Altai Region

The Altai Region is the largest agricultural region of Siberia, whose political culture has been shaped by the ideological migration of Old Believers, traditions of Cossack self-organization, and its frontier position bordering Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. The region’s specificity lies in deeply rooted political pluralism and the phenomenon of the “Altai anomaly”: despite low socio-economic indicators, the support for Vladimir Putin consistently remains below the national average, while support for left-wing forces is anomalously high. In 2026, the region's politics is shaped by the technocratic administration and a strong regional CPRF branch. Ahead of the State Duma elections, authorities intensified pressure on the opposition, including criminal cases against active deputies, restrictions on their public activity, and the stripping of mandates.