Dagestan Governor Melikov Leaves Post as Kremlin Signals New Appointment

Head of Dagestan Sergey Melikov will leave his post, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced during a meeting with representatives of the republic.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Sofi Kaveller, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Dagestan lanscape

“The current head of the republic, Sergey Alimovich Melikov, has his term ending in September. He has done a great deal, and we are grateful to him for this, but he is moving to another position. Life goes on,” the president said.

Putin did not specify the exact date of Melikov’s final day in office. As a candidate to lead the republic, he supported Fyodor Shchukin, chairman of Dagestan’s Supreme Court.

Melikov’s Tenure and Key Events

Melikov has led Dagestan since 2021. During this time, the region repeatedly found itself in the spotlight due to a number of high-profile events.

In early April, the republic experienced large-scale flooding. More than two thousand homes were inundated, along with roads and electrical substations, and power supply was limited in nearly twenty districts. The number of affected residents exceeded 15,500.

In June 2024, armed religious radicals attacked the Kele-Numaz synagogue in Derbent, killing police officers and security personnel on duty and setting the building on fire. At the same time, another group attacked the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, setting the iconostasis ablaze and killing a guard. The attackers also broke into the home of a 66-year-old archpriest of the Makhachkala diocese, Nikolai, fatally wounding him. Melikov said the high number of casualties among law enforcement was due to the covert and sudden nature of the attacks.

In October 2023, unrest broke out at Makhachkala airport, when a crowd stormed the runway and service areas searching for Israeli citizens. Commenting on the incident, Melikov stated that the events had been orchestrated from Ukraine.

Successor and Political Proposals

During the meeting, Dagestan representatives proposed appointing Fyodor Shchukin as the new head of the republic, a nomination supported by the president.

Speaker of the regional parliament Zaour Askenderov also suggested appointing Magomed Ramazanov, deputy presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District, as prime minister of the republic, calling such a tandem effective. Putin supported this proposal as well.

“As for the chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan, he is known in Moscow as well. He is a decent, consistent, honest person. In addressing both current and future issues, he will undoubtedly act in the interests of the people. In my view, he has not only adapted but works in a principled yet non-confrontational manner. This is a distinct talent,” Putin said.

The president added that it is important for the candidate to be capable of handling not only organizational matters but also practical economic tasks.

Who Is Fyodor Shchukin

Fyodor Shchukin is 49 years old. He was born in the village of Pochinki in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In 1997, he graduated from the law faculty of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod.

At the age of 28, he was appointed a magistrate judge in his hometown. In 2013, he became chairman of the Semenov District Court in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In 2020, he was appointed deputy chairman of the regional court. In March 2024, by presidential decree, he became chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan.