The commander of Russia’s Marine Corps is on the Murmansk ballot

Among the candidates representing United Russia, Vladimir Putin’s party of power, in the upcoming Murmansk regional duma election is Major General Roman Fyodorov.

According to Murmansk Governor Andrei Chibis, the major general is currently “in command of the Marine Corps headquarters for the entire Navy.”

“Today, Roman is in charge of the Marine Corps headquarters for the entire Navy. He is a truly legendary figure and a real father-figure, and commander to all our lads in uniform,” the governor said in an announcement.

In late 2023, Fyodorov was awarded the so-called Hero of Russia order for his participation in the onslaught on Ukraine. Reportedly, his units “killed more than 230 Ukrainian soldiers and also eliminated 12 tanks, 6 armoured fighting vehicles of foreign manufacture, two self-propelled artillery installations, 11 cars, and 10 drones.”

Roman Fyodorov previously commanded the 200th Motorized Rifle Brigade and later the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade. He is believed to have taken over command of the Marine Corps after the death of his predecessor, Major General Mikhail Gudkov.

Major General Gudkov was reported killed in the Kursk region in early July 2025. Only four months earlier, Putin had appointed him commander of the Marine Corps.

“Your area of responsibility will include command of the entire Marine Corps of the Navy and all coastal missile and artillery units,” Putin told Gudkov in a meeting aboard the Northern Fleet’s nuclear-powered submarine Arkhangelsk.

In the same meeting, Putin announced a reorganisation of Russia’s Marine Corps.

“The General Staff of the Ministry of Defence has approved a program to reorganise the Marine Corps and its units, and we will gradually be forming Marine Corps divisions from the brigades,” he said.

The reorganisation implies that the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade is in the process of being upgraded to divisional status. The upgrade signals a major increase in manpower and capability. While a Russian brigade normally includes about 3,000 troops, a division holds more than 10,000.

A similar reorganisation is taking place with the brigade previously known as the 200th Motorized Rifle Brigade. In 2025, the brigade was renamed the 71st Guards Motorised Rifle Division.

Both forces are based only a few kilometres from the border with Norway and Finland. The reorganisation is part of a Russian military buildup along the border with the two Nordic countries.

The Murmansk regional duma election is due to take place on September 17–19, the same dates as the election of the State Duma.

According to Murmansk Governor Andrei Chibis, the candidates for the United Russia party were elected through a process that first included a region-wide vote among party members and later a vote in a regional party congress.

The party congress took place on June 20 and elected Fyodorov as one of the party front-runners. Also on the list is Marine Starovoytova, captain of the nuclear icebreaker Yamal.

In an interview with Russian propaganda media in early 2024, Roman Fyodorov said the war in Ukraine “resembles the Second World War” and that it is “a war against NATO.”

Fyodorov argued that the enemy is not Ukraine and Ukrainians as such, but “the Nazis that run everything in Ukraine,” as well as “the Western governments that stand behind the Nazis.”

Ultimately, it is a war against NATO, the then commander of the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade said.

“Now it has all come out and become very clear: the NATO bloc is our main enemy. It is evident how France, the USA, and the UK act. They want some kind of hegemony, power over Russia. And Russia now understands this and therefore we wage a savage war against them.”

And he underlined that he has no belief in a peaceful settlement.

“We cannot make peace now. We must have a fundamental victory and show our character. Only after that can we talk.”