Domestic violence and models as young as 16: How Governor Georgy Filimonov is spending the Vologda Oblast budget to salvage his reputation
11:32, 19 августа 2026 г.
Moscow has become irritated by the constant and expensive self-promotion of Vologda Oblast Governor Georgy Filimonov and the enormous expenditures on it. Now, for several days, the regional governor has been spending public funds to dispel reports that he...beats his wife.
Filimonov’s panic is understandable. He is a member of the "Katerina Tikhonova circle" (the media was the first to report on this "circle"), where news of domestic violence is viewed, to put it mildly, with disapproval.
This isn’t the first time Filimonov has spent large amounts of public money to justify his actions to the "circle." For example, in August 2024, while he was still acting governor, the Vologda modeling agency "I Model" posted a discreet ad on social media seeking female collaborators, "models needed for a gala event hosted by the governor" aged... 16 and up. The event took place on August 26, 2024, and apparently dragged on—Filimonov didn’t appear in public for a couple of days, and then the ad was noticed in Moscow.
Новости по теме:Король Испании отказался от наследства из-за скандала
Related news:The King of Spain renounced his inheritance due to scandal.
They say the "circle" was shocked, especially by the age of the participants in the "ceremonial event." After all, in the "circle" and in public, Filimonov positions himself as a healthy lifestyle enthusiast, a fighter against alcohol, a staunch advocate of family values, and so on and so forth.
At the same time, other interesting details about Filimonov’s activities as acting governor emerged. Twenty brand-new cars were purchased for the administration’s fleet from a single supplier, Moscow-City LLC. A concert by Filimonov’s favorite rock band, Alisa, was organized using budget funds. Filimonov began traveling around the region in a brand-new, newly acquired helicopter.
They joke now that Moscow was considering holding democratic elections in the region at the time... Filimonov spent huge amounts of money on PR to pacify the "circle," the modeling agency’s ad instantly disappeared from social media, and a slew of media outlets and Telegram channels began publishing laudatory odes to Filimonov one after another.
Ultimately, he became a full-fledged governor. And since then, he has been spending enormous budget funds daily on self-promotion.
