Abhay Kumar Singh (Russia)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Abhay Kumar Singh

• Abhay Kumar Singh was born in Patna, Bihar, and completed his schooling at Loyola High School.

  

• He went to the Soviet Union in 1991 to study medicine at Kursk State Medical University at age nineteen. He struggled with severe winters and language barriers during his initial days in Kursk.

• A dean named Elena helped him adjust and encouraged him to stay for at least one month. He completed his medical degree during the final phase of the Soviet Union’s collapse.

  

• He returned to Patna and began practising as a registered doctor, but his career did not progress as expected. Singh moved back to Kursk and started a pharmaceutical business to explore better opportunities.

• He founded LLC Gatazh in 1999 and gradually expanded his presence in the pharmaceutical sector. He later entered the real estate sector and opened the Uralskiy Trade Centre in 2012.

  

• The trade centre was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra and became a major commercial property in Kursk. Singh received Russian citizenship in 2010 after living in the country for nearly two decades.

• He completed a management degree in 2013 to strengthen his business and administrative skills. He hosted International Yoga Day in Kursk in 2015 and continued participating in local cultural activities.

• Singh joined the United Russia Party in 2015 and began his formal journey in regional politics. Kursk is historically important because a major World War II land battle occurred there in 1943.

• In 2017, Singh was elected as a deputat (equivalent to MLA in India) from Kursk, becoming the first Indian-origin lawmaker in the region. He received over 70% votes, which was considered a significant victory for a foreign-origin candidate.

  

• He was re-elected from the same seat in 2022 with more than 70% votes again, setting a regional record. Some local groups initially objected to his foreign origin, but voters ultimately supported his candidature.

• Singh is the only brown, non-Slavic representative in a region that usually elects white legislators. Residents often express curiosity at seeing a foreign-origin representative and request photographs with him.

• He conducts a monthly janata darbar to meet local citizens and address their issues. Singh says Russian politics requires more formality compared to the more public style of Indian politics.

• He supports Vladimir Putin’s governance model and says Russia became stronger after the post-Soviet collapse.

• Singh believes Russia cannot be governed through soft democratic systems because of its size and security concerns.

• He defended Russia’s military action in Ukraine and said Western countries tried to push Ukraine into NATO.

• He said Russia took action for its own security when diplomatic options failed. Singh also supported stronger India–Russia defence cooperation, including India’s interest in the S-500 missile system.

  

• He said India and Russia could sign agreements in energy, labour, agriculture, and other strategic areas.

• Abhay Kumar Singh has lived in Russia for over three decades and describes himself as culturally Indian despite holding Russian citizenship. He says he mostly eats Indian food, avoids beef, and follows Indian habits while living in Russia.