Shchukin Fedor Vyacheslavovich
Fyodor Shchukin is a Russian politician and the former Chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan. On April 30, 2026, the President of Russia endorsed his candidacy for the post of Head of Dagestan. On May 4, 2026, he was appointed Acting Head of Dagestan.
Acting Head of Dagestan
On May 4, 2026, Vladimir Putin signed a decree accepting the resignation of Sergei Melikov at his own request and appointing Fyodor Shchukin as acting head of Dagestan.
Fyodor Shchukin will serve as acting head of Dagestan until the elections scheduled for September 2026. The High Qualification Collegium of Judges granted Shchukin's request to terminate his powers as chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan due to his honorable.
Candidate for the post of head of Dagestan
At a meeting between Putin and representatives of Dagestan, the speaker of the republic's parliament, Zaur Askenderov, proposed appointing the head of the republic's Supreme Court, Fyodor Shchukin, to the post of head of Dagestan.
According to Putin, Shchukin has proven himself to be a person who works "with principles but without conflict." He accepted the proposed candidacy.
"The most important thing here is that the republic is headed by a person who is capable of solving real problems, who knows what and how to do things, taking into account what has been done to date, and, this is probably most important, who commands the respect of the people and the trust of the people," he said.
At the head of the Supreme Court of Dagestan
Fyodor Shchukin was appointed Chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan in February 2024 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation.
Journalists speculated that the former member of the Presidium of the Supreme Court of Russia, Chairman of the Fourth Court of Appeal Magomed Magomedov 4, who has strong contacts with the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Russia Vyacheslav Lebedev, could have been behind Shchukin's appointment to Dagestan from the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court.
He assumed his duties on March 1, 2024, and began his first speech with the traditional greeting for the republic: “Dear colleagues, assalamu alaykum!”. “Being at the head of the Supreme Court of the most multinational republic in our country is a great responsibility,” Shchukin stated at the time.
Just a week later, on March 7, 2023, Shchukin participated in a "summary of the work of the courts of general jurisdiction of the Republic of Dagestan for 2023." At this event, he emphasized "the need to improve the quality of consideration" of cases related to unauthorized construction, calling them "one of the most pressing" in the republic. It soon became known that Shchukin had taken personal control of construction court cases, requiring the chairmen of the republic's district courts to send electronic copies of their decisions to his office within 24 hours.
His key statements concerned the need to "strengthen the rule of law," "increase trust in the judicial system," and "ensure transparency in the judiciary." These statements were regularly cited by regional media after his inauguration in Dagestan.
In February 2025, Shchukin reported that, under his leadership, Dagestani courts had reviewed over 600,000 cases and materials during the year—141,000 more than in the same period the previous year. At the same time, he described "connection with the people" as an important component of effective court work, stating that "to ensure openness, accessibility, and transparency of justice, it is important to establish contact with the media. "
Following the devastating floods of spring 2026, Shchukin organized a special court regime, including expedited processing of claims by victims and the creation of information zones to assist flood victims. He also publicly declared the need to prevent attempts at fraud in compensation claims. "We must stop any attempts to profit from a common misfortune," RIA Dagestan quoted Shchukin as saying.
Career
- In April 2026, deputies of the People's Assembly of Dagestan proposed Shchukin as a candidate for the post of head of the republic, and Vladimir Putin supported this candidacy.
- In May 2024, Shchukin was elected as a member of the Council of Judges of Russia and became a member of the disciplinary commission of this body.
- 2020 – Appointed Deputy Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court for a six-year term. Oversaw administrative, personnel, and organizational matters, as well as interactions with district courts.
- 2013-2020 – Chairman of the Semenovsky District Court of the Nizhny Novgorod Region (two six-year terms: 2013-2019 and 2019-2025).
- 2013 – by the decision of the Qualification Collegium of Judges of the Nizhny Novgorod Region dated May 16, 2013, he was awarded the fourth qualification class of judge, later – the fifth.
- 2005-2013 – judge of the Pochinkovsky District Court of the Nizhny Novgorod Region (first for a three-year term, then without term limitation) .
- 2004 – appointed as a justice of the peace of judicial district No. 1 of the Pochinkovsky district.
- 1995-2004 – worked as a legal adviser at industrial enterprises in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Education
1997 – graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N. I. Lobachevsky, specializing in Jurisprudence.
2002 – received an additional specialty in “State and Municipal Administration” .
Biographical information
Born on August 4, 1976, in the village of Pochinki, Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) Region. He was elected as a deputy of the Zemsky Assembly of the Pochinkovsky District of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
Awards
Medal "For Impeccable Service to Justice" III degree.
Jubilee medal "100 years of the Supreme Court of Russia".
Medal "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod".
For his work in the judicial system, Shchukin “was repeatedly awarded departmental awards,” .