Head of the drug control directorate changed at the Russian Interior Ministry

New appointment in the Interior Ministry's drug control service

Police Lieutenant General Nikolai Sitnikov has been appointed head of the Main Directorate for Drug Control of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was reported by the ministry's press service on November 6, 2026.

Who took over the directorate

Since 2021, Sitnikov had served as head of the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Saratov Region, from which he moved to his new post in the ministry's central apparatus.

Context: tightening of the list of banned substances

The appointment came against the backdrop of earlier decisions in the field of drug control: the Russian government previously amended the list of prohibited drugs, adding 14 new substances to the list — synthetic compounds dangerous to life, including cannabinoids and opioids. The Interior Ministry has also named the most common drugs in Russia. According to Gazeta.Ru, illegal possession, distribution or production of prohibited substances in Russia is punishable by penalties ranging from fines and compulsory labor to imprisonment for a term of several months to three years for small quantities; for large or especially large batches the term can reach 10–20 years, and for distribution, smuggling or involving minors, courts almost always impose real prison sentences.