Dmitry Sadovnikov officially becomes mayor of Yakutsk

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Yakutia Dmitry Sadovnikov officially assumed the powers of head of Yakutsk; he was presented with a certificate, a framed appointment order, and the keys to the city, reported a 14.RU correspondent on 21 July.

Head of Yakutia Aysen Nikolaev gave him a choron (traditional Yakut wooden vessel) and also promised to help his comrade and to help his beloved Yakutsk.

The election of a new mayor in Yakutsk and the removal of the old one took place on Monday. The authorities decided to hold the inauguration—the official procedure for assuming powers—the very next day. How the former deputy prime minister of Yakutia, now mayor of Yakutsk, takes office — in the online broadcast by 14.RU.

Dmitry Sadovnikov was elected mayor on 20 July. The elections followed a new scheme where not citizens but deputies vote. Twenty-three deputies voted for him, and none voted for his opponent Sazonov. A total of 25 out of 29 deputies were present at the election; four had valid reasons for absence. Not surprisingly, 20 of all deputies are representatives of the United Russia party.

Dmitry Sadovnikov, or as people commonly call him Dim Dimych (a popular nickname), is the most popular and well-known figure among all candidates for the post of mayor of Yakutsk. There is an objective reason: Dim Dimych has been in politics for almost 21 years.

He is originally from Srednekolymsky District, holds a degree in history, and also studied public administration. He began his climb to the top of Yakutia’s political Olympus from a job as a janitor. After the army, Sadovnikov worked as a laborer at the Savataysky state farm, then as a stoker at Savataysky secondary school. He later got married and had children—he now has three.

In 2005, Sadovnikov’s life changed dramatically when he moved to Yakutsk and, under the mayorship of Ilya Mikhalchuk, became head of the Department of Youth Policy, Physical Culture and Sports of the Yakutsk administration. Then, for six years, he headed the Saisar district under another mayor, Yuri Zabolov, until Aysen Nikolaev became mayor of Yakutsk in 2012.

Since then, all of Yakutsk has called Sadovnikov Dim Dimych. He served as deputy mayor for urban economy, and everyone considered him the man in charge of the housing and utilities sector.

After Aysen Nikolaev was elected head of Yakutia in 2018, Dim Dimych moved from the city hall to the government building, becoming Minister of Agriculture, and three years later, the Il Darkhan (head of Yakutia) appointed him Deputy Chairman of the Government of Yakutia.

During Aysen Nikolaev’s mayoral term, Dmitry Sadovnikov was no less significant a figure in the city. There were times when people wrote on social media about any problem: “We need Dim Dimych on this.” It was believed that Sadovnikov could solve any housing and communal services issue, resolve any problem, and find common ground with everyone.

In the government, although he holds the post of Deputy Chairman, he is responsible for absolutely everything: floods, fires, roads, workplace accidents, subsidized tariffs, the housing and utilities sector, construction, relocation from dilapidated housing, and so on. Residents of Yakutia are so used to this that when Sadovnikov went to inspect the ruined Ordzhonikidze Square, no one was surprised. Most recently, Chairman of the Government of Yakutia Kirill Bychkov tasked him with solving the fuel problem in the Aldan and Neryungri districts within three days. It seems he succeeded.