On March 2, 2021, by a decree of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, Igor Maslov was appointed as the Head of the Directorate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with Foreign Countries at the Presidential Administration. Maslov replaced Vladimir Chernov. The Directorate works in the direction of post-Soviet countries, and  was especially active in the direction of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region in 2005-2013.

Chernov has been the Head of the Directorate since 2012. In February 2021 he resigned due to his age. He turned 70, which is the age limit for a public servant. Chernov's name is also connected with the clandestine visit of members of the Alliance of Patriots Georgian political party to Abkhazia in 2020.

Maslov was Chernov's deputy and oversaw the direction of Moldova in recent years. He was responsible for controlling the internal political processes in Moldova. According to the Dossier Center, like his predecessor Vladimir Chernov, Maslov is a veteran of the Russian Intelligence Service (the Colonel of the Foreign Intelligence Service).

Maslov was born on October 10, 1960, in Leningrad, the RSFSR, the Soviet Union. He has been working under the guise of a diplomat in European countries for years. On October 11, 2009, as per the Russian presidential decree, he was awarded the rank of a Class 2 Active State Advisor of the Russian Federation.