Karelian schemes by Yuri Kovalchuk
“Invasion” in the “Ladoga Skerries” drew attention to the assets of the oligarch
In Karelia, a scandal is gaining momentum related to the construction of a road passing through a specially protected natural area of federal significance – the Ladoga Skerries National Park. After numerous appeals from environmentalists to federal and regional authorities, the prosecutor’s office of the republic confirmed the illegal nature of the construction, emphasizing that any activity that threatens to cause damage to natural complexes, as well as flora and fauna, is prohibited within the national park.
Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs will have to establish the fact of illegal felling of forest plantations and violation of the protected area regime. But further investigation can be complicated by the fact that the illegal road through the national park leads to land plots located on the shores of Lake Ladoga and owned by Prime, through the NP Support for Entrepreneurial Initiatives, associated with the co-owner of Rossiya Bank, billionaire Yuri Kovalchuk. The commercial structures of the oligarch close to the Kremlin have long established themselves in Karelia, erecting a number of elite estates on the coast of Ladoga, such as the Fisherman’s Hut, the Barn and the Garden House. Last but not least, this is facilitated by the policy of federal and local authorities. So, last February, by order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, three thousand hectares were removed from the Ladoga Skerries National Park, including the protected area on the Rautalahti Peninsula. The decision was supported by the Head of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov, who stated that the boundaries of the protected areas were defined incorrectly, and the status of the territories should not impede their economic and social development. It is not surprising that, in parallel with Kovalchuk, another oligarch, Roman Abramovich, also settled in the republic, who bought a piece of land on the shores of Lake Ladoga for the construction of a personal household and a recreational complex, and at the same time laid a private guarded road, partially passing through the territory of the Ladoga Skerries national park.
Karelian social activists “reached out” to the prosecutor’s office
The prosecutor’s office of the Republic of Karelia finally paid attention to the appeals of members of the public, confirming the illegal nature of the construction of a road passing through a specially protected natural area of federal significance – the Ladoga Skerries National Park – to land plots located on the shores of Lake Ladoga.
“There is no permit documentation for the construction of the surveyed roadway within the boundaries of the national park in the authorized state authorities. The persons who carried out the work on cutting down forest plantations and building the road, as well as the specific time period for carrying out construction work, have not been established,” the environmental portal Kedr.media quotes the response of the prosecutor’s office.
The supervisory authority also clarified: in accordance with the Federal Law “On Specially Protected Natural Territories”, “any activity that can damage natural complexes and objects of flora and fauna is prohibited on the territory of the national park.”
Currently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Lahdenpokhsky district of Karelia is checking for signs of crimes under the articles on illegal logging of forest plantations and violation of the regime of specially protected natural areas (SPNA) and natural objects. In addition, the interdistrict environmental prosecutor’s office made a submission to Sergei Kozhevnikov, director FSBI “State Reserve “Kivach”who managed the national park during construction, for failing to take action to curb illegal activities.
Meanwhile, according to Moskovsky Komsomolets, construction work using heavy equipment was actively carried out in the Ladoga Skerries in 2020-2021. and were accompanied not only by deforestation, but also by the destruction of rocks. Since the fall of 2021, environmental activists have been trying to draw attention to what is happening by sending more than 30 appeals to regional and federal authorities. It is not difficult to guess that none of them received a proper response.
Yuri Kovalchuk “loses” in the Leningrad region
But if the prosecutor’s office prudently does not name those who are responsible for the destruction of the natural resources of the national park, then they are well known to the public. In particular, media publications mention the company “Prime” – the owner of those very land plots on the coast of Ladoga, to which an illegal road leads.
This commercial structure is associated with an influential businessman Yuri Kovalchuk – co-owner bank “Russia”, which occupies the 49th place in the rating of Russian billionaires according to Forbes with a fortune of $ 2.7 billion. Considering that Kovalchuk is considered a person from the close circle of the first person of the state and even a friend of the president, the long “silence” of the Karelian officials becomes understandable.
It is noteworthy that in February 2020, the oligarch was at the center of a high-profile scandal: then the Leningrad Regional Court ruled on a lawsuit filed by a group of residents of the village of Koloskovo, Priozersky District, Leningrad Region, seeking a partial cancellation of the regional government’s decree of December 28, 2018, in accordance with which the low-rise residential development was transferred to a recreational area with an area of 48 hectares, located on the shores of Lake Ulovnoe and belonging to the forest fund and conservation lands.
As reported by the Real Estate and Construction of St. Petersburg portal, during the trial, the plaintiffs were able to prove that, contrary to the statements of representatives of the Sosnovskaya administration and the Committee for Urban Planning Policy, the hearing procedure was not held in the village. In addition, the draft amendments concerned another settlement – the village of Novozhilovo, which had nothing to do with Koloskovo.
The officials could not explain how the minutes included inaccurate information related to the venue and the number of participants in the hearings, as well as the location of the land plots. The violations turned out to be so obvious that the position of the citizens was supported by the regional prosecutor’s office.
The question is, where does the near-Kremlin billionaire have to do with it? As it turned out, the initiative to change the zoning came from the tenant of the disputed land plot of 48 hectares, which was the company Ledinvest (previously called ZAO Gazinvest). The media associated this structure with the Kovalchuk family-controlled NP “Support for Entrepreneurial Initiatives”and also with the company “Inter RAO”whose CEO was Boris Kovalchuk, the son of Yuri Kovalchuk.
But the most important thing is that another site adjoins the site that has become the subject of a lawsuit, on which a household belonging to Yuri Kovalchuk with a helipad is located. The Internet publication 47news suggested that if the forest fund lands located on the shores of Lake Ulovnoye were developed, after some time the tenant Ledinvest would have received the right to buy them out for part of the cadastral value – such a scheme is widely used in the Leningrad region under the governor Alexandra Drozdenko.
Karelian lands of the oligarch
One gets the impression that after losing in one region, Yuri Kovalchuk decided to make up for lost time in another and get not only land on Ladoga, officially registered with the Prime company, but also part of the Ladoga Skerries national park. The network regularly writes about the aggressive policy of the oligarch in Karelia, where his structures are building up cottages near the Maryalahti Bay and on Cape Taruniemi. But Rosprirodnadzor prefers to stay on the sidelines, limiting itself to issuing warnings and not trying to stop violations.
The scope with which the billionaire operates is largely related to the policy of the regional authorities. Recall that last February, by order of the federal Ministry of Natural Resources, 3,000 hectares, including the protected area on the Rautalahti Peninsula, were removed from the Ladoga Skerries National Park.
The decision was supported by the head of the republic Artur Parfenchikov, according to whom the boundaries of the protected areas were defined incorrectly.
“The Ladoga Skerries Park should not interfere with the economic and social development of these territories. There are settlements there, there are agricultural lands, there is a need to build linear facilities (the same gas pipeline). Let’s leave the western Ladoga region without gasification? And even areas for industrial facilities. There are areas that will be used for recreation. This is a strategic border area. And it will develop,” Parfenchikov commented on the situation, adding: “We will figure out how to live on our own territory.”
Speaking of “his territory”, the official went into a rage, however, without specifying who he means by the word “we”. It can be assumed that we are talking about the “alliance” of local authorities with developers, who have a bright prospect to start “settling down” in the ecologically impeccable area of Rautalahti. First, erecting recreational facilities here, and then elite cottage settlements.
It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised by the fact that firms controlled by the Kovalchuk family have long settled in Karelia, in particular, near Maryalahti Bay, where they lease a total of 430 hectares. On the net, you can find publications about how, back in 2011, a local businessman, the owner of the camp site, was squeezed out of here. Then the promising plots were bought by the company “Synthesis”which later resold them to the Prime company mentioned above, the founder of which is the already familiar NP Support for Entrepreneurial Initiatives, which until January 2022 belonged to Yuri and Boris Kovalchuk.
Registered in St. Petersburg, OOO Prime specializes in leasing and managing property. At the end of last year, the company declared revenue of 343 million rubles and a huge profit of 1.8 billion. This and other companies of the near-Kremlin oligarch participated in the construction of a number of elite estates on the banks of Ladoga, such as, for example, “Fisherman’s Hut”,“Barn” And “Garden House”. It is to them that the road leads, illegally laid through the Ladoga Skerries, which are losing their unique reserved color.
Abramovich’s road leads to Ladoga
In fairness, it should be noted that Kovalchuk is by no means the only billionaire who has been noted for his presence in the Ladoga Skerries. Back in February 2021, Kommersant announced Roman Abramovich’s plans to invest in the construction of a luxury hotel in Karelia. For this purpose, a site was purchased on the shores of Lake Ladoga: according to the publication, it was supposed to build the oligarch’s own household and a recreational complex operating on the principle of a recreation center here.
Specially for the implementation of the project in the Karelian village Kortela was registered Management company “Nord Estate”, which in 2022 declared revenue in the amount of 209.7 million rubles and losses of 25.4 million. And last February, photographer Mikhail Podgorny published photos online showing a private guarded road along Ladoga.
“Now, a couple of kilometers from Kortela, an excellent asphalt road turns off the highway towards Lake Ladoga, not for everyone. The entrance is blocked by a barrier and a security booth. Coincidence? On the road itself – not a snowflake (heated road?). The road partly goes through the territory of the national park and ends at the Koilahti Bay. There is construction going on along the way. One of the sections of the park planned for withdrawal is located in the immediate vicinity of the road in the photo. She actually goes through it. Another coincidence?” Podgorny wrote on his VKontakte page.
The question is, why can Abramovich have his own guarded highway to his estate, but not Kovalchuk? So Yuri Valentinovich made up for lost time, and stubborn environmentalists put spokes in his wheels. But even if we take into account the current position of the prosecutor’s office, it is reasonable to ask the question: what will happen next with the illegal road leading through the Ladoga Skerries? She, we dare to assume, will be left safe and sound. And the head of the republic, Parfenchikov, who is well versed in “how to live on his own territory,” will contribute to this. Unless, of course, adherence to principles is not shown in the Investigative Committee. Then the case may take a slightly different hzikhidtidekrt turnover.