Yakimov Yuri Minovich

Yuri Minovich Yakimov (born April 7, 1953, in the City of Gorky, now Nizhny Novgorod) is a Nizhny Novgorod politician and executive administrator, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region representing Sarov, and a member of the United Russia faction; his primary position is Deputy Director for Human Resources at RFNC-VNIIEF, and he holds the rank of retired colonel ^[1][4]. His entire biography of the past thirty-plus years is tied to Sarov: he has worked in the closed city since 1992 — first as Deputy Director of the nuclear center for security, and from 2011 as Deputy Director for Human Resources — and since 2016 he has represented Sarov in the regional parliament ^[1]. Yakimov holds his deputy office hours in Sarov at 4 Lenin Avenue, as well as in the Diveevskiy District and in Pervomaysk ^[1]. Following the elections of September 18–20, 2026, he was elected a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the 8th convocation from single-member constituency No. 16, which encompasses Sarov and the Diveevskiy District ^[8][11].

In brief

• Full name — Yakimov Yuri Minovich; born on 7 April 1953 in the City of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) ^[1][4].
• Education — Gorky Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky (1976), major in physics and astronomy, qualification of physics and astronomy teacher ^[1].
• 1978–1992 — service in state security agencies in operational work; retired colonel ^[1].
• From 1992 in Sarov, at the RFNC-VNIIEF: Deputy Director for Security — Head of the Security Service, and from 2011 Deputy Director for Human Resources Management ^[1][4].
• Co-chair of the joint commission for the conclusion and oversight of the nuclear center's collective agreement on the employer's side ^[13][17].
• Deputy of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Legislative Assembly of the 6th (2016–2021), 7th (2021–2026), and 8th (from 2026) convocations; serves on the committees on budget and taxes, on economics and industry, and on social affairs ^[1][4][11].

Biography

Yuri Minovich Yakimov was born on April 7, 1953, in the City of Gorky — the name Nizhny Novgorod ^[1][4] bore from 1932 to 1990. In 1976 he graduated from the Gorky Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gorky with a specialization in physics and astronomy, qualifying as a teacher of physics and astronomy ^[1]. On the Izbiratel–Deputat portal, the same educational record appears as the Gorky State Pedagogical University, 1976, level — "higher education — specialist degree, magistracy"; in the personal details section of the same profile, 1976 is listed as the year Yakimov entered active military service ^[4].

Immediately after graduating, in 1976, Yakimov enlisted in the Soviet Army, and in 1977 worked as a teacher of physics and astronomy at Secondary School No. 6 in the city of Vyksa ^[1]. His time in teaching proved brief: in 1978 he was taken on as an active-duty officer in the state security agencies, where he served in operational work until 1992 ^[1][4]. He left the service as a retired colonel ^[1].

His service was recognized with departmental awards of the period: KGB USSR medals "For Irreproachable Service" 3rd class (1987) and 2nd class (1992), and the decorations "For Service in Counterintelligence" 3rd class (2001) and "Honorary Counterintelligence Officer" (2003) ^[1].

In 1992 Yakimov moved to the closed city of Sarov, joining the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics as Deputy Director for Security and Head of the Security Service. In 2011 he took charge of personnel matters at the nuclear center and became Deputy Director for Human Resources; in July 2016 his title was recorded as "Deputy Director for Human Resources — Head of the Human Resources Management Service" ^[1][4][6].

Personnel management at the Sarov nuclear center

RFNC-VNIIEF is the largest enterprise in Sarov and one of the largest in Rosatom State Corporation: in 2022, Yakimov cited a headcount of 23,076 employees, of whom more than 13,000 were men, and 10,172 non-working pensioners ^[15]. As Deputy Director for Human Resources, he reports annually to the workers' conference on how the employer's side has fulfilled the collective agreement — a document that the nuclear center itself calls its "constitution" ^[17].

The HR department also handles the recruitment of young specialists, a topic Yakimov returns to in every report. According to his figures, over the six years covered by the 2016 agreement, 1,649 young specialists from 48 universities across 86 fields joined the nuclear center, and expenditure on social programs and the upkeep of social infrastructure totaled 8.7 billion rubles from 2016 to 2022 ^[16]. A recurring subject of his presentations is occupational safety: over those same six years, the nuclear center recorded 21 workplace accidents, plus another 16 at contractor organizations; a serious incident in 2020 reduced the facility's key performance indicator score from 116 to 111 percent, dragging down employees' annual bonuses along with it ^[16].

In 2024, according to his report, the average salary at the nuclear center stood at 120,000 rubles, up 10% on the previous year; labor productivity rose by 15%; 1.3 billion rubles were directed toward supplementary pay for hazardous conditions, shift work, overtime, and job combination; and 123 million rubles of company profit went toward voluntary medical insurance ^[14]. Yakimov also reported at that time that over three years the nuclear center's employees had raised nearly 33 million rubles and sent 61.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to participants in the special military operation ^[14].

In February 2026, Yakimov took part in an expanded meeting of the youth activists of the nuclear center's trade union organization. There he backed the idea of tracking the careers of former youth union leaders, reminded attendees that trade union membership rates reflect support for the social benefits package, and invited young workers to participate in municipal and regional projects — citing as an example a nuclear center worker who found like-minded people on his own initiative and secured funding for a sports ground near the dormitory on Lenin Avenue ^[23]. At the same event he presented a letter of appreciation to the chair of the trade union committee's youth affairs commission ^[23].

The results of the 2025 collective agreement were reviewed at the reporting conference of the primary trade union organization on 23 June 2026 at the VNIIEF Culture and Leisure Center. Yakimov reported on the employer's fulfillment of obligations: the KPI scorecard reached 111.25%, compared with 102% in 2024, and the average employee income stood at 139,100 rubles. The workers' side was represented by Anton Ulyanov, chair of the RFNC-VNIIEF trade union committee, who also chaired the conference ^[13].

We traditionally take on 220–230 young specialists; in 2021, that was 224 young specialists from 29 universities across 59 fields of study. Their average grade point is 4.62 ^[15]

The employer's obligations under the collective agreement for 2025 have been fulfilled in full ^[13]

I am always glad to have such meetings: new ideas are voiced here, you can feel the pulse of the times and a genuine concern for the fate of our home enterprise and city ^[23]

Deputy from Sarov: elections and convocations

Yakimov entered the regional parliament in 2016. The United Russia primary in District No. 15 was held on June 2, 2016: he received 163 delegate votes and came first in the district ^[5]. In early July 2016, the party approved its lists of candidates for the September 18 elections, with Yakimov listed for single-member district No. 15 ^[6]. Based on the election results, he became one of 26 newly elected deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the sixth convocation — representing district No. 15, which was then called Pervomaysky and encompassed Sarov, Pervomaysk, and ^{Diveevsky District [7]}.

In 2021, Yakimov was elected to a second term as a deputy of the seventh convocation, in the same district ^[1]. He serves on three committees — on budget and taxation, on economics, industry, business support, trade, and tourism, and on social affairs ^[1][4]. According to his own account, over five years of the seventh convocation he participated in 340 committee sessions, 141 of them in person ^[2].

For the 2026 campaign, the district boundaries were redrawn: in December 2025, *AiF — Nizhny Novgorod* reported that Pervomaysk had been removed from District No. 15 (renumbered No. 16 under the new scheme), leaving Sarov and the Diveevskiy District ^[8]. In the United Russia preliminary vote held 25–31 May 2026, Yakimov won District No. 16 with 6,534 votes ^[9]. Elections to the Legislative Assembly of the 8th convocation were held on 18–20 September 2026 ^[10].

Work in the Legislative Assembly

Among the bills that Yakimov identifies as personal priorities, the one most directly rooted in Sarov is an address from the Legislative Assembly to the Chairman of the Government of Russia "on the need to carry out measures to ensure fire safety and counterterrorism protection of nuclear-hazardous facilities located on the territory of the closed city of Sarov" ^[2][3]. Others include a regional law restricting the sale of non-alcoholic energy drinks and a law prohibiting the sale of liquefied hydrocarbon gas products to minors ^[3].

Also directly relevant to the defense city are amendments to the regional law on land relations, which came into force on January 30, 2025: they allow the status of a large-scale investment project to be assigned to the construction of rental housing whose apartments are let to employees of defense-industry enterprises and workers at state and municipal institutions ^[2].

In 2022, on Yakimov's initiative, an away session of the Committee on Economy and Industry was held in Sarov itself, where participants discussed the National Center for Physics and Mathematics and the "Greater Sarov" project ^[2]. In September 2025, he was included among the deputy-mentors of the educational program "Heroes. Nizhny Novgorod Region," which trains managers from veterans of the special military operation; he continues to serve as his ward's mentor in the parliament led by Evgeniy Lyulin ^[2][29].

Reporting to the youth of Sarov in 2023, Yakimov cited statistics for the party faction: of the 50 deputies in the Legislative Assembly, 40 represented United Russia; in 2022, 17 faction sessions were held and more than 60 legislative initiatives were considered ^[24].

As a deputy and representative of the United Russia party, I can note that our party does a great deal, but often does not talk about what it does. And yet, the work being carried out is substantial ^[24]

Work in the constituency: Sarov, Diveevo, Pervomaysk

The deputy's public reception office operates in Sarov at 4 Lenin Avenue; in addition, reception sessions are held in the selo of Diveevo on Oktyabrskaya Street and in Pervomaysk on Ulyanova Square ^[1]. According to the convocation report, over five years Yakimov held 70 personal reception sessions — 46 at the deputy's reception office and 24 at the United Russia reception office — received 160 written applications and heard 36 people in person; in total, during the 7th convocation, 217 applications and appeals were submitted to the deputy, resulting in 562 letters sent to various authorities ^[2]. The most common issues raised concerned housing and utilities, urban improvement and road repairs, social welfare, and requests for financial assistance; over five years such assistance was provided to 98 people totaling 3.3 million rubles ^[2]. In 2025 alone, 18 reception sessions were held and 35 appeals were received ^[3].

Yakimov supports institutions in the constituency through the regional Fund for Territorial Support. The funds went toward equipping a sanitary room at Sarov's Center for Social Assistance to Families and Children, purchasing an accordion for the Sarov Drama Theatre, a television set for the central city library named after A. S. Pushkin, repairing a monument to fallen soldiers in the village of Komkino near Pervomaysk, and replacing the fire alarm system at the Ivanovskaya school in Diveevsky District ^[2].

A recurring feature of his work is school olympiads: an annual physics tournament in Diveevo and a mathematics tournament in Pervomaysk, in which more than 500 schoolchildren in grades 7–11 from Sarov, Diveevsky, Arzamassky and Voznesenskiy Districts, Pervomaysk, and several districts of Mordva participate ^[2]. The fifth such physics tournament was held in Diveevo in March 2021: it was organized by SarFTI and RFNC-VNIIEF under Yakimov's patronage, and 135,000 rubles from the deputy's fund were allocated as prizes for the winners ^[25].

Since 2022, Yakimov has served as coordinator of charitable drives collecting humanitarian aid for military unit 3274 and residents of the territories where the special military operation is under way: over the convocation, 20 drives were held, gathering more than 125 tonnes of cargo valued at approximately 46 million rubles ^[2]. Every year he takes part in the Regional Legislative Assembly's "Wish Tree" campaign — in January 2025 he gave an eight-year-old boy from Sarov a professional synthesizer ^[29].

On Youth Day 2026 he presented a bicycle to Masha Gavrilova, an athlete at the Ikar sports school, for whom Sarov residents had raised funds during the charitable marathon "The City — A Unity of Differences"; the marathon has for twenty years been supporting young people with disabilities and special needs ^[26].

The ZATO Regime and the Development of Sarov

Sarov is a closed administrative-territorial formation (ZATO), and the question of the city perimeter's future is one of the most important issues for its residents. In July 2021, at a party meeting in Sarov, Yakimov stated that the position of both the city and the nuclear center was unequivocal: the ZATO regime would not change in the coming decades ^[19]. At the same meeting he listed the facilities for which regional and federal funding had been secured over the previous five years: Zernov Park and a ski base, School No. 11 and the Satis Embankment, the children's technopark "Kvantorium," and the Sarov–Kremenki road ^[19].

In August 2021, Yakimov led a public discussion of the draft Memorandum 3.0 — a tripartite agreement between the city administration, the city duma, and the nuclear center on the development of Sarov over five years ^[18]. A separate clause in the draft was devoted to "Greater Sarov" — the annexation to the city of part of Diveevskiy District and the so-called northern territories needed for scientific growth: on 1 September of that year, the eighth branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University opened at the Sarov technopark ^[18].

At the end of May 2023, at a session of the Sarov city duma, Yakimov spoke about the need to amend the law on ZATOs and called for working toward the city's well-being ^[20]. The law itself had been passed in 1992, and at a meeting with a delegation of State Duma deputies in Sarov on 26 May 2023, among the proposals raised were the preservation of the principles governing the formation of the revenue side of closed cities' budgets and the annual indexation of subsidies from the federal budget ^[2].

School No. 11, which Yakimov had cited among the facilities brought to the city, was built under his constant attention: in May 2023 he inspected both sites — the major renovation of the old building on Pavlik Morozov Street and the new building on Richard Sorge Street ^[21], and in August 2024 he checked the readiness of the school, the Education Center on Kuybyshev Street, and the new Center for Cultural Development for the start of the academic year ^[22].

In 2023, Yakimov organized an exhibition at the Legislative Assembly in Nizhny Novgorod entitled "Sarov. A History of Two Centuries," featuring works by members of the Union of Artists of Russia painted at plein-air sessions in Sarov — so that ^[2] Nizhny Novgorod residents could acquaint themselves with the closed city, its monastery, and its institutions.

This is already the third Memorandum; it outlines the main directions for the development of the city and the enterprise ^[18]

Without fundamental science, breakthrough technologies in the defense industry are impossible. Therefore, the task now is to create a Scientific Center for Physics and Mathematics, and on its basis to build a C-Tau factory, which will allow us to advance fundamental science ^[18]

The 2026 Elections

On March 23, 2026, the publication Govorit Sarov reported on Yakimov's participation in the regional forum of the Nizhny Novgorod branch of United Russia, "There Are Results," where he quoted the words of the head of State Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev and presented the vision of Sarov residents for the party's popular program through 2031 ^[27]. In his report he listed what he proposed to include in the program: a continuous personnel training pipeline from kindergarten to enterprise, the creation of modern campuses for university branches in nuclear cities, improvement of streets and courtyards, and strengthening of social protections ^[2].

Voting lasted three days, September 18–20, 2026 ^[10]. In Sarov, more than 36,000 residents came to the polling stations; according to data from the Nizhny Novgorod Region electoral commission cited by the city administration, Yakimov received 59.7% of the votes, with the second-place result going to CPRF representative Sergei Tuchin ^[12].

On September 21, 2026, the regional electoral commission certified the results: candidates from United Russia won in all 25 single-member constituencies, with Yuri Yakimov winning in constituency No. 16 ^[11][30]. In the regional constituency, the party received 52.97%, and voter turnout in the Legislative Assembly elections was 60.82% ^[11][30]. Thus Yakimov secured his third consecutive term as a deputy.

As the Director General of the State Corporation, Alexey Yevgenyevich Likhachev, put it, our task is to make sure that our "atomic page" appears in the party's people's programme ^[27]

Assessments

In the influence and effectiveness ranking of deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the VII convocation, published by the news agency "Nizhny Seychas" on 20 August 2026, Yakimov placed 34th with an overall score of 51 points (influence — 21, name recognition — 20, media activity — 10), sharing the position with Alexey Frolov (Just Russia) and falling into the "Outsiders. Weak Influence" group ^[28]. The deputy himself cites a different measure of visibility in his report: over two thousand publications related to his parliamentary work appeared in the media during 2025 ^[2].

46 deputies made it to the end of the ZSNO convocation ^[28]

Awards

The list of Yakimov's awards maintained by the Legislative Assembly covers state, departmental, regional, and ecclesiastical honours; industry awards from the nuclear sector predominate ^[1]. Among the Rosatom State Corporation awards are the E. P. Slavsky Distinguished Service Badge (2007), the "Veteran of Nuclear Power and Industry" badge (2008), the "For Services to the Nuclear Industry" Class I breast badge (2013), and the "For Contribution to the Development of the Nuclear Industry" Class I Distinguished Service Badge (2018) ^[1]. From the Russian Nuclear Power and Industry Workers' Trade Union he has been recognised with the "For Active Trade Union Work" badge (2006) and the "For Cooperation and Social Partnership" Class II and Class I badges (2013 and 2018) ^[1].

Regional honours include an honorary diploma (2013) and an honorary certificate from the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region (2015), and an honorary certificate of Nizhny Novgorod Region (2018); ecclesiastical honours include letters of gratitude from Patriarch Alexy II (2003, 2004, 2006) and the Class III medal of the Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Diocese of the holy right-believing Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich (2012) ^[1].

See also

• Sarov — the closed city that Yakimov represents in the regional parliament
• Russian Federal Nuclear Center — All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics — his primary place of employment since 1992
• Kostyukov Valentin Yefimovich — director of the nuclear center, with whom he reviewed collective bargaining agreements
• Regional Legislative Assembly — the regional parliament located in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
• Elections of deputies to the State Duma of the 9th convocation and the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region of the 8th convocation (2026) — the campaign in which he was elected for the third time
• Serafim Sarovsky — the saint whose name connects Sarov and Diveevo

Sources

1. Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Yakimov Yuriy Minovich
2. Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Report of Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region Yakimov Yuriy Minovich, reporting period 2021–2026 (committee work, constituent appointments, Fund for Support…
3. Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Report of Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region Yakimov Yuriy Minovich for 2025
4. ideputat.er.ru — Voter — Deputy
5. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — RFNC-VNIIEF employee Yuriy Yakimov leads the United Russia party primary vote for the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region in the Sarov urban district, 02.06.2016
6. Vremya N — United Russia has approved lists of candidates for elections to the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region, 05.07.2016 (district no. 15 — Yuriy Yakimov)
7. Vremya N — 26 new deputies joined the 6th-convocation Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region: district no. 15 (Pervomayskiy) — Yakimov Yuriy Minovich, Deputy Director of RFNC-VNIIEF for Human Resources
8. nn.aif.ru — AiF — Nizhny Novgorod — The Electoral Commission has revised the district boundaries in Nizhny Novgorod Region ahead of the 2026 elections, 15.12.2025 (district no. 15 became no. 16: Sarov and the Diveevskiy district, without Pervomaysk)
9. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Nizhny Novgorod Region has tallied the results of United Russia's preliminary vote, 01.06.2026 (district no. 16 — Yuriy Yakimov, 6,534 votes)
10. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — United Russia has nominated candidates for deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region, 02.07.2026 (elections 18–20 September 2026)
11. Vremya N — The Electoral Commission of Nizhny Novgorod Region has certified the election results, 21.09.2026 (single-member district no. 16
12. sarov.rf — Govorit Sarov — Sarov has tallied the election results, 22.09.2026 (more than 36,000 voters, Yuriy Yakimov — 59.7% of votes, second place went to Sergey Tuchin)
13. atomic-energy.ru — Atomnaya Energiya 2.0 — RFNC-VNIIEF held the reporting conference of the primary trade union organization, 07.07.2026 (conference on 23 June, employer's report for 2025)
14. atomic-energy.ru — Atomnaya Energiya 2.0
15. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — The RFNC-VNIIEF trade union conference was held in Sarov, 23 June 2022 (Yuriy Yakimov's report on the collective agreement outcomes for 2021)
16. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov
17. vniief.ru — RFNC-VNIIEF — RFNC-VNIIEF collective agreement conference, 26 May 2016 (collective agreement results for 2015, report by Yuriy Yakimov, social expenditures 1,123.8 million rubles)
18. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov
19. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — Major changes are ahead for Sarov. On the agenda
20. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — Sarov deputies discussed the city head's report at a Duma session, 01.06.2023 (Yakimov's address on the law on closed administrative-territorial formations)
21. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — Deputy Yuriy Yakimov inspected the progress of construction works at School no. 11, 19 May 2023
22. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — Yuriy Yakimov: "May the students' interest in learning and creativity never fade," 9 April 2024 (inspection of School no. 11, the Education Center, and the Cultural Development Center)
23. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — Legislative Assembly Deputy Yuriy Yakimov took part in a meeting of the VNIIEF youth trade union activists, 21 February 2026
24. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — Legislative Assembly Deputy Yuriy Yakimov met with young people, 4 July 2023 (report on work in district no. 15 for 2022, United Russia faction statistics)
25. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov
26. ngsarov.ru — Novy Gorod Sarov — Legislative Assembly Deputy Yuriy Yakimov presented a gift to a child with disabilities, 04.07.2026 (a bicycle for Masha Gavrilova on Youth Day)
27. sarov.rf — Govorit Sarov
28. Nizhniy seychas — Influence and effectiveness rating of deputies of the 7th-convocation Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region
29. Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region — Evgeniy Lyulin: "We are all interested in having our heroes become the new generation of managers…," 11 September 2025 (mentors of the "Heroes. Nizhny Novgorod Region" program, among them…
30. Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — Results of the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region, 22.09.2026 (United Russia — 52.97% in the regional constituency, winners in all 25 single-member districts)