New FSB Deputy Takes Charge in Kherson Region Amid Leadership Shift

There have been changes in the so-called "authorities" of the occupied part of Kherson region - Pavel Shuvalkin, a former FSB officer from Penza, Russia, has become the new first deputy of collaborator Volodymyr Sald. He is actively promoting himself in the media space and has already pushed Sald out of the information field.

This was reported by journalists of IPC-South.

According to the publication, Shuvalkin is 54 years old, and before his appointment, he worked in senior positions in the FSB departments in Saratov, Grozny and Rostov-on-Don, and also headed the FSB operational department in Penza. His name first appeared in the Russian media in connection with Kherson region in November 2024, when he began visiting the region and participating in meetings with young people.

Shuvalkin was appointed as Sald 's first deputy in January 2025 after the resignation of his predecessor, Igor Chagayev. Since then, his activity has increased significantly: in the last week alone, he has appeared in local pro-Russian media as often as in the entire previous year.

Shuvalkin participates in events that Saldo used to personally attend, such as awarding relatives of fallen collaborators, meeting with the illegitimate "election commission," distributing books, and laying flowers at Soviet-era monuments. This may indicate that Moscow is preparing him as a potential successor to Sald, as he is losing support even among the pro-Russian population.

It is worth noting that among the collaborators there has long been an opinion that the occupied part of Kherson region should be "governed" not by a local, but by a Russian from the special services. Shuvalkin fits this image: he is not only a former FSB officer, but also practicing martial arts, conducting master classes in hand-to-hand combat for schoolchildren, which distinguishes him from the aged and discredited Sald.

Ірина Глухова