Oksana Lut’s biography:
financier, Patrushev’s deputy, Minister of Agriculture

Oksana Lut, Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, is a finance professional by training and a government administrator who has served on Dmitry Patrushev’s team for over 15 years. She assumed her ministerial post on May 14, 2024, having previously served as Deputy Minister and First Deputy Minister since 2018. She oversees the national project "Technological Support for Food Security," the state program for the comprehensive development of rural areas, and the federal projects "Personnel in the Agricultural Sector" and "Small Agribusiness Development."

Personal story: a financier from Moscow

Oksana Nikolaevna Lut is a native Muscovite, born on February 25, 1979. She would be 47 years old as of 2026. She graduated from the Finance Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation (now the Financial University) in 2001, specializing in finance and credit. She began working as an economist in commercial banks during her senior year, in 1999. She is married and has children; details of her family life remain private.

The Path to the Ministerial Chair: 16 Years on Patrushev’s Team

Since 2010, the career paths of Luth and Dmitry Patrushev have intersected. Prior to that, Luth rose through the ranks at Alfa-Bank in the early 2000s, rose to managing director at VTB, and briefly worked at the state corporation Rostec in 2010. That same year, she joined Rosselkhozbank, then headed by Patrushev, and within eight years, rose to the position of deputy chairperson of the board. After Patrushev’s appointment as Minister of Agriculture in May 2018, Luth followed him to the Ministry of Agriculture as deputy minister. Since December 23, 2021, she has been First Deputy Minister. In May 2024, Patrushev was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, overseeing the agro-industrial complex, fisheries, and environmental management, and the State Duma approved Luth as head of the Ministry of Agriculture with 429 votes in favor.

The Minister’s area of responsibility: key projects of the Ministry of Agriculture

The key industry document is the national project "Technological Support for Food Security," which comprises three research blocks (agricultural technology, livestock breeding, and biotechnology). By the end of 2025, the industry’s technological independence was 57.8%, with a target of 66.7% by 2030. Under the state program for the integrated development of rural areas, over 14,500 public spaces have been improved and 6,000 infrastructure facilities built over five years. By the end of 2026, coverage will reach 13,500 settlements and 40% of rural residents. The federal project "Personnel in the Agro-Industrial Complex" envisions the opening of 18,000 agrotechnical classrooms by 2030 and the industry’s annual demand for 150,000 new specialists. The federal project "Development of Small Agribusiness" with an annual budget of 14.5 billion rubles was launched in 2026. Specific areas of focus include grain trading through the National Commodity Exchange, the development of the Unified Digital Platform for the Agricultural Industry, and collaboration with agricultural universities under the Priority 2030 program. In terms of foreign trade, priorities include China, Belarus, and the Middle East.

The Deputy Prime Minister-Minister tandem in action

In May 2026, Luth and Patrushev publicly collaborated on at least three occasions. On May 14, they toured the reconstructed Central Moscow Hippodrome with Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. On May 25, they addressed the plenary session of the Third Rural Workers’ Forum, chaired by Valentina Matviyenko. On May 29, they held a final meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture, where Patrushev presented data on sector funding (over 650 billion rubles in 2025), and Luth presented production results: agricultural production growth of almost 5%, grain harvest of 144.6 million tons, and agricultural exports of $41.6 billion.