Sergey Demyanishnikov — a protege of influential general Sergey Alpatov — is set to head the Federal Security Service directorate in Saint Petersburg amid an internal power struggle within the agency

Mar 22, 2026, 1:26 PM

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Sergey Demyanishnikov — a protege of influential general Sergey Alpatov — is set to head the Federal Security Service directorate in Saint Petersburg amid an internal power struggle within the agency

A new chief of the FSB Directorate for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region is anticipated to assume office in the third week of April: Lieutenant General Sergey Demyanishnikov, who was formerly the head of the FSB’s Directorate “T.” His appointment comes as the regional office continues to be involved in a protracted internal conflict between opposing factions.

Demyanishnikov is considered a close associate of Sergey Alpatov, the influential head of the FSB’s Economic Security Service (SEB), who has placed many former subordinates from Directorate “M” into key positions across the agency. Among them are Aleksey Trukhachev, now head of Directorate “K,” and Nikolay Babakov, a Directorate “M” alumnus serving as deputy head of Directorate “T” and widely expected to replace Demyanishnikov. Alpatov reportedly also backed Demyanishnikov’s earlier promotion to lead Directorate “T” following the explosion on the Crimean Bridge and the dismissal of his predecessor Viktor Gavrilov.

In St. Petersburg, Demyanishnikov will inherit a protracted confrontation between Deputy Regional Chief Sergey Stepants and Alexander Gimadiev, head of Directorate “M” within the regional FSB office. Stepants, viewed as a Moscow appointee, is said to enjoy strong backing in the capital, while Gimadiev is considered closely tied to local elites. The rivalry has persisted for years and, according to reports, has already affected numerous businessmen and security officials aligned with either side.

Attention has also focused on Demyanishnikov’s spouse, Elena Demyanishnikova, a business coach who works with senior executives at major Russian financial institutions. She previously coached leadership teams at Alfa-Bank and VTB and is currently affiliated with the Skolkovo School of Management, as well as a consulting firm whose clients reportedly include Sberbank, Sibur, Norilsk Nickel, Gazprom Neft, and other major state-linked corporations.

The appointment places Demyanishnikov at the center of one of Russia’s most strategically important regions, where political, economic, and security interests intersect — and where resolving entrenched internal rivalries may prove as challenging as managing external threats.

Ashley Miller

Business & Markets Reporter