Mikhail Vasilyevich Ignatyev was born on 8 January 1962, and graduated from Chuvash State University and Volga-Vyatka Academy of Public Administration.

On 14 January 2002, he was appointed to replace Petr Ivantaev as First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers by President of Chuvashia Nikolay Fyodorov.

On 9 June 2015, he was appointed acting head of the republic by President Vladimir Putin and was later elected to a second term with 65.54% of the popular vote on 13 September.

[4] On 18 January 2020, Ignatyev called for the "wiping out" of journalists who criticize the government during a National Press Day speech.

[9] On 18 June, Ignatyev died in a Saint Petersburg hospital from heart failure after contracting COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia.