Kobylkin was born born 7 July 1971 in Astrakhan to geophysicist parents. In 1993, he graduated from the Ufa Oil Institute specialising in mining engineering and geophysics.[3]
Kobylkin attended the occupational retraining institute at the Ural Academy of Public Administration (a branch of RANEPA) specialising in State and Municipal Management, completing a Doctor of Economic Sciences in 2004.[4]
1994-1995: Geologist with the Tarkosalinskoye oil and gas exploration expedition.
1996-2001: Personnel Director, First Deputy General Director at Purneftegazgeologiya. Starting in 2000, led the development of the Khancheiskoye field and managed oil and gas exploration there.
May 2001: Appointed General Director of Khancheineftegaz.
From 2002: First Deputy Head of the Administration of the Purovsky District, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area.
2005: Elected Head of the Purovsky District.
2009: Included in the personnel pool of the President of the Russian Federation.
March 2010: Nominated by the Russian President and confirmed as Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area by the region's Legislative Assembly.
March 12, 2015: Appointed Acting Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area by Presidential Executive Order.
October 1, 2015: Elected Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area by the region's Legislative Assembly.
On 18 May 2018, Kobylkin was appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Environment as part of the Second Medvedev Cabinet. He was re-appointed on 21 January 2020 during the transition to the Mishustin Cabinet. However, Kobylkin left his post as Minister on 9 November 2020 during a reshuffle of Mishustin's government.[3] During the 2021 Russian legislative election on 19 September, he received a mandate to be a deputy of the 8th State Duma as part of the United Russia party-list. Since taking office on 12 October 2021, he has chaired the State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.[4]
Married, with three children.