Information about a curious public procurement that took place last summer, in the midst of the election campaign in the republic, has been preserved in open sources. The government agency spent almost 7 million rubles to organize flights for an unnamed passenger. It is very likely that Alexander Brechalov needed air transport to meet with voters, especially since he had already gotten into a scandalous situation with a helicopter before.
Last summer, a tender was held in Udmurtia under the name “Provision of services for the organization of air travel in 2022.” These services were valued at almost 7 million rubles. At present, according to the public procurement website, the execution of the contract has been completed, which means that considerable funds have been spent by local standards.
Local media suggest that the unnamed passenger could be the head of Udmurtia, Alexander Brechalov. The start time for the execution of the contract is July 14, 2022, when the election campaign for the election of the head of the republic was in full swing. As you know, Brechalov won them with a score of 64% of the vote.
Most of the information about the tender is confidential. However, it is known that the customer was the autonomous institution “Cultural and Administrative Complex” (founder – the Udmurt Republic), the main activity of which is the activity of libraries and archives. At the same time, the organization’s website states that it “carries out logistical and social support for the activities of state authorities of the Udmurt Republic.” The resource also provides more detailed information on what is meant by ensuring the activities of authorities:
operation of administrative buildings;
maintenance, operation and maintenance of buildings and structures, providing them with the necessary furniture, office equipment and inventory;
holding official events;
organization of official events of the Administration of the Head and the Government of the Udmurt Republic.
Among the objects of service are the residence of Alexander Brechalov, the House of the Government of the Republic and the House of Local Industry. Over the past few years, AU KAK, as a customer, has concluded about 758 contracts worth 728 million rubles, including catering for the mobilized (1.5 million rubles), security of the residence of the head of the republic (2.8 million rubles) and provision of services for the study of public opinion (3 million rubles).
Do not drive on the roads?
The current head of Udmurtia has already found himself at the center of a scandal related to air travel across the territory of the republic. In 2018, Alexander Brechalov, together with State Duma deputy Andrei Isaev, visited the village of Kez, 172 km from Izhvesk. They got to the place on the Mi-8 helicopter, on which they moved along the streets of a small settlement. “The landscape around is not very encouraging: devastation, impenetrable mud, huge puddles, sidewalks knocked together from boards. Three village men are watching the governor’s helicopter, standing in a quagmire in rubber boots, ”Novye Izvestiya wrote about this trip.
There is an opinion that during the election campaign, the official decided to use air transport for one simple reason: getting to voters along the broken Udmurt roads is not only long, but also unsafe. And people who share this opinion call everything this “feast during the plague.” The cost of renting a helicopter can be 500-550 thousand rubles per day.
They remember in connection with the mysterious tender and the arrival of the current leader in Izhevsk. As we remember, on April 4, 2017, his predecessor Alexander Solovyov was dismissed, Brechalov arrived in the capital of Udmurtia on a regular flight on the same day. However, according to eyewitnesses, after landing, a car with flashing lights drove up to the plane, and the passengers were not allowed outside for a long time. Apparently, they were allowed to leave the plane only after Brechalov left in a cortege.
They also used flights in the administration of the ex-head of Udmurtia Alexander Solovyov. True, his press secretary explained such contracts as the need for “meeting high-ranking guests and delivering officials to the required territory.” In 2017, the region spent 3 million rubles for these purposes.
Two weeks have passed since the journalists discovered the July tender, but the authorities of Udmurtia remain silent on this matter. It turns out that Brechalov really could fly around the republic in a helicopter, ensuring his victory in the elections? And if not, then whose air travel was paid for by the autonomous institution “Cultural and Administrative Complex”?
