Ilya Ponomarev, a member of Wagner PMC, has been appointed head of the United Russia party’s youth wing in Kurgan, as reported to "7x7" by Dmitry Zhukovsky, the executive director of the party’s local division.
Ilya Ponomarev was elected as a delegate of the regional branch of the Young Guard of United Russia, told Dmitry Zhukovsky, the executive director of the party’s local division.
According to Zhukovsky, Ponomarev has been a member of the youth wing since 2007 and currently serves as a deputy in the Kurgan City Duma. The 33-year-old former mercenary’s affiliation with Wagner PMC is not mentioned in his campaign materials or social media, where he is portrayed as a volunteer in the "special military operation."
URA.RU claims that Ponomarev fought with Wagner PMC in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics from October to December 2022.
Nearly 300 military personnel secured seats in the recent regional elections. "7x7" has highlighted the stories of some of them in a recent review.