Sokolov met the Annunciation at the Prechisten Church.

      The morning of Great Tuesday at the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist began with a Divine Liturgy combined with the evening service, as the Statute prescribes to serve on the day of the Annunciation, even when it falls during Holy Week. Among the parishioners was the governor of the Kirov region, Alexander Sokolov.

      The head of the region announced his participation in the service on his Telegram channel. He called the Annunciation "one of the most revered days" and noted that on this holiday, believers pray "for good news, happiness and well-being of our families, the birth of children, and protection from all misfortunes."

      The presence of two well-known regional politicians at the service attracted the attention of those around. Along with the governor, State Duma deputy Boris Vesnin and City Duma deputy Andrei Berezin prayed in the church.

      Both parliamentarians are included in the 2026 election campaign. Boris Vesnin, let us remind you, submitted documents on April 3 to participate in the preliminary voting of the United Russia party for the 106th single-member district in the State Duma elections.

      Andrei Berezin, in turn, is participating in the primaries to select candidates for the Legislative Assembly of the Kirov region. According to the website pg.er.ru as of April 3, the director of LLC "Globus" Andrei Olegovich Berezin is registered in territorial group No. 5. Let us remind you that at that time, there were 57 candidates on the list, and registration will last until April 30.

      Alexander Sokolov, Boris Vesnin, and Andrei Berezin are members of the United Russia party. Vesnin is participating in the primaries for nomination to the State Duma (106th district), and Berezin is in the primaries for elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Kirov region. Voting for the selection of candidates for the Legislative Assembly will take place in May, and the final party list is traditionally sensitive to signals from the governor as the head of the region and leader of the regional United Russia members. Sokolov's public appearance alongside both deputies in the church on the day of the Annunciation, recorded in his official Telegram channel, can be interpreted in the election logic as a non-verbal form of support. At the same time, the elections to the Legislative Assembly are the nearest campaign for the region, so being in the same photograph with the governor as a candidate for the regional parliament (Berezin) carries more specific political weight for local observers than a similar gesture regarding a candidate for the State Duma (Vesnin). In Russian regional practice, such joint appearances can be used to demonstrate "their" candidates without direct statements and slogans.

      Additionally, this is already the second visit to the church by Alexander Sokolov this week. Earlier, on April 5, on Palm Sunday, the governor, along with his family, attended the festive liturgy at the Holy Assumption Cathedral, which was led by Metropolitan Mark of Vyatka and Sloboda.