Veniamin Kondratyev, Deputy Head of the Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation and former Deputy Governor of Krasnodar Krai, was appointed acting Governor of Krasnodar Krai in April 2015 after three-term incumbent Alexander Tkachov was appointed Minister of Agriculture of Russia.

[1] Kondratyev, officially an Independent, was nominated for a full term by United Russia and won the September 2015 election with 83.64% of the vote.

[2] Governor Kondratyev was perceived as vulnerable prior to the 2020 election,[3] however, he received the approval of President Vladimir Putin to run for a second term and won it with 82.97% as a United Russia candidate.

In December 2024 two tankers fell apart in the Kerch Strait, causing a massive oil spill that hit the resort town of Anapa in Krasnodar Krai.

[7] In January 2025 President Putin criticised the authorities of Krasnodar Krai for insufficient fuel oil cleanup efforts,[8] which could cause challenges for Kondratyev's re-election.