Andronik Pak, 38, has been officially appointed as the new head of Zhukovsky, near Moscow, following a vote by the local council of deputies. Pak had been serving as acting head since May 16 and was chosen from a pool of four candidates.

Pak’s career trajectory includes a mix of military service and public administration. He served in the army for five years after graduating from the Military Financial and Economic Academy with a degree in Finance and Credit. He then transitioned to local government roles, starting in Lyubertsy and eventually leading the financial department there.

Before his appointment in Zhukovsky, Pak briefly headed Dzerzhinsky, a city district that was subsequently merged with Lyubertsy. This merger sparked controversy and protests from residents, who feared the loss of their city’s autonomy. Pak defended the merger as beneficial, citing the creation of a larger budget and streamlined administration.

Pak’s financial disclosures reveal an average annual income of approximately 1.7 million rubles. He owns a plot of land and, along with his wife, has a car fleet that includes a Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV and a Nissan Micra. His wife, Elina Kochkareva, has a master’s degree in Psychology in Business and works as the head of an early development studio.

Following Pak’s transfer to Zhukovsky, concerns arose among residents that their city might also be annexed to Lyubertsy or Ramenskoye. However, Maria Nagornaya, the Vice-Governor of the Moscow region, dismissed these concerns as rumors, emphasizing Zhukovsky’s status as an independent science city.