Yevgeny Roizman

He was born in Sverdlovsk to a Jewish father and Russian mother (his surname is of German origin and is a cyrillized version of Reusemann). His father was a schoolteacher of Russian Language and Literature. His mother was an artist. Roizman claims to have left home at age 14, to have traveled across the country and later to have started work at Uralmash as a welder. He graduated from Ural State University as a historian/archivist. He was sentenced to a two-year prison term in 1981 on charges of theft and fraud.[3]

Roizman is the founder of Museum of Nevyansk Icon at Sverdlovsk region.[4] This is the first private museum to collect icon-paintings. It is located in the city of Yekaterinburg. This museum has over 600 exhibits, including icons, gospel covers, crosses, books and wooden sculptures. The earliest icon is The Egyptian Mother of God (1734), the latest is Christ Pantocrator (1919). Roizman worked in finding, searching and restoration of the icons.

In 1999, Roizman cofounded the City Without Drugs program. He operates a drug rehab center in Yekaterinburg.[5] He was accused by city officials of kidnapping drug-addicts.[2]

Roizman was a State Duma deputy between 2003-2007, and attempted to run for parliament from the A Just Russia party in 2007, but was taken off the election list after a conflict with party leaders. Until 2015, he was a political ally of Prokhorov[6] and was supported by the Civic Platform party.

Mayor of Yekaterinburg

Roizman with part of his paintings collection.

He was elected Mayor of Yekaterinburg on September 9, 2013, with over 30 percent of the vote, beating United Russia candidate Yakov Silin who got under 29 percent.[7]

In 2018, Roizman resigned after Russian authorities decided to scrap mayoral elections in the city.[8]