That same year, Orlov began working at Zvyozdochka, one of the largest military ship repair and shipbuilding enterprises in Severodvinsk.

On 10 August 2011, he became First Deputy Executive Director for Production at Avtotor Holding LLC, a car assembly plant in Kaliningrad.

On 31 January 2012, President Medvedev proposed to the Arkhangelsk Regional Assembly of Deputies that Igor Orlov be granted the powers of governor.

[9] Orlov's term was set to expire in February 2017; however, in May 2015, he resigned ahead of schedule and simultaneously requested permission from President Vladimir Putin to run for re-election.

[12][13] In November 2015, Orlov supported the introduction of the Platon toll system and criticized the truck drivers' protests against it, calling them "brainless.

[15] On 12 November 2019, during a conference of the regional branch of the United Russia party, Orlov announced his intention to run for re-election as governor in 2020, despite his declining popularity in various polls and ratings.

[19] However, the leader of the Arkhangelsk regional branch of the Communist Party, Aleksander Novikov, described Orlov's decision to run as "desperate.

[22] Orlov stated that his decision to resign was based on the results of "large sociological research conducted by a number of professional companies.

The media and several social activists claimed that Orlov’s actions created a dangerous situation in Arkhangelsk Oblast and the neighboring Komi Republic.

[24][25] On April 5, 2019, during a meeting with trade union leaders in Severodvinsk, Orlov referred to his critics as "all sorts of huskies" and stated that he was "not a fool to give up billions.

Some observers suggested that law enforcement officers deliberately avoided escalating the confrontation, as they behaved non-aggressively, smiled, and even expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.

One of the key symbols of the protest was a banner reading, “You will answer for the husk.” On June 7, 2019, a scarecrow resembling Orlov, with the inscription “I sold the North,” was found hanging from wires near the City Administration over Voskresensky Avenue.

Shortly before the televised Q&A session, during the celebration of Russia Day, demonstrators attended a rally-concert where Orlov delivered a speech.

Protest organizers considered the photo significant, as regional media had previously portrayed Shies activists—dubbed “defenders of the North”—as extremists and fringe elements.

His career began at the Zvezdochka enterprise in Severodvinsk, where he became acquainted with Leonid Strugov, the current Vice President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).

In the early 1990s, Strugov served as Deputy Director for Economics at the Polyarnaya Zvezda plant before moving into private business alongside the future governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Nikolai Kiselev.

Additionally, Vyacheslav Pospelov, a board member of the Russian Military-Industrial Commission, and other shipbuilding executives played significant roles in shaping the industry’s leadership landscape.