Georgy Poltavchenko

He became Governor of Saint Petersburg in 2011. On 3 October 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin replaced him by Alexander Beglov on an interim basis until the 2019 city election. Previously, he served as the Presidential Envoy to the Central Federal District.

In May 2013, according to examination of his doctoral thesis made by Dissernet, Poltavchenko was accused of plagiarism: an overwhelming part of the text had been copy-pasted from several other doctoral theses and books.

In March 2012, Poltavchenko drew the ire of the LGBT community in Russia after he approved a controversial law penalizing the propaganda of homosexuality. In retaliation, the LGBT community in Russia sent letters to the United States, the European Union, Australia and Canada asking them to ban entry for city officials behind the controversial gay propaganda ban.

Georgy Sergeyevich Poltavchenko (Russian: Гео́ргий Серге́евич Полта́вченко , IPA: [ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvʲɪtɕ pɐlˈtaftɕɪnkə] ; born on 24 February 1953, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union (today Azerbaijan) is a Russian politician.

He was born in Azerbaijan in 1953; his father was of Ukrainian descent. He studied at Leningrad Aviation Instrument-Making Institute. After graduation he worked at Leninets Research and Production Association and at a district Komsomol (Young Communists' League) committee in Leningrad. He began service in the KGB in 1979. From 1980–1990, he occupied various posts in the KGB, ultimately becoming chief of department, Vyborg directorate, regional department of KGB in Leningrad and the Leningrad region. Georgy was deputy of the Leningrad Regional Council from 1990–1993, deputy of Leningrad Regional Council. He was then chief of St. Petersburg directorate, Federal Tax Police from 1993–1999. He ran for the Leningrad city council unsuccessfully in 1998. From 1999–2000, he was plenipotentiary representative of the Russian President to Leningrad Oblast.