Former Kuban Vice-Governor Anna Minkova Detained by FSB
On January 27, former Kuban Krai vice-governor Anna Minkova was detained by regional FSB (Federal Security Service) officers. According to a source at 93.RU, she is suspected of healthcare fraud. Recall that in her post as deputy head of the region, Minkova oversaw the social sector for 10 years.
Minkova left her high position exactly three months before her detention—on October 27, 2025. At that time, she stated that she «made this decision herself, dictated by personal convictions.» On October 28, Anna Minkova headed the media group «Kuban 24,» where she had worked previously before her career in the Krasnodar Krai administration. Meanwhile, the former general director of the media holding, Alexander Rudenko, took Minkova«s position, i.e., became vice-governor for the social block.
What is known about the ex-official and what scandals she was involved in earlier—compiled by 93.RU.
Who is Anna Minkova?
Anna Minkova was born in the Adyghe village of Tlyustenkhabl (in Adygea, Russia) on February 23, 1978. She graduated from the journalism faculty of KubSU (Kuban State University) and from 1999 worked as a correspondent for the TV channel GTRK «Kuban.» In 2004, she was appointed as an advisor to Governor Alexander Tkachev, and from 2005 to 2006—deputy head of the public relations department of the Krasnodar administration.
Then Minkova worked as first deputy director of the state unitary enterprise of Krasnodar Krai «Tele-Radio Company »NTK«.» In March 2011, she became head of the information policy department of the regional administration, acting as press secretary for Kuban Governor Alexander Tkachev.
In the summer of 2014, Minkova became the new director of the regional «Channel Nine» (legally the same state unitary enterprise «TRK »NTK«»).
Under Minkova, the regional TV channel underwent rebranding: it changed its logo, overall concept, and became called «Kuban 24.»
«Rebranding is a story about how we will finally identify with our region,»—Minkova explained the need for changes in an interview with «Yugopolis.»—«Channel Nine» positioned itself in relation to existing content: a huge number of series, Indian films, etc. Now the programming will be completely different. Our task is to focus on locality. To make a channel about Kuban. About the people living in the region.«
To the journalist«s remark that funding the TV channel from the regional budget irritates some (over half a billion rubles were spent on it per year—Ed.), Anna Minkova responded: »And it irritates me when people start counting money in someone else«s pocket.» Also adding that «television is generally an expensive thing,» and a third of the channel«s stated budget goes to the radio transmission center.
In 2015, Anna Minkova was first appointed acting vice-governor, and then lost the «acting» prefix. The official oversaw the spheres of healthcare, education, culture, and mass media.
What is known about the vice-governor«s personal life?
In 2015, upon taking the deputy governor position, Minkova said that her children attend a regular Krasnodar school, which (like all others in the city) is overcrowded: it is designed for 800 students, but 1,500 attend.
«Generally, I believe that your child should go to the school that is near home. A child should go to school, not spend hours traveling to some elite gymnasium, exhausting themselves in Krasnodar traffic jams. My children go to a regular school; this is their life, they should live it not in greenhouse conditions, but together with everyone,»—said the official.
According to the declaration of income and assets for 2021, the vice-governor has three minor children. More recent data cannot be viewed; since 2022, income reporting for civil servants has not been published, according to a decision by Vladimir Putin.
Minkova has four sons in total. The eldest turned 25 at the end of November 2025. According to media reports, the ex-official had two marriages, both ending in divorce.
She sued for one ruble
In early 2020, on the channel «ZAKrasnodar» on the «Yandex.Zen» platform, a material was posted under the headline «Anna Minkova stole a clinic: 32 million into her pocket.» The publication stated that at that time, the vice-governor«s mother-in-law, Tatyana Mochalova, became the owner of a premises of almost 600 square meters and rented it to Krasnodar Polyclinic No. 16 for 400,000 rubles per month (approx. $4,000 at current rates).
The author of the publication claimed Anna Minkova«s involvement in corruption schemes and accused the official of causing damage to the regional treasury of at least 12 million rubles (approx. $120,000 at current rates).
In October of the same year, Minkova won a court case for protection of honor, dignity, and business reputation. The Krasnodar Krai Court ruled to recover 1 ruble each from the heads of the publications «Za Krasnodar,» «Kuban Inform,» and blogger Sergei Zaitsev in her favor.
The court established that the author of the publications was the editor-in-chief of «ZAKrasnodar» Vyacheslav Potapov. He, in turn, insisted that he did not write the article, and the domain where the publication appeared did not belong to him.
«According to the law, we post all our publications on our registered media site zakrasnodar.ru, and such an article was not created or published by us,»—explained the journalist on his social media.
How much did the ex-official earn?
Upon becoming vice-governor, Anna Minkova declared an income for 2015 of 1.7 million rubles (approx. $17,000 at current rates). She earned about the same in 2016 and 2017.
In 2018, the official«s income sharply increased, almost 10 times. By the end of the year, Minkova earned 15 million rubles (approx. $150,000 at current rates)—more than all other vice-governors. Instead of a Toyota RAV4, a Jaguar F-PACE appeared in her records, while the official»s spouse earned only 293,000 rubles for the year (approx. $2,930 at current rates).
It is worth noting that if in 2017 the deputy head of the region owned a land plot and a house of 202 square meters, then in 2018, Minkova«s declaration showed no real estate of her own. Possibly, this explains such a high income.
In 2019, the vice-governor«s income again sharply fell. She earned only 1.8 million rubles (approx. $18,000 at current rates), and her spouse received 184,000 rubles (approx. $1,840 at current rates). The following year, Minkova increased her income to 5.75 million rubles (approx. $57,500 at current rates). She had use of three apartments with areas of 150.4, 149.2, and 80 square meters. Meanwhile, Anna Minkova changed her car from a Jaguar F-PACE 2.0 i4D to a Volkswagen Polo.
For 2021, the vice-governor declared an income of 1.79 million rubles (approx. $17,900 at current rates). At that time, she no longer had a car. Minkova had use of an apartment of 150.4 square meters and a house of 507.9 square meters.
Since 2022, the official«s income, like that of other government representatives, has not been published.
«Why did you buy an apartment knowing there are no schools here?»
On July 27, 2022, Vice-Governor Minkova found herself at the center of a scandal. Then an official meeting was held with parents of children lacking school places. As an alternative, officials proposed enrolling first-graders in another school, located three kilometers further, and sending buses there.
The meeting lasted about three hours and was quite tense. For example, one mother complained that her husband works in another city, and she lives alone with two children and cannot walk the first-grader, as he gets nauseous on the bus. The woman asked Anna Minkova what solution she had.
«It is your husband»s choice—to work 1,500 kilometers from home and not participate in raising children. It is your choice—to have children. Want me to say it that way?—answered the official.—Dear parents, you are interesting, you reason interestingly. You came and saw one number from the developer, here«s a school, but you didn»t come and ask, are there even places in this school. The developer just sold it like that. The city of Krasnodar is growing by 20,000 children, new children… Is that a question for me? Or do you want me to solve this problem, put up a barrier at the borders for all newcomers, or what do you want to do?«
After public outcry, the vice-governor had to apologize for her harsh statements, but the viral video could not be stopped. Minkova was already dubbed in the media as the second Olga Glatskikh (a Sverdlovsk official who said: «The state did not ask you to give birth»—Ed.).
Note that the official had previously made resonant statements about parents and the education system. For example, in an interview with «Novaya Gazeta Kubani,» the vice-governor recommended that parents dissatisfied with the transition of schoolchildren to the «SberClass» program consult a psychotherapist.
«To learn oneself and teach others—this is the continuous pedagogical process. And sometimes parents, instead of dealing with their direct duties—raising children, strive to teach the school, ready to make a cutlet out of it <…> It becomes the norm when parents blame the teacher for their own failures, whereas they need to go to a psychotherapist and improve relations with their own child,»—said Minkova.
«It»s shameful when talentless people become journalists«
Anna Minkova also did not pass by the act of Marina Ovsyannikova*, who in March 2022 ran onto the live broadcast of «Channel One» with a pacifist poster (Ovsyannikova, like Minkova, graduated from the journalism faculty of KubSU and worked for a time in regional media).
*In October 2025, Marina Ovsyannikova was recognized as a foreign agent by the Ministry of Justice.
The vice-governor in her Telegram channel said that in the late «90s, she worked as an editor of news programs, and Ovsyannikova was her deputy, »snatching« that position.
«Of course, Marina should have been the editor, but due to »personal circumstances with the director,« she could not fully devote time to work. But as soon as the manager»s chair wobbled, she was gone. Of course, she knew that all these positions, apartments, cars—were not her merit,«—declared Minkova and admitted that she is ashamed of Ovsyannikova»s act.—«Generally, it»s shameful when talentless people become journalists, shameful when they sell the Motherland. And even shameful that she, though not for long, lived and worked in our region.«
Which other senior officials of Krasnodar Krai were detained earlier?
For more than a month, checks and arrests of high-ranking individuals have continued in Kuban.
For example, first deputy minister of natural resources of Krasnodar Krai Alexander Kainov was detained in May 2025. According to the investigation, he promised an acquaintance to «fix» his grandson in a criminal case about drunk driving. For his services, Kainov requested 4 million rubles (approx. $40,000 at current rates), citing the need to pass a bribe to resolve the issue.
Also in the summer of 2025, vice-governor Alexander Nesterenko was detained, who oversaw the construction sector. According to the latest data, he is under house arrest. The investigation imputes Nesterenko with embezzlement of funds during the repair of a school in the Kherson region: the official knowingly signed an acceptance certificate with the contractor JSC «RSK KK,» despite numerous violations.
Already in the fall of 2025, vice-governor Alexander Vlasov was detained, at that time ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host. Vlasov was sent to a pre-trial detention center in a case of abuse of authority and organization of fraud. He is accused of large-scale theft of a subsidy allocated for equipping volunteers. According to 93.RU, the money did not reach the participants of the SVO (special military operation). They had to buy uniforms at their own expense.
In January 2026, Minister of Transport of Krasnodar Krai Alexei Pereverzev was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center. His deputies Alexander Dashuk and Alexei Smaglyuk were also arrested. They are suspected of a large scheme to «capture the road construction sphere» of the region. And this sphere brought huge money to «their people.» More details about this are told in this material.
