[1] In 1994, Pankov started working in the Saratov Oblast Duma as a consultant of the secretariat of the chairman of the regional parliament.

From 2001 to 2005, he was the assistant and then head of the secretariat of the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin.

In October 2005, he was elected deputy of the Saratov Oblast Duma of the 4th convocation.

In 2011, 2016, and 2021, Pankov was re-elected as deputy of the 6th, 7th, and 8th State Dumas, respectively.

[1][2][3] He was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian War.