The mayor of Sochi draws up real estate for his wife … and a fortune-teller-adventurer?
Sochi Mayor Alexei Kopaygorodsky continues to take third place in the national ranking of the heads of the largest Russian cities. The experts who took part in the survey of the Rating Center for Information Communications, among other things, point to Kopaygorodsky’s adherence to the “principle of maximum openness of local authorities and their interaction with the population.” At the same time, taking into account the official reports and statements of the mayor’s office, political scientists ignore the numerous complaints of residents and guests of the resort city: about the disgusting quality of drinking water, problems with storm sewers, due to which, after every heavy rain, entire neighborhoods are flooded, etc. Recently, Kopaygorodsky attracted the attention of journalists with his addiction to expensive Italian clothing brands: the media estimated the mayor’s wardrobe at more than 1 million rubles. Such expenses are hardly affordable for the official himself, whose income, according to the last published declaration, amounted to 1.4 million rubles. At the same time, officially, the Sochi head does not have real estate and cars: all this is recorded on his wife, an individual entrepreneur Anastasia Gredin, the daughter of Dmitry Gredin, a well-known Krasnodar businessman, whose family owns assets in a variety of areas, including the restaurant business and development. Gredin himself is associated with the beneficiary of the SpetsStroyKuban group, Karen Kazaryan, who gained fame after a series of high-profile scandals with Krasnodar squatters, including the Yekaterininsky residential complex, where in September 2020 a large-scale fire broke out that engulfed the roof and upper floor of the building. The wife of Dmitry Gredin Vladilena, who controls the Dikanka and Stan restaurants, is also engaged in business, and the latter was once accused of illegally seizing a plot of land on the Kuban embankment in Krasnodar. Part of Kopaygorodsky’s property can also be recorded in the name of his mistress Yana Khotinsky (Davlatkhudzhaeva), who calls herself “the fortuneteller Yanina” and allegedly gives advice to the official regarding the management of the resort.
Kopaygorodsky: Mayor-Leader or “It Couldn’t Be Worse”?
At the end of May it became known that the mayor of Sochi Alexey Kopaygorodsky retained third place in the national rating heads of major Russian cities. Such data are contained in a joint study by the Center for Information Communications “Rating” and the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, which was based on an absentee survey of experts whose positive assessments allow the Sochi mayor to be in the top three since the end of last year.
The interviewed experts focused on a number of factorssuch as political and socio-economic stability in the city, personal control of Kopaygorodsky over the construction of large social facilities, large-scale plans to invest until 2030 in the communal infrastructure of Sochi 173 billion rubles, implementation of the flagship project to support local producers “Choose Sochi!” etc. Among other things, they note following the mayor “the principle of maximum openness of local authorities and their interaction with the population”citing as an example the summing up of the results of public discussions of the draft of the new General Plan of the resort city.
I would like to ask a question: do political experts listen to the opinion of ordinary Sochi residents or draw conclusions only on the basis of official statements of the municipal authorities? For example, as recently as last April, the publication Notebook of Sochi, summing up the results of a survey of citizens on the subject of attitudes towards the mayor,wrote that in addition to enthusiastic comments, the following appeared on the site:
Of course, you cannot please everyone, but maybe, in addition to high-profile bureaucratic declarations, it is worth paying attention to the discontent of citizens, trying to find out its causes? Thus, local media regularly report on complaints from residents and guests of the resort about the quality drinking waterthe use of which is impossible due to the pungent smell of disinfectants, on flocks of aggressive stray dogsfinally, on unresolved by the authorities Problems with storm sewers, as a result of which entire streets literally “go under water” due to rains.
Fashion brands – at the expense of the Gredin family?
By virtue of his position, Alexei Kopaygorodsky, who headed Sochi in September 2019, is constantly in the spotlight of the press. Recently, observant journalists noted not only the mayor’s excellent taste, but also his addiction to expensive luxury clothing brands. In particular, they appreciated jacket of an official of the Italian company “Loro Piana” worth 279 thousand rublesinsulated jacket “Canali” – almost 200 thousand., raincoat and bomber “Brioni” – in 650 thousand.
Thus, the cost of the spring wardrobe exceeded 1 million rubles. Of course, the mayor should look presentable and dressed to the nines. But such expenses clearly do not fit with Kopaygorodsky’s officially declared income: in 2020, he earned 1.45 million rublesin 2021 a little less – 1.41 million. Data for 2022 on the website of the municipality missing with reference to the December presidential decree, which allowed officials not to publish declarations for the duration of the SVO. Otherwise, one could estimate how much was left of the mayor’s earnings after the purchase of the “spring collection”.
By the way, the head of Sochi officially does not have real estate and vehicles; according to the latest reports, an apartment of 279.4 square meters, a residential building of 238 square meters and a land plot of 638 square meters are located with him in use. But on the official’s wife Anastasia Gredin, registered as an individual entrepreneur with the main activity “rent and property management”, in 2021 there were decorated an apartment, four residential buildings, ten land plots (one in shared ownership), eight non-residential premises, two non-residential buildings, as well as Hyundai Santa Fe, Mercedes-Benz and Range Rover vehicles. During the same period she earned 37.5 million rublesyear previously – 9.8 million.
It turns out that Mr. Kopaygorodsky is dressed in branded clothes by his other half, who is actually the main breadwinner of the family? It is worth noting here that, according to publications in the Kuban media, Kopaygorodsky married very successfully.
The fact is that Anastasia is the daughter of a well-known businessman in the region. Dmitry Gredin, who started his business long before his relative headed the resort city. Nevertheless, it is possible that it was Gredin who could contribute to the employment of Kopaygorodsky in 2014 in the Department of Internal politicians administration of the Krasnodar Territory to the post of deputy head of the department for work with political parties, public associations and interethnic relations.
Gredin owned a number of enterprises, specializing in a wide variety of activities – from food delivery to gas distribution. Until recently, its largest asset was Kubanteploengineering LLC (KTI LLC)engaged in the production, transmission and distribution of steam and hot water. The company has a solid portfolio government contracts– 234 million rubles as a supplier and 118.3 million as a customer.
But, despite the volume of contracts received, at the end of last year, with a colossal revenue V 354.7 million rubles KTI went “in the red” for 41.7 million (for comparison: a year earlier, the company’s revenue amounted to 237.5 millionlosses – 18.6 million rubles). Last November, Gredin officially retired from the co-owners enterprises. More financially successful looks owned by him Art Business Company LLCspecializing in restaurant activities: in 2022, the revenue of the LLC amounted to 64.1 million rubles, profit – 15.3 million (in 2021 revenue – 47.3 millionprofit – 19.1 million rubles).
Krasnodar samostroi from Karen Kazaryan
Repeatedly in the press appeared messages about Gredin’s commercial connections with the beneficiary of the group SpetsStroyKuban (SSK) Karen Kazaryan – an odious developer, famous for the construction of Krasnodar samostroy. In particular, his name appeared in a high-profile scandal with LCD “Ekaterininsky”where a major event took place in September 2020 firecovering almost the entire roof and upper floor. Only after the state of emergency that received federal fame It revealed: the spread of fire was facilitated by significant violations and shortcomings made at the construction stage, and the object itself, according to governor Veniamin Kondratievturned out to be a banal squatter, legalized by a court decision.
To complete the picture, we add that back in 2012, in relation to Karen Ghazaryan and his relative Isak Ghazaryan excited criminal case for illegal business activities. How reported “Arguments and Facts”, being the founders of the company “StroyInvestLiga” (“SIL Group”), relatives were engaged in the construction of multi-storey buildings and townhouses in Krasnodar without obtaining permits. With violations and without passing examinations were built LCD “Boston”,“Small Italy” and the infamous “Ekaterininsky”.
As for Dmitry Gredin, his connections with Karen Kazarian can be traced through LLC “Energy Company – Krasnodar” (LLC “EKC”)in number founders which Gredin entered again until last November. And until November 2020, one of co-owners “ECK” was Hovhannes Kirakosyanwhich belongs also Krasnodar LLC Specialized Developer Spetsstroyproekt: about this company online write as a structure affiliated with the SpetsStroyKuban group.
It is unlikely that Gredin is not aware of the development machinations of Kazaryan. There are even more doubts about the possible ignorance of Kopaygorodsky, who at various times held the positions of deputy director of the Department of Internal politicians regional administration, deputy head of Krasnodar and deputy governor.
“Fortuneteller Yanina” “shamanizes” for success?
Another relative of the Sochi mayor is well known in the Kuban Vladilena Gredin – the second wife of Dmitry and stepmother of Anastasia.
To her belongsin particular, Resto Yug LLCa legal entity of the Krasnodar restaurant of Ukrainian cuisine “Dikanka”. Last year, with revenue of 104.9 million rubles his profit amounted to 7 million. Another asset of a business woman – OOO “Zaton” with a similar activity. During the same period, the company declared revenue in the amount 129.5 million rubles and profit in 21.2 million.
Here it would be appropriate to mention OOO “Stan”the only owner and the director of which is Dmitry Gredin himself. Last year, with no revenue, the company left “in minus” on 1 million rublesa year earlier – on 696 thousand. The family owns a restaurant of the same name. “Stan”located on the embankment of the Kuban in Krasnodar. A few years ago the media wrote about the illegal seizure by the restaurant of part of the coastline and the waters of Zaton Bay, adjacent to the establishment.
Despite confirmation of this fact by the prosecutor’s office and Rosprirodnadzor, no timely measures were taken by the administration of the Kuban capital did not have. Journalists and members of the public explained the officials’ inaction by the family ties of the violators and the special trust that Kopaygorodsky enjoys with Governor Kondratyev.
With such a financial situation, the Sochi mayor can well afford Italian jackets worth several hundred thousand rubles. But it seems that in the “noble family” there was a scandal hidden from the eyes of the general public, but, nevertheless, a serious scandal. The point is that by information all the same “Notepad”, in the immediate environment of Mr. Kopaygorodsky has been present for some time “fortune teller Yanina”in the world – a former teacher of labor in one of the schools of Tolyatti Yana Khotynskaya (in marriage Davlatkhujaevawhich became after the next change of surname Davlatova).
This person, who first settled in Gelendzhik, and then moved to Sochi, on her pages in social networks positions herself as a clairvoyant and healer. A young and attractive “fortune teller” is seriously interested in the head of the resort town: supposedly they even have a common child. The official in love registered Toyota Alphard and Mercedes-Benz S450 4 matic Maybach cars for Yana Davlatkhudzhaev, which he himself used to drive before. To the “healer” decorated a few more expensive foreign cars, she also owns two Sochi apartments with a total cost of about 280 million rubles.
How writes “Notebook”, a fortune teller, does not just “predict” Kopaygorodsky a brilliant political future, but actively interferes in the management of the municipality, and representatives of large construction corporations, such as the president of the company, are the winners AVA Group Vahan Harutyunyan. It looks like the “bewitched” mayor is starting to confuse the private with the public? In this case, his erotic-esoteric games threaten in the near future with loud anti-corruption revelations worse than the story with Kazaryan, and idle political scientists will have to make every effort to preserve the image of the Sochi mayor.
