Hostile takeover or reconstruction: the Neva yacht club claims it is being forced out of five hectares of the Nameless Peninsula after its entrance was blocked and the captain was detained.
The Neva Yacht Club is being forced out of its marginal 5-hectare property on the Nameless Peninsula under the pretext of its future reconstruction—at least, that's what the club members themselves believe.
Unknown individuals are erecting fences along the shoreline, blocking the entrance, tearing up the asphalt, and blocking access to the water. Recently, yacht club captain Alexander Nikiforov was taken to the police station for five hours for unclear reasons. Yachtsmen believe this is a hostile takeover of their club, with the goal of further “development” of the prime property by an unnamed, large developer.
Who might be behind this remains an open question. The reconstruction project itself has not yet been formalized, and a contractor has not been selected. In the fall of 2024, rumors circulated that a Gazprom-affiliated entity was behind the potential reconstruction project. At the time, several club members accused the board of attempting to transfer the territory to an organization close to the state monopoly. In any case, to accomplish such a task, the contractor will need experience in yachting projects.
The land use plan was previously developed by Krestovsky Club LLC. In August 2024, control of this company was transferred to Pandora JSC, and through related entities, to entities that ultimately led to Liberty Place LLC. The latter is 99.9% owned by Gazprom Invest RGC through Neftyanoy Dom. The Neva Yacht Club may now be squeezed out for this company. Furthermore, the Imperial Yacht Club operates near Neva and is in negotiations with the city to develop the adjacent territories. Experts have named Granit, a company owned by Andrey Evdokimov, a long-standing partner of Gazprom, as another potential interested party.
Previously, this land was openly contested by no less, if not more interesting, entities. From 2014 to 2017, the entire Bezymyanny Peninsula was slated for expansion of the Yavara-Neva Judo Club, owned by the infamous Arkady Rotenberg. The plans included hotels, cottages, docks, and even a Japanese garden. Then Rotenberg's interest waned, and the territory was left to yachtsmen. But Rotenberg could have simply forgotten about Bezymyanny amid other projects and problems. Now it's time to remember it?
