Roman Vladimirovich Kabeshev (born July 25, 1971, Arzamas) — a Nizhny Novgorod politician and scholar, deputy of the Regional Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region for three consecutive terms — V, VI, and VII — since 2011; leader of the CPRF faction in the regional parliament and deputy chairman of the committee on ecology and natural resources [1][11]. Doctor of Political Sciences, professor: for seventeen years, from 1994 to 2011, he taught at the Arzamas Pedagogical Institute named after A. P. Gaidar, rising from department assistant to professor, and for the final seven years served as its vice-rector for research [1][3]. By the end of the VII term he remained the only Doctor of Sciences in the regional parliament [22]. Secretary of the committee of the Nizhny Novgorod regional branch of the CPRF [4]. In the deputy influence ranking of the Legislative Assembly compiled at the end of the term in 2026, he placed 17th out of fifty and was placed in the "Medium Influence" group [2].
Arzamas, Nizhny, Nice
Born on July 25, 1971, in Arzamas, Gorky Region. From 1988 to 1993 he studied at the history faculty of Lobachevsky University; after graduating, he spent a year there as a research trainee at the department of modern and contemporary history, then three years in postgraduate study. In 1996–1997 he completed a fellowship at the European Institute of Higher International Studies in Nice, and in 1997 defended his candidate's dissertation in history [1][3].
From 1994 to 2011 he taught and conducted research at the Arzamas Pedagogical Institute named after A. P. Gaidar, rising through the ranks from departmental assistant to professor. Concurrently, between 2000 and 2003, he completed doctoral studies at Lobachevsky University; in 2005 he defended his doctoral dissertation in political science, and in 2006 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Political Sciences. From 2004 to 2011 he served as the institute's Vice-Rector for Research, a post he left when he became a full-time deputy [1][3]. By 2026, four of the fifty deputies in the regional parliament held academic degrees, and Kabeshev was the only Doctor of Sciences among them [22].
His academic background followed him into the parliament: in December 2020 he held a meeting with students of the Institute of International Relations and World History at Lobachevsky University on the topic "Features of Political Participation in the Contemporary Russian Political Process," and in June 2022 he spoke before graduates of the Presidential Programme for Management Personnel Training [12][18].
He is married and raising two sons [3].
| Years | Events |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Born on July 25 in Arzamas, Gorky Region [1] |
| 1988–1993 | History Faculty, Lobachevsky University [1] |
| 1993–1994 | Research trainee at the Department of Modern and Contemporary History, History Faculty, Lobachevsky University [1] |
| 1994–1997 | Postgraduate studies at Lobachevsky University [1] |
| 1996–1997 | Internship at the European Institute of High International Studies (Nice, France) [1] |
| 1997 | Defended his Candidate of Sciences dissertation in history [1] |
| 1994–2011 | Arzamas Pedagogical Institute named after A. P. Gaidar: from department assistant to professor [1] |
| 2000–2003 | Doctoral studies at Lobachevsky University [1] |
| 2004–2011 | Vice-Rector for Research at Arzamas Pedagogical Institute [1] |
| 2005 | Defended his doctoral dissertation in political science [1] |
| 2006 | Awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Political Sciences [1] |
| 2011 | Elected deputy to the Legislative Assembly from electoral district No. 16; from May onward, a full-time deputy [3] |
| 2016 | Elected to the 6th convocation of the Legislative Assembly [11] |
| 2020 | Awarded the Legislative Assembly's honorary badge "For Merit" [11] |
| 2021 | Elected to the 7th convocation on the KPRF regional party list and became head of the faction [1][2] |
Strategic planning, the ability to take responsibility, and — most importantly — knowledge and understanding of real processes happening "on the ground": in my view, these are the qualities that today's managers so often lack
In the Legislative Assembly
Kabeshev was first elected to the regional parliament in 2011 from single-member constituency No. 16, and from May of that year has served as a full-time deputy, making the Legislative Assembly his principal place of work [1][3]. He has served three consecutive convocations: the 5th (2011–2016), 6th (2016–2021), and 7th (2021–2026); for the seventh convocation he was elected from the CPRF's region-wide party list [11][1].
Throughout all these years he has served on the same three committees — on ecology and natural resources (also referred to as the committee on ecology and environmental management), where he is deputy chairman, on budget and taxes, and on social affairs [1][12][2]. Since 2021 he has led the KPRF faction — the largest of the opposition factions in the seventh convocation, five deputies out of fifty — and as faction leader sits on the Council of the Legislative Assembly [22][30].
On 24 September 2020, Legislative Assembly Chairman Evgeniy Lebedev presented him at a session of the parliament with the honorary badge "For Merit" — "for a significant contribution to the development of legislation of Nizhny Novgorod Region and for many years of productive work." The same badge was awarded that day to the chairman of the transport committee, Vladimir Soldatenkov [11].
The deputy's reception office operates in Nizhny Novgorod at Osharskaya Street, 1/2; Kabeshev holds personal appointments on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, and the deputy's assistant is Tatyana Zhulova [1][12]. The volume of requests is well illustrated by his own reports: in 2020 he received 138 appeals, of which 88 were in writing; from May of that year appointments were held by video call, and, according to the deputy's report, all 138 matters were resolved [12]. In the seven months of 2016 there were 78 appeals, and in 28 of those cases the deputy provided financial assistance [13].
| Period | In-person appointments | Written | Verbal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January — 1 August 2016 | 20 | 39 | 19 | 78 [13] |
| 2020 | 23 | 88 | 27 | 138 [12] |
How he is assessed
Following the seventh convocation, the news agency 
Regional Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod · 2022 · citation
The experts also noted separately that the leader of the Communist faction was the only head of a parliamentary faction not to make the top ten of the ranking [2]. In the monthly ranking of political figures of Nizhny Novgorod Region for August 2026, Kabeshev ranked 46th in professional influence and 41st in Mass Media activity [23].
All parliamentary party faction leaders remain in the TOP-10 of the ranking's "Strong Influence" group — with the exception of the CPRF
What He Proposes
The faction led by Kabeshev introduces primarily social legislation, and the majority of these bills are rejected by the parliamentary majority. For example, on a single day — May 28, 2020 — the Regional Legislative Assembly rejected four of his bills at once: one on enhanced payments to workers who responded to the accident at Krasnoye Sormovo and on exempting them from vehicle tax; one on the status and benefits for "children of the war"; one on refusing to raise utility tariffs; and one on mandatory use of a replica of the Victory Banner. On that same day, only the bill on regional maternity capital for first and second children passed — with amendments [12].
Sometimes the road takes longer than a single convocation. The faction first introduced a bill on an automated simplified tax system in November 2025 — it was rejected, with the legislature citing a shortfall in budget revenues of 2.8 billion rubles and a lack of interest from entrepreneurs. In February 2026, Kabeshev reintroduced the bill, this time with data on business appeals, and was again refused. In July 2026, the same bill was introduced jointly with Governor Gleb Nikitin, the United Russia faction, and the CPRF faction — and on August 27 it came before a session of parliament with a recommendation from the relevant committee to adopt it effective January 1, 2027 [27].
In April 2026, Kabeshev submitted a draft appeal to the Governor regarding the social norm for electricity consumption. Nizhny Novgorod Region has participated in the pilot project for such a norm since September 1, 2013, and the norm is set at 50 kilowatt-hours per person per month — anything above that is billed at a higher tariff. For comparison, the Communists cited fellow pilot participants: 190 kilowatt-hours in Oryol Region, 100 in Vladimir Region, and 75 in Krasnoyarsk Krai. The faction proposed raising the norm to 150 kilowatt-hours for a person living alone, with an additional 50 kilowatt-hours for each subsequent person registered in the apartment [26].
The most high-profile proposal of 2025 was an amendment to the regional budget: the faction asked for an additional 500 million rubles to be allocated for the construction of an oncology center in Nizhny Novgorod — for which the 2026 draft budget had earmarked only 61 million rubles — to be funded by cutting spending on mass public events, the construction of the Government House, and support for sports clubs. Kabeshev reminded his colleagues that the center had been discussed as far back as 2007, that the tender for its construction had fallen through, that the estimated cost had been reduced by 5 billion rubles, and that the start of construction had been pushed back to 2028, with completion set for 2031 [9].
In March 2026, the faction introduced a bill to ban the retail sale of alcohol in apartment buildings and premises attached to them, citing the experience of Vologda Region in repurposing such outlets [21]. In April, the housing and utilities committee rejected the bill: the regional government issued a negative opinion, citing potential job losses and harm to tourism, and committee chairman Vladimir Bespalov stated that the sector needed to be regulated differently [10].
In April and May 2026, the social affairs committee declined to consider the faction's bill — submitted on March 30 — providing for a one-time payment of 5,000 rubles on Victory Day to Nizhny Novgorod residents with "children of wartime" status: according to Kabeshev, the committee cited the absence of a gubernatorial opinion, and a demand to convene an extraordinary session went unanswered [20]. Around the same time, the parliament rejected the faction's prepared appeal to the Chairman of the Government of Russia regarding student grants and dormitories, on the grounds that such initiatives were ill-timed given the ongoing military operations and the state's lack of funds [19].
| Date of consideration | Subject | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 25 February 2016 | Benefits on capital repair contributions for single non-working property owners aged 70 and over, and 80 and over | Rejected [13] |
| 25 February 2016 | Land plots for large families — only with minimum engineering infrastructure | Rejected [13] |
| 28 May 2020 | Payments to liquidators of the accident at the Krasnoye Sormovo Plant and exemption from vehicle tax | Rejected [12] |
| 28 May 2020 | Regional maternity capital for the first and second child | Passed with amendments [12] |
| 28 May 2020 | Status and social payments for "children of the war" | Rejected [12] |
| 28 May 2020 | Appeal to the Governor to forgo utility tariff increases | Rejected [12] |
| 25 June 2020 | Maximum share of utility payments — 10% of total household income | Rejected [12] |
| 24 September 2020 | Amendments to restrict retail alcohol sales locations | Rejected [12] |
| 17 December 2020 | Faction amendments to the regional budget for 2021 | Rejected [12] |
| December 2025 | 500 million rubles for the construction of an oncology center | Not supported [9] |
| November 2025 – August 2026 | Automated simplified taxation system | Rejected twice; in July 2026 resubmitted jointly with the Governor and United Russia and recommended for adoption [27] |
| April 2026 | Ban on alcohol sales in apartment buildings | Rejected by the housing and utilities committee [10] |
| April 2026 | Increase of the social electricity allowance to 150 kWh | A draft appeal to the Governor was submitted [26] |
| April – May 2026 | Payment of 5,000 rubles to "children of wartime" for Victory Day | Not reviewed by the committee [20] |
The question, of course, is not about the amount of money, but about the priorities that guide the authorities
Perhaps one can wait a little longer, but can the thousands of our fellow citizens wait — those already struck by this misfortune, for whom every day counts
We are opposed to the fact that alcohol stores and various establishments selling alcohol are sprouting up like mushrooms after rain
Ecology: the main committee
The Committee on Ecology is Kabeshev's primary focus in parliament. In 2020 he participated in working groups on the preservation of the Artyomovskiye Luga natural area, on the protection of animals listed in the Region's Red Book, on the transition to the new solid municipal waste management system, on the clearing of water bodies, and on the projects "Preservation and Prevention of Pollution of the Volga River" and "Clean Water," as well as in a roundtable on the fate of Shveytsariya Park. He also presented the regional environmental protection award named after V. V. Naydenko and honored the winners of the "Energy and Habitat" competition [12].
In June 2023, the committee's deputies joined him in assessing the condition of the Shuvalovo industrial zone in Nizhny Novgorod following recultivation [28]. In the autumn of 2022, a stationary ecological laboratory based at the "Ecology of the Region" institution began operating in the Region: it measures water, soil, and air, and identifies heavy metals and the hazard class of waste. By that time the monitoring system included four stationary posts — in Bor, Kstovo, Bogorodsk, and at the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin — with four more planned before the end of the year, in Dzerzhinsk, Balakhna, Vyksa, and the Verkhniye Pechyory microdistrict [16].
It will make it possible to respond promptly, collect samples in a timely manner, carry out their analysis, identify violators, and resolve problems
Field visits and targeted assistance
A deputy elected from a party list is not tied to a single constituency, and Kabeshev's trips are spread across the entire Region. In March 2022, he traveled to Sarov together with Oleg Kiritsa: the deputies met with the city's leadership, inspected a children's park and a children's clinic under construction, held a public reception, and visited a boarding school and the Tyoply Dom children's rehabilitation center, to which they presented a voucher for 50,000 rubles [15]. In April of the same year he took part in an away session of the social affairs committee in Arzamassky District, where the deputies inspected a school in Vyezdnoye and the Abramovo hospital, and in December 2021 he traveled to Koverninsky District [15][29][3].
In October 2022 he came to Lyskovo and, at a meeting with local residents, tackled all at once the topics of mobilization, utility tariffs, waste removal, drinking water quality, and environmental issues. The most acute subject turned out to be bus services: the local motor transport enterprise had been shut down, the route network and fleet had been sharply reduced, and private carriers had not remedied the situation. The second problem was the sewage treatment facilities: despite modernization under the federal Volga river rehabilitation program, residents suffered from odors in summer and fish kills occurred in the Sunzhik River [14].
Part of his work involves direct, targeted assistance. In 2020, recirculating air purifiers were purchased with the deputy's funds for six kindergartens in Nizhny Novgorod; the Arzamas children's home received a monetary voucher for their purchase; and seven schools — in Nizhny Novgorod, Vachsky District, Gorodets, Ilyinogorsk, Kovernino, Sergach, and Shakhunyа — received sports equipment for the GTO fitness standards tests. That same year, on January 29, he honored the workers who had responded to the 1970 accident at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant — its fiftieth anniversary was marked in Sormovsky District — met with parents who were opposing the closure of the surgical wing of Children's Hospital No. 40, and congratulated 25 mothers from large families [12].
In December 2025, Kabeshev once again took part in the Yolka Zhelaniy ("Wishing Tree") charity event: he took from the tree a bauble belonging to eleven-year-old Anna from Voskresensky District, who had long been drawn to musical instruments and, after attending a concert, had developed a wish to learn to play the guitar [17].
Lyskovo is a unique, distinctive corner of Nizhny Novgorod Region where deep historical traditions intertwine, industrial production is experiencing a revival, and all the conditions exist for creating a comfortable environment for work and life. But to achieve that, much dedicated work still lies ahead
We help those children who are most in need of support. The young participants in the campaign look forward to these gifts very much. When you visit them and see their happy faces, it is always a great joy
Party and elections
Outside parliament, Kabeshev's life is bound up with the party: he serves as secretary of the committee of the Nizhny Novgorod regional branch of the CPRF, and in the 2026 elections he stood second on the party list — directly behind the branch's first secretary, State Duma deputy Vladislav Yegorov [4][24].
He has run for the State Duma twice. In 2021 he stood for the CPRF in single-member constituency No. 133 (Borsky), where his competitors included the incumbent deputy Artyom Kavinov of United Russia, Liberal Democrat Dmitry Chugrin, and Just Russia candidate Igor Chkalov, great-grandson of the aviator [7]. Kavinov won; across the region United Russia received 49.95% of the vote and the CPRF 19.21%, with a turnout of 48.48%, and the ruling party's candidates won all five Nizhny Novgorod constituencies [8].
In June 2026 the CPRF congress nominated Kabeshev for the State Duma of the ninth convocation by two routes simultaneously: on the combined territorial group of the party list — covering Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Republic of Mordovia and headed by Yegorov — and in a single-member constituency [5]. In August 2026 he was registered in constituency No. 135, comprising the Sormovo District of Nizhny Novgorod, Bor, Chkalovsk, Shakhunya, Gorodetsky and Semyonovsky Districts; seven candidates in total contested the constituency, among them Vladislav Atmakhov of the LDPR and the same Artyom Kavinov. Kabeshev's declared income for 2025, as shown in his candidate disclosure documents, was 5.18 million rubles [6].
At the same time, he was also running in the regional parliament elections. The XXVIII Conference of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, held on 4 July 2026, approved the region-wide portion of the list for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the VIII convocation: the list was headed by Yegorov, with Kabeshev in second place, followed by Lyudmila Burkova, Aleksandr Chernigin, and Oleg Kiritsa. The branch fielded candidates in all 25 single-member constituencies and in all 25 territorial groups [4][24]. Voting in Nizhny Novgorod Region on both ballots took place over three days, 18–20 September 2026 [25].
| Year | Campaign | How it went |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Legislative Assembly, 5th convocation | Elected from single-member constituency No. 16 [3] |
| 2016 | Legislative Assembly, 6th convocation | Elected, served in the 6th convocation [11] |
| 2021 | Legislative Assembly, 7th convocation | Elected on the KPRF region-wide list, led the faction [1][2] |
| 2021 | State Duma, 8th convocation | KPRF candidate in Borsky constituency No. 133; lost to Artyom Kavinov (United Russia) [7][8] |
| 2026 | State Duma, 9th convocation | Nominated in the territorial group "Nizhny Novgorod Region — Mordovia" and in constituency No. 135 (Sormovsky District, Bor, Chkalovsk, Shakhunya, Gorodetsky and Semyonovsky constituencies) [5][6] |
| 2026 | Legislative Assembly, 8th convocation | Second on the region-wide section of the KPRF list [4][24] |
Sources
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Kabeshev Roman Vladimirovich — deputy of the Legislative Assembly (archive)
- Nizhniy Seychas — Influence rating of deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region
- web.archive.org — Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) — Snapshot of the page zsno.ru/deputy/143/ from March 28, 2023 (archive)
- Vremya N — The Communist Party of the Russian Federation has nominated candidates for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)
- V Gorode N — The Nizhny Novgorod branch of the CPRF has nominated candidates for the State Duma of the 9th convocation (archive)
- Nizhniy Seychas — 40 Nizhny Novgorod candidates are running for the State Duma (archive)
- Kommersant (Volga Region) — Candidates being registered en masse (archive)
- Nizhniy Seychas — United Russia in Nizhny Novgorod Region received 49.95% in the State Duma elections (archive)
- MK — Nizhny Novgorod — MK in Nizhny Novgorod — CPRF: 500 million rubles must be allocated for the construction of an oncology center in Nizhny (archive)
- Govorit Nizhniy — Novgorod — The Housing and Utilities Committee rejected a bill by the Nizhny Novgorod CPRF to ban alcohol shops in residential buildings (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Vladimir Soldatenkov and Roman Kabeshev awarded the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region's honorary badge "For Merit" (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Report on the work of Roman Vladimirovich Kabeshev, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region, for 2020 (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Report on the work of deputy Kabeshev R. V. for the period from January 1 to August 1, 2016 (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Roman Kabeshev: "Lyskovo is one of the most beautiful and dynamically developing districts of Nizhny Novgorod Region, but there are plenty of problems here too!" (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — On March 17, 2022, Oleg Kirits and deputies of the CPRF faction visited the city of Sarov (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — A unique ecological environmental monitoring laboratory has been established in Nizhny Novgorod Region
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Nikolay Upirvitsky, Rustam Dosaev, and Roman Kabeshev joined the New Year charity campaign "Yolka Zhelaniy" (Wishing Tree)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Personnel decide everything! (archive)
- Nizhniy Seychas — Roman Kabeshev: "The CPRF's social initiatives in the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region were deemed untimely"
- Nizhniy Seychas — CPRF deputy Kabeshev on the fate of the initiative to pay children of the war on Victory Day (archive)
- Nizhniy Seychas — Nizhny Novgorod Communists demand the removal of alcohol shops from apartment buildings (archive)
- Nizhniy Seychas — Fifty shades of not-so-white. What the 7th convocation of the Regional Legislative Assembly deputies will be remembered for
- Nizhniy Seychas — Rating of political influence and media activity of Nizhny Novgorod figures in August 2026
- Nizhniy Seychas — The Nizhny Novgorod Regional Organization of the CPRF has submitted documents for the nomination of candidates to the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region
- Nizhniy Seychas — 41.69% of Nizhny Novgorod residents had voted by 20:00 on September 19
- Nizhniy Seychas — Nizhny Novgorod Communists propose tripling the standard electricity consumption allowance (archive)
- Nizhniy Seychas — The CPRF is steering the AUSN initiative toward the finish line
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region assessed the condition of the Shuvalovo industrial zone territory following recultivation
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Implementation of the primary healthcare modernization program and issues of attracting young professionals to the social sector were discussed in Arzamas
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Composition of the Council of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)