The commander of a volunteer squad has become a vice-governor of Primorsky Krai, as reported by the region’s government on February 28.
Sergey Efremov has been appointed as the vice-governor for internal policy of Primorsky Krai. Since the beginning of the war, he has been in charge of the 'Tiger' volunteer squad.
Former volunteers will be hired by the security agency 'Tiger Law and Order.' They will patrol Primorsky Krai and combat poachers. Governor Oleg Kozhemyako also promised to provide war participants with jobs at local utility companies and pay an additional 30,000 rubles to their salaries.
In 2023, United Russia member Sergey Sokol ran for governor in Khakassia. The politician's PR campaign was based on his participation in the war in Ukraine. Local media wrote about 'Sokol’s military heroism' and called him 'a brave SMO volunteer.' Sokol could have become the first Russian governor who fought in Ukraine. However, one week before the voting, he withdrew his candidacy due to an illness.