Alexander Khinstain

Alexander Khinshtein is a Russian politician and former investigative journalist who spent years as a State Duma deputy before being appointed acting governor of Kursk Oblast in 2024. A member of the United Russia party, he built his early career in print journalism before transitioning to legislative work, where he was involved in media and security-related legislation.

As acting governor of Kursk Oblast — a Russian border region that became an active combat zone following a Ukrainian cross-border incursion in 2024 — Khinshtein has been a prominent public voice on a frontline where drone warfare and counter-drone operations have been central to the fighting.