The key facts
- Yulia Ponomaryova has been appointed Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation by a decree signed by Mikhail Mishustin on November 9, 2026
- She previously headed the Center for Educational Initiatives of the Ministry of Education and served as acting director of the Progress center
- Her areas of responsibility have not yet been disclosed; the post became vacant after Irina Shvartsman's departure in September
A new appointment at the Ministry of Education
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has appointed Yulia Ponomaryova as Deputy Minister of Education. The government decree has been posted on the official portal of legal acts; it states, in particular: 'To appoint Yulia Alexandrovna Ponomareva as Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation.' This was reported by Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru.
Who is Ponomaryova
Before her appointment, Ponomaryova headed the Center for Educational Initiatives of the Russian Ministry of Education and also served as acting director of the Progress Center for the Comprehensive Development of Children (this information comes from Gazeta.Ru; Life.ru mentions only Progress). In March 2026, she presented awards to the winners and prize-winners of all-Russian school winter sports competitions. The Ministry of Education is headed by Sergei Kravtsov. Which areas Ponomaryova will oversee has not yet been specified.
Context: government reshuffles
The post of Deputy Minister of Education became vacant back in September, when Mishustin dismissed Irina Shvartsman from her position — she left at her own request. Ponomaryova's appointment came almost two months later. On the same day, several hours earlier, the prime minister also signed another personnel decree — appointing Pavel Kadochnikov as Deputy Minister of Finance; he previously headed the Center for Strategic Research. On October 29, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that, if appointed, Kadochnikov would be responsible for the budget and interbudgetary relations.
