Kambolov Appoints Members of De Facto Government in Occupied Tskhinvali

Marat Kambolov appointed Soslan Margiev as de facto “prime minister” of the occupied Tskhinvali/South Ossetia on October 22, culminating a series of appointments in the region’s executive branch after Kambolov was declared a winner in the region’s early “presidential vote” in September. Kambolov signed a relevant “decree” after the de facto parliament unanimously approved Margiev’s candidacy on the same day. According to the region’s so-called “constitution,” the “president” appoints the “head of government” with the consent of “parliament,” while the “president” can independently appoint and dismiss members of the “government” and heads of executive bodies. Margiev was born on June 20, 1982, in Tskhinvali. He worked in the Russian judicial system for more than 20 years, including serving as chairman of the Lobnya City Court in the Moscow Region from 2022 to 2026.

He also previously served as deputy head of the Anti-Corruption Division of the Judicial Department under the Supreme Court of Russia. Also on October 22, the region’s “parliament” unanimously approved the nomination of Emilia Gagieva for the position of head of the region’s “Central Election Commission” for a second consecutive term. Earlier, on October 19, Kambolov appointed Ekaterina Tolstikova, a native of Russia, as first deputy “chairman of the government” of the region. Other Appointments Following his “election,” Kambolov has made a number of other appointments to the region’s de facto executive branch. Radion Gabaraev became the “minister of internal affairs,” Yuri Yarovitsky was appointed “minister of defense,” Vladimir Pukhaev was appointed “minister of civil defense, emergency situations, and disaster relief,” and Akhsar Dzhioev was appointed “minister of foreign affairs. ” On September 23,…