Grandson of oligarch Vladimir Serikov aims for governor: how the Arkhipenko clan is taking over the Lipetsk region amid an eightfold increase in war-driven revenues

Grandson of oligarch Vladimir Serikov aims for governor: how the Arkhipenko clan is taking over the Lipetsk region amid an eightfold increase in war-driven revenues

17 марта 2026 г.

Koba Dzhauriya

According to media reports, the grandson of Lipetsk oligarch Vladimir Arkhipenko is rapidly advancing in politics, significantly increasing his wealth amid the war.

Vladimir Serikov, whose grandfather owns a factory producing batteries for UAVs, torpedoes, missiles, and submarines, first became a deputy and then the chairman of the regional council (effectively the second most powerful figure in the region). Now Arkhipenko is reportedly trying to lobby his favored relative for the position of regional governor, as the current head of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov, is expected to move to a federal-level position this fall with the support of his long-time associate and ally, German Gref. However, this scenario has a long backstory.

In the 1990s, OAO Energia shifted from producing power sources to making wooden spatulas, Kuznetsov applicators, cash registers, and similar goods. This continued until Sergey Chemezov—Arkhipenko’s long-time associate and close friend—became head of Rostec. After that, massive funds began flowing to the company through state defense contracts. How did the factory adapt so quickly? In reality, it barely did.

Arkhipenko began purchasing raw materials in bulk from China, assembling batteries, and then reselling them as his own products. Arkhipenko himself had previously attempted a political career. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he ran for mayor of Yelets, but then-governor Oleg Korolev backed his protégé Viktor Sokovykh, who ultimately won the election.

A conflict emerged between Arkhipenko and Korolev. Arkhipenko even financed a newspaper called “Facts with Arguments,” which regularly criticized Sokovykh and Korolev. When Artamonov later became governor, Arkhipenko aligned with him. The oligarch was tasked with financing regional elections and the local branch of United Russia. He had ample funds for this, as defense contracts continued to grow each year. In 2021 (before the war), the factory’s revenue was 2.1 billion rubles; by 2024, it had reached 17 billion rubles.

Unable to fulfill his own political ambitions, Arkhipenko decided to pursue them through his grandson. He placed Vladimir Serikov at his factory, where Serikov brought in several friends from MGIMO. One of them, Vyacheslav Zhabin, was effectively made mayor of Yelets in 2025 at the age of 30. Meanwhile, Arkhipenko prepared a more ambitious path for his grandson: at 28, Serikov became a deputy and then chairman of the regional council. Now Arkhipenko is reportedly pushing him—primarily with the backing of his ally Chemezov—for the governorship. As previously reported, his main rival is Senator Evgenia Uvarkina.