor position from 2021 until 2024, is under suspicion of receiving a substantial bribe, according to the TASS news agency, citing police sources involved in the investigation. Law enforcement conducted searches in several locations associated with him, including areas in Moscow and the Tambov region.

The Meshchansky District Court in Moscow later confirmed Yegorov’s arrest, indicating that he would remain in pre-trial detention for a minimum of two months on abuse of power charges, though specific allegations of bribery were not disclosed.

Before entering the Tambov regional government in 2016, Yegorov had a background in the private sector and eventually took a position in the Ministry of Construction.

In October 2021, President Vladimir Putin appointed him as the acting governor of Tambov, and he was later elected to this role in September 2022.

In November 2024, Putin appointed Yevgeny Pervyshov, the former mayor of Krasnodar, to replace Yegorov. Pervyshov had previously participated in the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In the past year, an increasing number of high-ranking officials throughout Russia have been subjected to criminal investigations related to alleged corruption, especially in regions adjacent to Ukraine, amid findings of misappropriation of funds designated for border security.