Denis Minkin to Head St. Petersburg Transport Committee
The former head of 'Gorelectrotrans' will replace Valentin Yenokayev, who left for Yandex. The appointment takes effect on February 2.
Mar 5, 2026 0
Denis Minkin oversaw the modernization of St. Petersburg«s tram and trolleybus network during his tenure at the city»s electric transport company.
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From February 2, the St. Petersburg Transport Committee will be headed by Denis Minkin, who previously led the city«s »Gorelectrotrans«. The official announcement of the appointment came from the governor»s press service on January 30.
In this position, he will replace acting chairman Dmitry Vanchkov, who temporarily led the committee after Valentin Yenokayev left for the company Yandex.
Denis Minkin«s career began in the defense industry. After graduating from LETI in 1982, he worked at the Naval Weapons Research Institute, where he defended his candidate»s dissertation on missile control systems.
In the 1990s, Minkin moved into business, heading companies such as «Neva Tabak», ZAO «Company Museum», and «Mostostroy-6». Simultaneously, he taught at the St. Petersburg University of the State Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia, and in 2015 became the director of the St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics.
In 2020, Minkin headed «Gorelectrotrans». Under his leadership, a modernization program for the enterprise was developed until 2028, later extended to 2030, with a budget of 123 billion rubles (approximately $1.23 billion at current rates). «We should not wait for better times, we should initiate development,» he noted.
As part of the program, new trams and trolleybuses were purchased, including the controversial retro trams «Dostoevsky» and «Dovlatov». Reconstruction of tram depots and updating of the energy infrastructure were also carried out.
Minkin actively promoted the implementation of a driver assistance system that recognizes obstacles and controls speed, but does not replace humans. Moreover, under him, «Gorelectrotrans» transitioned to a new contract model with the city, based on payment for transport work.
According to the city program, St. Petersburg currently operates 828 trolleybuses with an average age of 5.13 years and 749 trams with an average age of 14.75 years.
As head of GET, Minkin advocated for the priority of rail transport on main routes, but acknowledged the need for flexibility: «Where the tram does not carry passengers, remove it and run more agile vehicles there, for example, electric buses.»
Despite previously expressing the view that his transport career would end at «Gorelectrotrans», Denis Minkin will now head the transport committee, where he can apply his experience on a city-wide scale.
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