Yendovitskaya Elena (Elena Valentinovna Yendovitskaya) is a Russian judge who has served since April 2024 as Deputy Chairperson of the Bryansk Regional Court for Administrative Cases.[1][2] In 2026, she entered the competition for the position of Chairperson of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court: the Supreme Qualification Collegium of Judges of Russia (SQCJ) is scheduled to consider her nomination on 22 September 2026 in Moscow, with no other candidates for this post on the meeting's agenda.[3][4] The chairperson's seat in Nizhny Novgorod became vacant in February 2026, following the resignation of Vyacheslav Popravko and two judges of the regional court whose assets were subsequently forfeited to the state.[5][6]

Judicial Career

Yendovitskaya's judicial career began in Oryol Region. Before that, she had served in Krasnoyarsk Krai: in 2008 she was appointed magistrate judge of Court District No. 159 in the Taimyr Dolgano-Nenetsky District.[7] By presidential decree of 7 December 2015, No. 600, she was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Zavodsky District Court of the city of Oryol for a six-year term.[8] Five years later, by decree of 10 December 2020, No. 779, she was appointed Chairperson of the Novosilsky District Court of Oryol Region, also for six years.[9]

In the spring of 2022, Yendovitskaya applied to be recommended as a candidate for a judgeship on the First Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction — the vacancy was announced by Rossiyskaya Gazeta on 1 March 2022.[10] At a session held from 30 May to 2 June, the collegium recommended two candidates for judgeships on that court — Yendovitskaya and Olga Linkova.[11] The appointment decree was issued on 4 November 2022; unlike her previous appointments, it specifies no term of office.[12]

The First Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction sits in Saratov and reviews decisions of courts from a number of central and Volga regions — among them the Nizhny Novgorod Region, as well as the Bryansk and Oryol Regions, where Yendovitskaya had previously served.[13] In other words, she had been involved in Nizhny Novgorod cases long before the current competition.

In November 2023, the collegium recommended her for the position of Deputy President of the Bryansk Regional Court; by the same decision, Vyacheslav Chiginev was recommended for the position of Deputy President of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court.[14] Decree No. 274 of 19 April 2024 appointed both in a single line — Yendovitskaya to Bryansk, Chiginev to Nizhny Novgorod, each for a six-year term.[1]

Presidential Decree Appointments of Elena Yendovitskaya
Date and Decree NumberPositionTerm of Office
December 7, 2015, No. 600Deputy Chairman of the Zavodskoy District Court of the City of Oryolsix years[8]
December 10, 2020, No. 779Chairman of the Novosilsky District Court of Oryol Regionsix years[9]
November 4, 2022, No. 790Judge of the First Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction (Saratov)not specified in the decree[12]
April 19, 2024, No. 274Deputy Chairman of the Bryansk Regional Courtsix years[1]

Deputy Chairwoman of the Bryansk Regional Court, Yelena Valentinovna Yendovitskaya

— Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated April 19, 2024, No. 274, clause on appointment for a 6-year term of office[1]

At the Bryansk Regional Court

The Bryansk Regional Court occupies a building at 59 Krakhmalyova Street in Bryansk.[15] Yendovitskaya handles administrative cases there — disputes between citizens and organizations and government authorities: it is precisely in this sense, "for administrative cases," that her position of deputy chairwoman is described in publications about her nomination.[2][16][17]

On May 20, 2026, she participated in a session of the Qualification Board of Judges of the Bryansk Region as acting chairwoman of the regional court: the board recommended candidates for appointment to the magistrates' court districts of the Sevsky and Navlinsky Districts and to the Dubrovsky District Court, and conferred the next qualification class on three judges.[18]

Participating in the session of the Qualification Board of Judges of the Bryansk Region was the acting chairwoman of the regional court, Deputy Chairwoman Yelena Yendovitskaya

— Bryanskaya Guberniya, May 20, 2026[18]

Candidacy for the position of Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court

The HQJC announced the competition for the position of Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court through Rossiyskaya Gazeta on April 9, 2026 — issue No. 76.[3][19][4]

By September, Yendovitskaya's application had been included on the agenda of the next session of the collegium, scheduled for September 21–25, 2026. Her matter is set for Tuesday, September 22, at 10:30 — in the same block as candidates for the positions of chairmen of the Lipetsk and Omsk Regional Courts and the Arbitration Court of the Far Eastern District.[3] For the neighboring vacancies there are sometimes two candidates: for the position of chairman of the Kaliningrad Regional Court, two names appear on the same agenda.[3] For the Nizhny Novgorod position, there is only one application.[3][2][6][17]

As of the day of the hearing, Yendovitskaya remains Deputy Chairperson of the Bryansk Regional Court for Administrative Cases.[2][16] The collegium's recommendation is not yet an appointment: following it, the matter goes to the President, and only a presidential decree makes the candidate court chairperson, as was the case with all her previous positions.[1][12][9][8] The city chronicle noted the nomination with a separate entry: the HSQC included the candidacy on its agenda.[4]

Applications by Elena Yendovitskaya to the Supreme Qualification Board of Judges
SessionPosition applied forOutcome
May 30 – June 2, 2022Judge of the First Court of Cassation of General Jurisdictionrecommended along with O. V. Linkova[11][10]
November 20–24, 2023Deputy Chairman of the Bryansk Regional Courtrecommended[14]
September 22, 2026, 10:30Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Courthearing scheduled[3]

Application by Elena Valentinovna Yendovitskaya for recommendation as a candidate for the position of Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court

— Preliminary agenda of the forthcoming session of the Supreme Qualification Board of Judges, September 21–25, 2026[3]

How the vacancy arose in Nizhny Novgorod

Vyacheslav Popravko had headed the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court since December 2018.[19] On 9 February 2026, the Supreme Qualification Collegium of Judges (SQCJ), acting on instructions from Igor Krasnov, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Russia, declined to recommend judge Viktor Fomin for the position of Deputy Chairman of the Regional Court, and referred materials concerning him and another judge of the Regional Court, Vyacheslav Sapega, to the Prosecutor General's Office.[20][21] On 12 February, the collegium accepted the resignations of both.[21]

Two weeks later, at an extraordinary session on 27 February 2026, the SQCJ terminated the powers of five judges and court heads on the basis of their written resignation statements — the Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court was named first on this list.[5] Various outlets describe his departure differently: V Gorode N reports that the resignation was submitted in February and accepted at the extraordinary session, while Kommersant places the resignation at the end of March.[16][2]

The Prosecutor General's Office then filed anti-corruption claims in the courts of Volgograd Region. On March 11, 2026, the Volzhsky City Court transferred to state revenue 35 real estate properties and a BMW X6 registered in the names of Fomin's relatives — totaling 166 million rubles.[21][20] On the second claim, the Volgograd Regional Court on May 15, 2026 upheld the seizure of Sapega's assets worth 54 million rubles.[22] Both judges also lost their honorable retirement status — the status of a judge in retirement along with its associated payments.[6][17][23] Within six months, the regional court was left without both its presiding judge and two heads of judicial panels: the anti-corruption claims concerned the latter two, while Popravko's authority was terminated on the basis of his own written resignation.[5][20]

How the vacancy for the chairperson of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court developed
DateEvent
9 February 2026The HQJC denied Viktor Fomin its recommendation for the post of deputy chairperson of the regional court; materials were referred to the Prosecutor General's Office[20][21]
12 February 2026the resignations of regional court judges Viktor Fomin and Vyacheslav Sapega were accepted[21]
27 February 2026the HQJC terminated the powers of court chairperson Vyacheslav Popravko[5]
11 March 2026the Volzhsky City Court forfeited Fomin's assets worth 166 million rubles to the state[21][20]
9 April 2026the HQJC announced a competition for the position of chairperson of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court[3][19]
15 May 2026the Volgograd Regional Court upheld the forfeiture of Sapega's assets worth 54 million rubles[22]
14 September 2026Elena Endovitskaya's application was listed on the agenda of the collegium's September session[2][6][17][23]
22 September 2026the hearing of the application before the HQJC was scheduled[3][16][4]

terminated the powers of 5 judges and court presiding judges in connection with their written resignation statements

— Press release on the outcomes of the second session of the HQCJ of the Russian Federation, 27 February 2026[5]

The former presiding judge Vyacheslav Popravko resigned at the end of March.

— Kommersant (Volga Region), 14 September 2026[2]

Wishing to conceal his true financial position, which could not have been achieved on a judge's monthly salary, Fomin registered property assets in the names of his relatives

The court she may come to lead

The Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court operates in Nizhny Novgorod at 23 Studencheskaya Street.[24] Its rulings, as well as those of all other courts in the region — district and city courts, including the Dzerzhinsk City Court — are reviewed by the First Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Saratov: the very court where Yendovitskaya served as a judge in 2022–2024.[13][12][1]

The position of presiding judge of a regional court is not purely a judicial one. In May 2026, while serving as acting presiding judge in Bryansk, Yendovitskaya participated in a session of the regional qualification board of judges, at which appointments of magistrates and district judges and the assignment of qualification grades were decided.[18]

  • The President appoints the presiding judge of the regional court on the recommendation of the Supreme Qualification Board of Judges.[1][14]
  • The term of office of the court's presiding judge is six years; this is the basis on which Yendovitskaya's appointments in 2015, 2020, and 2024 were formalized.[8][9][1]
  • Her appointment as a judge of the cassation court was made without a term specified in the decree.[12]

On 22 September 2026, the Supreme Qualification Board of Judges issued a positive assessment of Yendovitskaya's candidacy: the review of applications from candidates for leadership positions in the courts of Russia's constituent entities was attended by Igor Krasnov, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Russia, who expressed the view that each of the candidates presented could be recommended. A final presidential decree of appointment had not been announced at that time.[25][26]

Chronicle of events

Details of each event are in the article about it; here are the dates and gist.

Sources

  1. pravo.ru — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of April 19, 2024, No. 274, on the appointment of federal court judges — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 19.04.2024 No. 274
  2. Kommersant (Volga Region) — on the nomination of a candidate for the post of head of the regional court — The HQCJ will consider Endovitskaya's candidacy for the post of head of the regional court (archive)
  3. vkks.ru — Higher Qualification College of Judges of the Russian Federation — preliminary agenda of the regular session of September 21–25, 2026
  4. Historical Encyclopedia of Nizhny Novgorod — chronicle of the inclusion of the candidacy in the college's agenda — The HQCJ included consideration of Elena Endovitskaya's candidacy for the post of chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court in its agenda (archive)
  5. vkks.ru — Higher Qualification College of Judges of the Russian Federation — results of the second (extraordinary) session of February 27, 2026
  6. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — on who is vying for the post of chairman of the regional court — It has emerged who is running for the post of chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court (archive)
  7. Otkryty Nizhny — On September 22, 2026, the HQCJ recommended Elena Endovitskaya for the post of chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court; the decision was made taking into account the position of the chair
  8. kremlin.ru — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of December 7, 2015, No. 600, on the appointment of federal court judges — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 07.12.2015 No. 600 (archive)
  9. kremlin.ru — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of December 10, 2020, No. 779, on the appointment of federal court judges — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 10.12.2020 No. 779 (archive)
  10. vkks.ru — Higher Qualification College of Judges of the Russian Federation — preliminary agenda of the session of May 30 – June 2, 2022 — Preliminary agenda of the HQCJ of the Russian Federation session (May 30
  11. vkks.ru — Higher Qualification College of Judges of the Russian Federation — results of the sixth session of 2022 (May 30 – June 2)
  12. pravo.ru — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 4, 2022, No. 790, on the appointment of federal court judges — Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 04.11.2022 No. 790
  13. rulaws.ru — Federal Constitutional Law of July 29, 2018, No. 1-FKZ — on the establishment of cassation courts of general jurisdiction (Article 23.1) (archive)
  14. vkks.ru — Higher Qualification College of Judges of the Russian Federation — results of the sixteenth session of 2023 (November 20–24)
  15. oblsud--brj.sudrf.ru — Bryansk Regional Court — official website on the GAS "Pravosudie" portal (address and contact details) (archive)
  16. V gorode N — on the date of the college's session and the current position of the candidate — Elena Endovitskaya may head the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court (archive)
  17. Newsroom24 — on the inclusion of the application in the agenda of the September session — Elena Endovitskaya is running for the post of head of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court
  18. guberniya.tv — Bryansk Guberniya — on the session of the Qualification College of Judges of Bryansk Region on May 20, 2026 — The qualification college in Bryansk approved the appointment of new judges
  19. Pro Gorod Nizhny Novgorod — on the announcement of the vacancy for regional court chairman in April 2026 — The HQCJ announced the vacancy for chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court following Popravko's resignation (archive)
  20. Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — on the seizure of property from former judges of the regional court — Couldn't have bought it on a salary: property worth hundreds of millions of rubles seized from former Nizhny Novgorod judges (archive)
  21. pravo.ru — Pravo.ru — on the ruling of the Volzhsky City Court on the prosecutor's claim — Property worth 166 million rubles seized from a former judge (archive)
  22. pravo.ru — Pravo.ru — on the appeal in the second anti-corruption lawsuit — Regional court upholds seizure of property from former Nizhny Novgorod judge (archive)
  23. myseldon.com — Elena Endovitskaya recommended for the post of head of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court — Politics
  24. oblsud--nnov.sudrf.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court — official website on the GAS "Pravosudie" portal (address and contact details) (archive)
  25. Newsroom24 — On September 22, 2026, the HQCJ gave a positive recommendation on Elena Endovitskaya's candidacy for the post of chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court; this was reported
  26. Vremya N — On September 22, 2026, the HQCJ gave a positive recommendation on Endovitskaya's candidacy for the post of chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court. In the consideration of the appli