# Marat Kambolov **Marat Kambolov** (born 2 January 1965, Khaznidon, North Ossetian ASSR) is a Russian federal science bureaucrat who, in 2026, became the de facto president of [[South Ossetia]] without meeting its own residency requirement — the clearest single marker of how far the region's absorption into Russia has gone. ## The Russian career Kambolov's career ran entirely through Moscow's state machinery: Komsomol posts in the late Soviet years; the antimonopoly committee and the Ministry of Nationalities in the 1990s; deputy head of the federal science agency Rosnauka (2005–2010); Deputy Minister of Education and Science from November 2010; and the Kurchatov Institute, Russia's flagship nuclear research center, as first deputy director from 2016 and director from September 2021 to January 2025. He holds a law candidate's degree. ## The installation | Date | Step | |---|---| | 9 May 2026 | The Russia–South Ossetia treaty on deepening allied cooperation allows Russian citizens to hold South Ossetian state posts | | 27 May 2026 | Named state adviser to de facto president Alan Gagloev | | 16 June 2026 | Approved as prime minister | | 23 June 2026 | Gagloev resigns to join [[Vladimir Putin]]'s administration; Kambolov becomes acting president | | 18 September 2026 | Wins the de facto presidential election with 84.95% on 82.65% turnout, against three candidates described as "technical" | | 30 September 2026 | Inaugurated in Tskhinvali before delegations from Russia, Abkhazia, Nicaragua and Venezuela | He does not meet the region's own constitutional requirement of ten years' continuous residency, and Meduza describes him as a Russian citizen; whether he acquired South Ossetian citizenship was not established. Putin said he would "do everything to support" him *[single-sourced]*. ## What he has said In August 2026 he called Russia "the main strategic partner and ally" and said the two sides "consistently move toward deeper integration." The more explicit talk of reuniting with North Ossetia and "Great Russia" has come from Gagloev, not from Kambolov — a distinction worth keeping. ## Reactions Georgia's foreign ministry called the vote "illegal" and "a gross violation of Georgia's sovereignty." The EU called the results "null and void," and EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas called the measures "steps towards future illegal annexation." No U.S. statement was found. ## Why it matters here Previous de facto leaders of South Ossetia were South Ossetian politicians who depended on Moscow. Kambolov is Moscow. Installing a Russian federal official, through a treaty that opened local office to Russian citizens, accomplishes most of what an annexation would without the international cost of declaring one. See [[Frozen Conflict]] for how this compares to the other cases. ## See Also - [[South Ossetia]] - [[Frozen Conflict]] - [[Georgia (country)]] - [[Post-Soviet States]]