Yakutia is one of the richest regions of Russia. Diamonds, diamonds, gold, all kinds of fauna – all this is about the Republic of Sakha. It is obvious that such riches evoke a sense of gain in people. Despite the huge potential, the profitable part of the budget of Yakutia barely exceeded 150 billion rubles. The cost is even worse.
Yakutia spends 270 billion rubles on its maintenance in 2022. Accordingly, the local budget deficit is 120 billion, and is fully covered by the state budget. How did it happen that this rich land has such a huge deficit? We are talking about the leadership of the republic, which cannot effectively allocate local budget funds, but lives by the best standards.
Huge political experience
Aisen Nikolaev is the head of the Republic of Sakha. Nikolaev began his political career back in 1997. Then he became the youngest deputy of the State Assembly of Yakutia. At that time, the politician was only 25 years old. In the future, the political career of Nikolaev grew sharply. In 2004, he was appointed to the post of Minister of Finance of Yakutia. In 2012 and 2017, he was twice elected to the post of head of the Yakutsk city district. And already in 2018, he reached the peak of his career, gaining more than 70% in the elections, being elected head of the Republic of Sakha. We have an ideal political career. But the whole story of Aisen Nikolaev is actually covered in corruption scandals. Despite the presence of huge potential, people in Yakutia live very poorly, but this does not apply to the Nikolaev family. They live the typical life of the oligarchs.
Family business
Since 2015, Aisen Nikolaev’s wife, Lyudmila, has a part of the shares in the Arctic Mining Company, which is the founder of ALMAR – Arctic Diamonds. But the business does not directly belong to Nikolaev’s wife. Everything is created through the most hidden schemes.
The founders of the company are even classified in the register, however, in the public plane, Lyudmila Nikolaeva does not hide that she has the largest stake in the enterprise – 32.7%. The General Director of the company is Andrei Karkhu, who previously held the position of Chief Engineer of Almazov Anabar.
Andrew Karhu
The strangest thing is that the authorized capital of the diamond enterprise is only 123 thousand rubles. But this did not prevent “ALMAR” from entering the stock exchange and selling its shares. According to company executives, they want to raise 800 million rubles for the development of diamond mining. Publicly managed to sell shares for 200 million, what happened next is unknown.
According to official data, the company is unprofitable. In 2021, it went into negative territory by 17 million rubles. But it seems that somewhere there is a deception, because it was in 2021 that the enterprise, according to their own data, managed to attract 200 million rubles of investments. But as we see from the reporting, the capital of ALMARA is only 183 million rubles. Further more.
They enjoy privileges in Yakutia, “ALMAR” does not hesitate to go on lawlessness. The companions decided to develop places that are prohibited by law. The new ALMARA deposit is located in the Bur Resource Reserve of republican significance in the Oleneksky district, where any manipulations with fossils are prohibited by law. But who will it scare if the business is going on under the guise of a husband – the head of the republic?
Aisen and Lyudmila Nikolaev
Corruption that corroded the republic
The family business of the Nikolaevs is an indicative factor of corruption and nepotism in Yakutia. In 2021, the official declared a relatively small income of 6 million rubles. But is this true?
Data from the declaration of Aisen Nikolaev
Nikolaev lives in a mansion measuring 365 square meters in the elite district of Yakutsk. Even the history of the construction of houses in the district is scandalous. To satisfy citizens with a fat wallet, centuries-old forests were cut down. But what will you not do to please yourself and your friends?
Aisen Nikolaev’s mansion
Naturally, Nikolaev’s income would not allow him to live in a mansion in Yakutskaya Rublyovka. But why should ordinary citizens know this?
The war is on the wrong side
A week ago, Nikolaev reported that there were much fewer corrupt officials in Yakutia. There is no corruption in the republic. But this is not at all true.
In November 2021, a huge scandal erupted. Corruption was revealed in the department for the prevention of corruption and other offenses. That is, the so-called anti-corruption were themselves corrupt officials.
One of the main election slogans of Nikolaev was the fight against corruption.” Before his election, he promised in every possible way to destroy corruption factors in the public sector, and to do everything so that there would be no corruption in Yakutia.
As we can see, either Aisen Sergeevich decided to try how corrupt officials live in order to fight them more effectively. Either corruption has swallowed up the Sakha republics, and you cannot do without the intervention of law enforcement agencies.