Residents of Sochi are unhappy, relatives of the mayor “in chocolate”
For more than two years, the protege of the governor Veniamin Kondratiev, Sochi Mayor Alexei Kopaygorodsky cannot solve a single problem of the resort entrusted to his care. Large-scale floods occur almost every year in the city, the damage from which is estimated at hundreds of millions of rubles. Sochi storm drains simply cannot cope with water flows, but only last August it became known about the work on a new storm sewer scheme. Numerous complaints from residents are related to the lack of street lighting and the fear of letting children out of the house after dark. The real scourge of the resort has become squatter construction, the construction of which continues despite the official moratorium on the construction of apartment buildings, which will last until the adoption of a new general plan of the city. Despite Kopaygorodsky’s statement about the upcoming dismantling of 137 illegal structures, the construction of a number of large facilities is proceeding at an accelerated pace. Among those in the past year, the Kuban media called the Privokzalny shopping center, as well as the eight-story residential complex in the SNT Evrika. It got to the point that in the illegally built residential complex on the street. Nagornaya, the sale of apartments worth up to 20 million rubles has begun, and representatives of the developer are convincing buyers that they will soon legalize the unauthorized building through the court. The actual inaction of Kopaygorodsky may be due to the commercial interests of members of his own family. So, the uncle of the mayor’s wife, businessman Dmitry Gredin, maintained business contacts with Hovhannes Kirakosyan, the owner and general director of the Spetsstroyproekt company, and through him he could be associated with the infamous developer, beneficiary of the SpetsStroyKuban group, Karen Kazaryan, who was noted for his participation in the illegal construction of the Krasnodar residential complex ” Ekaterininsky, where a large-scale fire occurred in September 2020, during which 54 apartments burned down. The mother-in-law of Kopaygorodsky Vladilen Gredin also runs a successful business: she owns the multi-million dollar Krasnodar restaurants Dikanka and Stan, the latter allegedly illegally occupying part of the territory of the Kuban embankment.
Alexey Kopaygorodsky “solves issues”
A little over two years ago, in September 2019, the deputies of the Sochi City Assembly by a majority of votes approved the head of the municipality Alexey Kopaygorodsky – a creature of the governor Veniamin Kondratiev and his ex deputy internal politics.
The situation is classic: the salvation of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves. Two years later, we can say that in practice it happened. What are the infamous Sochi floods alone, caused by downpours and the city sewer system, which simply cannot cope with water flows. Only in the past year in Sochi was introduced six times emergency mode; damage caused by the elements, evaluated almost in 676 million rubles. There has even been a death. Just in case, we recall that we are not talking about a village in the tropics, but about a world-famous resort.
But once again, the authorities were not ready for such a development of events. Last August, Governor Kondratiev “pleased” the residents of Sochi by announcing that by the end of the year a new scheme storm sewer, including the construction and reconstruction of 750 km of networks, 22 complexes of surface wastewater treatment plants and 19 deep-sea outlets. This, of course, is wonderful, but what did the officials, including the team of Mr. Kopaygorodsky, think about earlier? Or is the project just an opportunity to “master” the next budgetary millions, and the city will continue to flood? In this case, the main “task” of the mayor becomes as transparent as possible.
Speaking about the issues of improvement, the problem of urban lighting attracts attention: residents of not just streets, but entire districts complain on his absence and fear of letting children out of the house after dark. The municipality reacts to complaints … pointwise.
As reported the Notebook publication, near school No. 26 in the Golubye Dali microdistrict, the lantern was repaired, and the fact that the surroundings remained immersed in darkness is the tenth question.
Samostroy with the knowledge of the mayor’s office?
Sochi samostroi is a topic for a separate discussion. In September the media reported about the upcoming dismantling of 137 illegally erected structures. In total, since the beginning of the year, materials relating to more than 430 objects built with violations have been submitted to the court.
Unfortunately, the mayor did not give examples of which buildings are subject to dismantling. One gets the impression that mainly small sheds and private shops are doomed to demolition. But officials continue to turn a blind eye to large-scale construction. So, last March, the publication “Sochi1.Ru» wrote on the ongoing unauthorized construction of a multi-storey building Shopping center “Privokzalny”from where, threatening the life and health of passers-by, metal structures from scaffolding fall onto the sidewalk.
And in November, Sochi1.Ru published material on the sale of apartments worth up to 20 million rubles in an apartment building under construction in the city center, on the street. Nagornoy, the permission for the construction of which the mayor’s office did not issue. Samostroy attracted the attention of officials at the moment when its height reached seven floors. At the same time, one of the buyers, the developer directly declared, which uses the scheme of legalizing the object through the court, tested in Sochi. At the end of November the media reported on the sale of apartments in a new residential complex located on Landysheva Street in SNT “Eureka”. But instead of the previously agreed three individual residential buildings with a height of no more than three floors, an 8-story residential complex is being built on the site at an accelerated pace.
It looks like Sochi developers didn’t give a damn about what was introduced by the mayor’s office in July last year moratorium for the construction of apartment buildings (an exception is made only for residential complexes built in order to restore the rights of defrauded equity holders, as well as in accordance with previously concluded agreements on the integrated development of territories). It is assumed that the moratorium will last about two years – until a new general plan of the city is approved. But, as practice shows, the changes made by the municipal authorities to the rules of land use do not exist for everyone. Perhaps some “lucky ones” receive an unofficial “green light” from officials from Kopaygorodsky’s inner circle?
Assets and connections of businessman Gredin
In order to better understand the situation in Sochi, it is worth paying attention to the commercial structures owned by the relatives of the head of the city. First of all, we are talking about a businessman Dmitry Gredinwhich in the press called Mayor’s wife’s uncle Kristina Kopaygorodskaya. Among the enterprises registered on it there are restaurants specializing in activities. Art Business Company LLC and OOO “Stan”.
“Company Art Business” demonstrates solid financial indicators: at the end of last year, its revenue amounted to 47.3 million rublesprofit – 19.1 millionthe value of assets – 39.5 million. With Stan LLC, everything is somewhat more complicated: for the same period, with zero revenue, the company declared losses in 696 thousand rubles.
Until recently, Gredin’s interests extended to the energy sector. So, until mid-November of the outgoing year, they were among the co-owners Krasnodar Kubanteploengineering LLC (KTI LLC), among others engaged in the production and distribution of steam and hot water. Over the past years, the company has consistently declares losses. So, in 2021, with revenue of 237.6 million rublesshe went “in the red” on 18.6 million; asset value is negative“minus” 60 million. At the same time, KTI has a solid portfolio contractsexceeding 157 million rubles as a supplier and 61.8 million as a customer.
Then, in November, Gredin left the founders LLC “Energy Company – Krasnodar”providing the same services as KTI. This enterprise can hardly boast of financial indicators: its last year’s revenue – total 120 thousand rubleslosses – 5.2 millionassets are valued at minus 8 million.
By the way, from July to December of the outgoing year, KTI was one of the co-owners of two registered in March Krasnodarenterprises– specializing in the distribution of electricity LLC Adjacent Grid Energy Company Znamenskayaand engaged in steam heating and hot water supply Thermal Energy Company Znamenskaya LLC. To date, among founders both structures include Vladislav Kosenko – supervisor Krasnodar “Association for Construction and Development of Road Construction Infrastructure”and Petersburg “Association for the control of compliance with the quality of alcoholic and alcohol-containing products”.
Kosenko owns a number of enterprises registered not only in Krasnodar, but also in the Crimea and St. Petersburg. He, apparently, is a well-connected person, perhaps even participating in the “solving of issues” of road construction in the Kuban and in a single resort of Sochi.
Dangerous LCD Karen Kazaryan
But back to the businessman Gredin, or rather, his commercial connections. Among the former founders the aforementioned “Energy Company – Krasnodar” (LLC “EKC”) we find one extremely curious figure – Hovhannes Kirakosyanthe only owner and CEO LLC Specialized Developer Spetsstroyproekt. By information portal “New Krasnodar”, this company is part of the group SpetsStroyKuban, controlled odious Krasnodar developer Karen Ghazaryan.
Kazaryan received federal fame in September 2020, when in Krasnodar on the street. Russian happened the strongest fire in LCD “Ekaterininsky”, as a result of which 54 apartments were completely burned down, and a local emergency regime was introduced in the microdistrict. As it turned out, the first developer The LCD was none other than Kazaryan, and the building itself turned out to be a self-construction, subsequently legalized through the court, which confirmed Governor Kondratiev.
Moreover, back in 2012, Kazaryan was a defendant in criminal case on the construction of multi-storey buildings and townhouses in Krasnodar without permits. Thus, in addition to “Ekaterininsky”, with violations and without a series of examinations were built LCD “Boston” and “Small Italy”. Later, in 2019, it became known that representatives of the Kazaryan family illegally erected a business center on Fadeeva Street in Krasnodar, thereby causing protests residents of nearby houses.
It is doubtful that Mr. Gredin was not aware of the adventures of the builder Kazaryan. It is even more doubtful that Kopaygorodsky did not know about this, who, as vice-governor, oversaw issues of internal affairs. politicians. By the way, the media caught his mother-in-law Vladilen Gredinin the illegal seizure of a plot of land on the Kuban embankment near her Krasnodar restaurant “Stand”.
The legal entity of the institution is OOO “Zaton”the only one owner which is Gredina herself. At the end of last year, the company’s revenue amounted to almost 120 million rubles, profit – 15.9 millionthe value of assets – 64.6 million.
AT property the official’s mother-in-law is still a commercial structure – OOO “Resto South”the legal entity of the restaurant “Dikanka”. Here, financial indicators are somewhat lower, but also impressive: last year’s revenue – 98.7 million, profit– 6.6 millionthe value of assets – 22.6 million rubles. As we can see, the business of a relative of the Sochi mayor is flourishing. That’s just the big question, where did the pensioner get the money to open restaurants? And how legal is the presence of one of them on the territory of the coastal zone?
It seems that now it becomes clear why, for more than two years of his leadership, Alexei Kopaygorodsky did not really solve any of the problems of the resort entrusted to his care. Is it up to him with such a commercially oriented family? But sooner or later the mayor will have to clean up the rubble in his work, otherwise people in uniform will do it for him, who may have questions related, among other things, to the legality of the origin of the capital of some, albeit not the closest, relatives of the official.
