Transfer of power in the Investigative Committee: Aleksandr Bastrykin skipped the 2026 St. Petersburg International Legal Forum amid rumors of resignation

Alexander Bastrykin did not attend the events of the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPBILF-2026) announced for his participation, amid rumors within the Investigative Committee of Russia that he is actively seeking a successor.

Previously, Bastrykin always attended St. Petersburg International Legal Forum events accompanied by his son, Alexei. This year, his presence was announced, but he was absent even from the presentation of his book, "Time, Right, and Law," held at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.

The source notes that this coincides with Bastrykin’s unprecedented pace of positioning himself, both at the top and within the agency, as the successor to Konstantin Korpusov, the head of the Main Military Investigative Directorate and Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee. Korpusov has even been forced to distance himself from his distant relative and former aide, Eduard Kaburneyev, whom Bastrykin dislikes intensely. "Now Bastrykin is literally handing over the reins to Korpusov," the source notes.

It’s well known that Putin doesn’t allow officials and security officials to voluntarily resign from top positions unless he personally fires them or transfers them. A new position for Bastrykin was being prepared back in 2025. Back then, our project was the first to report on the upcoming major personnel changes. Bastrykin was supposed to move to the position of Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, but Igor Krasnov outvoted him. He was also considered for the position of Chairman of the Plenipotentiary Representative to the Northwestern Federal District. The position of Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia was supposed to go to current Justice Minister Konstantin Chuichenko. However, these personnel changes did not take place in 2025.

Now, the Investigative Committee of Russia is once again actively saying goodbye to its chief, “in connection with his transfer to another job.”