Born in Moscow, January 22, 1963.
1986: graduated from the Moscow Electric Engineering Institute with a degree in electric lighting engineering.
1988-1991: worked as engineer, senior engineer, and junior researcher at VNISI (All-Union Research Institute for Lighting Technologies); simultaneously held secondary job as a teacher of mathematics at Moscow secondary school No. 247.
1991-1995: worked as director of the Svetoservice lighting developmental company.
1996-1998: served as a member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation; was a member of the State Duma Budget, Taxation, Banking and Finance Committee.
1998-1999: served as head of the Federal Taxation Service and Tax Minister of the Russian Federation.
1999-2003: served as a member of the State Duma, 3rd convocation, and as Deputy Speaker for the Fatherland-All Russia parliamentary party.
2003-2005: served as a member and Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, 4th convocation.
September 28, 2005: sworn in as Governor of Kaliningrad.
Doctor of Science
Married, has six daughters.