Nikita Belykh

In this name that followsEastern Slavic naming customs,thepatronymicisYurevichand thefamily nameisBelykh.

Nikita Yuryevich Belykh(Russian:Ники́та Ю́рьевич Белы́х,born June 13, 1975) is a Russian politician and former leader of theUnion of Rightist Forcesparty. He was a member of theLegislative AssemblyofPerm Kraiuntil 2008, and the governor ofKirov Oblastfrom January 2009 until his arrest in July 2016.

Nikita Belykh
Никита Белых
Belykh in 2013
4thGovernor of Kirov Oblast
In office January 15, 2009 – July 28, 2016
Preceded by	Nikolay Shaklein
Succeeded by	Aleksey Kuznetsov(acting) Igor Vasilyev
Leader of theUnion of Right Forces
In office May 28, 2005 – September 26, 2008
Preceded by	Viktor Nekrutenko
Succeeded by	Leonid Gozman(acting)
Personal details
Born	(1975-06-13)June 13, 1975 Perm,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union
Political party	Union of Right Forces(2001–2008)
Alma mater	Perm State University

Biography

Nikita Belykh was born on June 13, 1975. He graduated fromPerm State University.In 1998, he became vice president of the Perm Financial-Industrial Group. In 2001, Belykh was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of thePerm Oblast,where he became chairman of the committee on economic policy andtaxation.

In December 2003, Belykh was a parliamentary candidate for theUnion of Right Forces,which failed to pass the nationwide 5% threshold required for entering theState Duma.In March 2004, he was appointed DeputyGovernorof thePerm Oblast.

On May 28, 2005, Belykh was elected leader of the Union of Right Forces, a leading opposition party, succeedingBoris Nemtsov.He thereby resigned as Deputy Governor of the Perm Oblast. As party leader, Belykh adopted a line of strict opposition to Russian PresidentVladimir Putinand launched coalition talks with theYablokoparty.

As a result of the agreement between Belykh andGrigory Yavlinskyreached in October 2005, the Union of Right Forces andYablokoformed a coalition,Yabloko-United Democrats,to contest theMoscow City Dumaelections on December 4, 2005. The coalition won 11% of the vote and became one of only three parties (along withUnited Russiaand theCommunist Party) to enter the new Moscow legislature.

In December 2006 the Union of Right Forces received 16% of the vote in the regional legislative elections inPerm Krai.Belykh, who headed the party list, was elected to the Legislative Assembly.

In September 2008 Belykh announced that he had resigned from his position and left the Union of Right Forces in connection with its likely merger with a couple of pro-Kremlin parties.

On December 8, 2008, Belykh was nominated governor ofKirov Oblastafter a personal meeting withDmitry Medvedev.(From July 2009 till June 2011Maria Gaidarwas an official responsible for socio-economic development in the Kirov Oblast.)

Detention

On June 24, 2016 Belykh was arrested in a bar by theRussian Investigative Committee,allegedly for receiving a bribe of €400,000. While under investigation he faced up to 15 years of jail time.He denied taking bribes or any other wrongdoing. According toDmitry Peskov,Vladimir Putinwas not consulted about making the arrest.Belykh was convicted of bribery in February 2018 and sentenced to eight years in prison, a 48.5 million ruble ($866,000) fine, and was barred from holding public office for three years.Belykh was released on June 21, 2024, having served his sentence in full.

Present time

Since August 2024 Nikita Belykh has held the position of vice CEO for corporate affairs of JSC Confectionery Factory Permskaya.

Awards

• 2010 — Breastplate "For the Merits" of the Federal Drug Control Service
• 2012 — Medal "For Merits in conducting the all-Russian Population Census of 2010"
• 2015 — Badge of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation"For contribution to international cooperation"

External links

• Official website(in Russian)
• Belykh's blog