Russian Governor Kozhemyako, A Frequent Visitor To Lukashenka, Set For Promotion

Reform.news Editorial Team · 19 October 2026, 11:45

https://reform.news/en/russian-governor-kozhemyako-a-frequent-visitor-to-lukashenka-set-for-promotion/

Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai, who has frequently visited Aliaksandr Lukashenka in recent years, is set to receive a promotion. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved personnel changes in the country’s government.

Following the meeting, Kozhemyako’s nomination was submitted to the State Duma for approval as Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District.

Kozhemyako has visited Aliaksandr Lukashenka annually in recent years. One of his visits resulted in the release of Sofia Sapega, who was detained alongside Raman Pratasevich after a Ryanair plane was forced to land in 2021.

During Kozhemyako’s most recent visit in June this year, Lukashenka asked him to act as an intermediary in trade with North Korea. Previously, the governor of Primorsky Krai had also promoted the idea of establishing a Belarusian port in Russia’s Far East. However, in June this year, he acknowledged that the proposal had been put in reserve.