Sosnovka Mayor Nikita Gorelov, a War Veteran, Removed as Local Government Reform Abolishes His Town's Administration

Gorelov announced his dismissal in his Telegram channel, saying the decision was taken by deputies of the newly formed Vyatskiye Polyany municipal district.

He was mobilized in September 2022 and served as a sniper until autumn 2024, when he was offered the chance to lead his native Sosnovka, a town of just over 8,000 people. He took office in October 2024.

Soon afterward, Gorelov began calling the previous administration "crooks" and corrupt officials. In December 2024 he received an order to return to the front. The mayor's aide said at the time that "this vile act" was organized by Kirov Region Governor Alexander Sokolov. Gorelov himself linked the order to the fact that he had "touched on the topic of corruption."

Residents of Sosnovka held a gathering in support of Gorelov and created a petition to keep him in his post. More than 4,000 people signed it. The mayor remained in office.

As Verstka reported, the Kremlin described his appointment as the "most unsuccessful" experiment in drawing war veterans into government service. Blame was placed on the governor for "failing to build relations first" and then "dragging out decisions on his issues."

The final resignation was a consequence of local government reform: at the end of 2025, the Kirov Region adopted a law abolishing municipal districts and creating okrugs. Sosnovka lost its own administration.

As mayor, Gorelov secured a criminal case against the speaker of the city duma over violations in the construction of housing for resettlers. He also collected signatures against the municipal reform.

In his Telegram channel, Gorelov wrote that pressure had been exerted on him for two years, and now the authorities had decided to get rid of him "in a quiet way." He claims the authorities use war veterans "as little soldiers for hype, and then write them off."

According to him, his case is not the only one. Gorelov says the head of the Guryonki rural settlement, Denis Rychkov, also elected in 2024, "remains on the SMO for a second year," while another fellow serviceman, after coverage of the problem with an unfinished school, "was immediately sent to the SMO zone" and forced to sign a contract. "These facts speak to the systemic nature of the problem and the lack of interest in solving it," Gorelov writes.