He served as Minister for Crimean Affairs (31 March 2014 – 15 June 2015) and as Deputy Minister of Economic Development (2008–2014) of the Government of the Russian Federation.

In 1988 he graduated from the radiophysics faculty of the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute.

In 1995 he worked as the head of the Centre for Electoral Technologies in the pre-election headquarters of the "Our Home – Russia" Party during the elections to the State Duma.

In 1998, he was the manager of Alexander Lebedya's campaign in the elections for Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Sanctioned by the UK government in 2014 in relation to Russo-Ukrainian War.