Vasily Ivanovich Sukhanov (born October 29, 1966, Gorky) is a deputy of the Regional Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, VII convocation (2021-2026), a member of the United Russia faction, and chairman of the committee on urban development, property and land relations [1]. He came from the river fleet and 1990s business, and spent many years working in the apparatuses of regional, city and district authorities. He is one of the most influential regional parliamentarians: in the 2026 ZSNO deputy influence rating by the news agency "Nizhny Seychas" he shared second place, entering the "strong influence" group [2].

Biography

He was born on October 29, 1966, in Gorky. In 1991 he graduated from the Gorky Institute of Water Transport Engineers with a degree in "engineer for water transport operation"; from 1990 to 1992 he worked at the Volga United River Shipping Company [1].

In the 1990s he moved into business: he headed the trade and industrial company "Helikon" (1992-1994), the construction company "Novy Vek" (New Century, 1994-1998) and the enterprise "Energo-Syryevye Resursy" (Energy Raw Materials Resources, 1998-2000), from 2000 to 2003 he was chairman of the board of OJSC "Metalloptorg", after which he took the post of deputy minister of industry and innovation of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast [5].

From 2005 to 2009 he headed the department for ensuring the activities of the vice-governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, from 2009 to 2011 he was an assistant to the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District, and from 2011 to 2016 he headed the department for ensuring the activities of the head of Nizhny Novgorod. He was awarded the medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", II degree (2016) [1].

Outside parliament

After his entrepreneurial career of the 1990s to early 2000s, he has worked mainly in state and elected positions. According to his 2021 income declaration, Sukhanov's income amounted to 17.6 million rubles; his declared property includes real estate with a total area of 6,243 square meters and four cars [6].

In the Legislative Assembly

He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2016 (VI convocation), where he held the post of deputy chairman of the committee on entrepreneurship and tourism development. In 2021 he was re-elected from single-mandate district No. 4, covering the Moskovsky district and parts of the Kanavinsky and Sormovsky districts of Nizhny Novgorod [1].

As chairman of the committee on urban development, he oversees the region's construction agenda: he promotes the mechanism of integrated territorial development (KRT) — under KRT, land has been allocated in the Nizhny Novgorod agglomeration on which more than a million square meters of housing are planned to be built [3]. In June 2026 he proposed relocating officials from the Nizhny Novgorod kremlin to the trans-river part of the city — to Moskovskoye Shosse, to Burnakovskaya station, or to the Sormovsky turn [7].

In the 2026 ZSNO deputy influence rating by "Nizhny Seychas", with 310 points he shared second place with Igor Tyurin and Alexander Sharonov, entering the top 10 of the "strong influence" group; experts classified them as "political old-timers," each of whom "is a barometer by which almost the entire Legislative Assembly checks its bearings" [2].

Public statements

He is known for sharp conservative statements: he has repeatedly called for the return of the death penalty, and called the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics a "sabbath". He regularly travels to the zone of the military operation in Ukraine on humanitarian missions and reports on these trips in the media [4].

Sources

  1. Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast — Sukhanov Vasily Ivanovich — deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (archive)
  2. Nizhny Seychas — ZSNO deputy influence rating
  3. nta-pfo.ru — NTA-Privolzhye — Vasily Sukhanov: "The KRT mechanism will make it possible to fulfill the tasks set by the President" (archive)
  4. V Gorode N — Vasily Sukhanov (archive)
  5. FedPress — Sukhanov Vasily Ivanovich (archive)
  6. declarator.org — Declarator — Sukhanov Vasily Ivanovich — official declaration
  7. V Gorode N — Sukhanov proposed that officials move from the kremlin to the trans-river part of the city (archive)