Lebedev Yuri Isakovich (born June 30, 1951, Vetluga) — a Nizhny Novgorod politician and businessman, head of Nizhny Novgorod from 1998 to 2002; in 1997 he served as acting Governor of the Region [1][2]. Since 2016 he has been a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region of the 6th and 7th convocations, representing single-member constituency No. 5 (part of the Sormovo District of Nizhny Novgorod), and a member of the United Russia faction [1][3]. He is the General Director and sole founder of OOO "Istoriya-NN" (formerly known as "Reka Chayek"), whose primary line of business is hospitality [1][4][5].
Background and Education
He was born on June 30, 1951, in the city of Vetluga in Gorky Region. His father, Isak Lukich, worked for the district consumer cooperative union; his mother, Venera Mikhaylovna, was a primary school teacher [1]. He finished school in Semyonov, and in 1969 came to Gorky to study [6].
According to Imena52, he graduated from the history faculty of the Gorky State Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky and worked as a history teacher [2]. The Legislative Assembly's official biography lists the Gorky Higher Party School (1985) and Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University (2000) [1]. From 1972 to 1974 he served in the Soviet Army [1].
Vetluga and Shakhunya
He began his career in his home district, Vetluzhsky District: from 1974 to 1975 he served as secretary of the Komsomol committee of the Vetluga Forestry Technical School. From 1975 to 1977 he headed the Shakhunya branch of the Gorky Regional Cinema Network [1]. After the army, by his own account, he spent nineteen years in Shakhunya [6]. From 1977 to 1981 he was first secretary of the Shakhunya District Komsomol Committee, and from 1981 to 1990 he was director of a vocational school in Shakhunya. Sources give different numbers for the school: according to the Legislative Assembly it was SSPTU No. 9 [1], while Imena52 records it as PTU No. 99 [2].
From 1990 to 1991 he was first secretary of the Shakhunya District Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; in 1991 he served as chairman of the District Council of People's Deputies; and from 1991 to 1994 he was head of the administration of Shakhunskiy District [1]. Imena52 also mentions the position of chairman of the district executive committee and dates his leadership of the district to 1991–1995 [2]. His ties to the district did not fade: in a 2022 letter of appreciation published on the deputy's page, residents of Shakhunya wrote that their former district head "still comes" to visit them and meets with the district leadership and local residents [1].
Deputy Governor and City Head
In 1994, Governor Boris Nemtsov invited him to join the regional administration [1][6]. That same year, Lebedev became Deputy Governor, and from 1994 to 1997 served as First Deputy Governor [1]. The "Imena52" source dates his appointment as Deputy Governor to August 1995 [2]. When Nemtsov left to join the Government of Russia, Lebedev served as acting Governor of the Region — from March 17 to July 13, 1997. From 1997 to 1998, he was the Presidential Envoy of the President of Russia to Nizhny Novgorod Region [1][2].
In 1998, Sergey Kirienko, appointed acting Prime Minister, invited him to head the government's executive office. A week later, at the White House, Lebedev declined and returned to Nizhny Novgorod [6]. From 1998 to 2002, he was Head of Local Self-Government of Nizhny Novgorod [1][2]. He himself says that the Nizhny Novgorod residents "at one point elected him Mayor" [6].
Among the main projects of his mayorship, Lebedev counts the Komediya Theatre, the sports complex in Meschera, and the Burevestnik metro station. In addition, private investors renovated the city's cinemas, and the city began construction of the Metro Bridge [6]. There was no money for the bridge. Lebedev recounts that he secured the verbal support of Vladimir Putin during the latter's visit to the city, and armed with that support traveled to petition the State Duma and the ministry for funds. He was not invited to the bridge's opening ceremony, but, in his own words, "the important thing is that this bridge exists and serves the residents of Nizhny Novgorod" [6]. He also believes that the 2001 Nizhny Novgorod experiment helped push through the adoption of the federal law on alternative civilian service [6].
Times were lean: workers at industrial enterprises went four or five months without pay. The mayor found solace in Shveytsariya Park: from the bank of the Oka he would gaze at the Zarechka side of the city, where factory smokestacks belched smoke [6].
A city or regional leader enters history only through great projects.
Career path
| Years | Position |
|---|---|
| 1972–1974 | Service in the Soviet Army [1] |
| 1974–1975 | Secretary of the Komsomol Committee of the Vetluga Forestry Technical College [1] |
| 1975–1977 | Director of the Shakhunskaya Film Distribution Directorate of the Gorky Regional Film Administration [1] |
| 1977–1981 | First Secretary of the Shakhunsky District Komsomol Committee [1] |
| 1981–1990 | Director of SSPTU No. 9 in Shakhunya (per Imena52 — PTU No. 99) [1][2] |
| 1990–1991 | First Secretary of the Shakhunsky District CPSU Committee [1] |
| 1991 | Chairman of the Shakhunsky District Council of People's Deputies [1] |
| 1991–1994 | Head of the Administration of Shakhunsky District (per Imena52 — 1991–1995) [1][2] |
| 1994 | Vice-Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region (per Imena52 — from August 1995) [1][2] |
| 1994–1997 | First Deputy Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region [1] |
| 17 March – 13 July 1997 | Acting Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region [1][2] |
| 1997–1998 | Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in Nizhny Novgorod Region [1] |
| 1998–2002 | Head of Local Self-Government of Nizhny Novgorod [1] |
| 2003 | Director of Development, LLC "Center for Independent Financial Research" [1] |
| 2003–2004 | Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Public Organization "Center for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms" [1] |
| 2004 | Director of Production — First Deputy General Director of JSC "GK 'Nizhegorodsky'" [1] |
| 2004–2011 | General Director of JSC "GK 'Nizhegorodsky'" [1] |
| 2012–2022 | General Director of LLC "Reka Chayek" [1] |
| from 2016 | Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region [1] |
| from 2022 | General Director of LLC "Istoriya-NN" [1] |
Business Activity
After leaving City Hall, he served in 2003 as Development Director of Tsentr Nezavisimykh Finansovykh Issledovaniy LLC (Centre for Independent Financial Research). In 2003–2004 he headed the Nizhny Novgorod Regional public organization "Centre for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms" [1]. The Imena52 portal attributes this work to the period 2002–2004 [2].
Since 2004 he has worked in the hotel industry. He began as Production Director — First Deputy Director General of JSC "Hotel Complex Nizhegorodsky," and from 2004 to 2011 served as Director General of that hotel complex [1][2]. From 2012 to 2022 he headed Reka Chayek LLC [1]; Imena52 identifies him as Director General of the Reka Chayek country hotel [2]. At the time of the 2016 election he was working there [3].
Reka Chayek LLC was registered on 18 January 2012. Its primary line of business is hotels and other temporary accommodation, with restaurants and catering as additional activities. The company's original registered address was near the village of Podlysye in Krasnobakovskiy District. It later changed its name to Istoriya-NN LLC and moved its registered address to Nizhny Novgorod. Lebedev is the sole founder and Director General. Revenue for 2025 totalled 105.2 million rubles [5]. The Reka Chayek country resort is located in the same village of Podlysye, on the bank of the Vetluga. It features the Russkaya Izba café (seating 55), the Akvarium summer café, and a Russian banya [7].
In its review of the seventh convocation's results, Nizhniy seychas lists Lebedev among the deputy-entrepreneurs, identifying him as Director General of Istoriya-NN LLC [8].
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly
In the 2016 elections, Lebedev won a seat in the sixth convocation of the Legislative Assembly from single-member constituency No. 5 (Sormovsky). All single-member constituencies were won that year by [3] United Russia candidates. In the elections of 17–19 September 2021, he was re-elected from the same constituency — part of the Sormovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod. According to electoral commission data announced by the Legislative Assembly, he received 16,971 votes [9][10]. According to AiF's count, this was his fourth election to the regional legislature [10].
Under the rules of procedure, the opening session of a new convocation — scheduled for 5 October 2021 — is chaired by the oldest deputy by age. That turned out to be the 70-year-old Lebedev [10]. He serves on the committees for budget and taxation, social affairs, and transport and road management [1]. In his 2022 report, he identified transport services for residents in connection with the transport reform, and social support, as particular priorities of his work [11].
Lebedev belongs to the United Russia faction but has allowed himself to diverge from its line. The Legislative Assembly submitted to the State Duma a bill imposing a complete ban on abortions in private clinics, but it failed to gain support there and was withdrawn. Lebedev called it "an ugly affair" and noted that the initiative had not found support among many women [8]. In the 2026 influence ranking of Regional Legislative Assembly deputies compiled by the news agency Nizhny Seychas, he placed 14th in the "moderate influence" group [4]. At the session of 27 August 2026, he suggested that his colleagues thank the region's residents for their trust — either by recording a message or by applauding; the deputies chose applause [12].
| Year | Convocation | Constituency | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | VI | No. 5 (Sormovsky) | Elected [3] |
| 2021 | VII | No. 5 (part of Sormovsky District) | Elected, 16,971 votes [9] |
Work in the constituency
The deputy's reception office operates on Yubileyny Boulevard [1]. In 2019, Lebedev participated in the unveiling of a monument to Dmitry Benardaki, founder of the Krasnoye Sormovo Plant. In December 2021, together with Mikhail Pershin, he organized a New Year's tree celebration for the children of Sormovo at the Krasnoye Sormovo Palace of Culture [1].
In 2024, from his deputy's fund he provided targeted assistance to 26 Nizhny Novgorod residents in difficult life circumstances. He helped fund repairs at one school, two kindergartens, two continuing-education institutions, and five hospitals. He organized an International Women's Day celebration for 456 women working in the social sector of Sormovo District, and a charitable New Year's party for 587 schoolchildren of Sormovo [13]. In 2025, 28 people received assistance, and repairs were carried out at three schools, a kindergarten, two continuing-education institutions, a museum, a theater, and three hospitals. A New Year's party for 815 Sormovo schoolchildren was held primarily for children of participants in the Special Military Operation, while children from large families in the settlement of Koposovo were greeted for the New Year and Christmas [14].
Titles and honors
- Active State Counselor of the Russian Federation, 3rd Class [1]
- Honored Worker of Public Education [1]
On the city
In a 2021 interview with Nizhegorodskaya Pravda, Lebedev recounted that at the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka he asked Jacques-Yves Cousteau what he had liked about the city, and received the answer: "The people." According to Lebedev, Oleg Tabakov called his homeland whatever could be seen from the Chkalov Monument: the river, the forests, "this vastness." During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Lebedev says, he "saw that Nizhny is a European city." What the city lacks, in his view, is direct air connections to Europe [6].
Family and current situation
He is married, with two children and two granddaughters [1]. He lives in Nizhny Novgorod [2] and has no intention of leaving: "My children, grandchildren, and work are all here" [6].
As of September 2026, he is a Deputy of the 7th convocation and General Director of OOO "Istoriya-NN" [1][4]. The term of a convocation ends when the new convocation holds its first session [10]; elections to the Legislative Assembly of the 8th convocation are scheduled for September 20, 2026 [12].
Sources
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — deputy's page (biography, district, committees, news, acknowledgements) — Lebedev Yuri Isakovich — deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)
- names52.ru — Imena52 — Nizhny Novgorod Biographical Encyclopedia — Lebedev Yuri Isakovich (archive)
- Vremya N — 2016 election results by single-member districts, 30 September 2016 — 26 new deputies joined the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region, 6th convocation. FULL LIST (archive)
- Nizhny Novgorod Now — influence rating of LANN deputies, 20 August 2026
- checko.ru — Unified State Register of Legal Entities data and reporting for LLC "Istoriya-NN" (TIN 5219383160, PSRN 1125228000017)
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — interview, 19 February 2021 — "My Nizhny": former Mayor of Nizhny Novgorod Yuri Lebedev (archive)
- rekachaek.ru — "Reka Chayek" Country Resort — official website — "Reka Chayek" Country Resort in Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)
- Nizhny Novgorod Now — results of the 7th convocation, 21 April 2026 — 50 shades of not quite white. What the 7th convocation of the Regional Legislative Assembly deputies will be remembered for
- nn.aif.ru — AiF — Nizhny Novgorod, 22 September 2021 — single-member district deputies and vote counts according to the electoral commission — Names of deputies of the new convocation of the Nizhny Novgorod Legislative Assembly revealed (archive)
- nn.aif.ru — AiF — Nizhny Novgorod, 27 September 2021 — First session of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region to be chaired by Yuri Lebedev (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — deputy's report for 2022 — Report of deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region Lebedev Yuri Isakovich for 2022
- Nizhny Novgorod Now — 27 August 2026 — LANN deputies decided against filming a video message of gratitude to residents (archive)
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — deputy's report for 2024 — Report of deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region Lebedev Yuri Isakovich for 2024
- Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — deputy's report for 2025 — Report of deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region Lebedev Yuri Isakovich for 2025