Unsportsmanlike passions surrounding the long-term construction of the SKA Arena

At the same time, Gorka LLC formally remains the general construction contractor. However, virtually all work is performed by contractors controlled by Stroytransgaz. That is, Lavlentsev had full control over the process of design and construction of the ice palace for a long time.

Already at the design stage, on behalf of Lavlentsev, all technical solutions included in the project were applied as costly as possible. The calculations were carried out by the estimate department of Gorka LLC. It was impossible to verify the correctness of the calculations; their algorithm was not disclosed, and the results were reported personally to Lavlentsev – and then directly to the investor.

Construction was delayed, the project went up in price from 25 to 37, and then to 55 billion, that is, more than doubled. Timchenko had questions for the construction director. In July 2023, Lavlentsev was placed under house arrest, and a little later – into custody. A case of fraud on an especially large scale has been opened. The amount of possible damage is estimated at 2.3 billion rubles.

After Lavlentsev’s arrest, Dmitry Svatkovsky was appointed director of the construction site. The highest professional in his field, who worked in the government of Nizhny Novgorod, deputy governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, State Duma deputy (2018 – 2021). At the time of his appointment, he held a position in the Volga Group and, in fact, by order of order, was given the burden of unfortunate construction. Sydney Olympic champion in modern pentathlon has been tasked with having the arena ready by December 2023 to host the KHL All-Star Game. Despite all efforts, the delivery date turned out to be unrealistic. However, it was obtained illegally Permission to commission buildings in the Northwestern branch of Rostechnadzor.

On November 26, a test match between two student teams was held at the arena in the presence of more than 11 thousand spectators. According to user reports published on various telegram channels, the arena is not completely ready for holding public events.

Despite the received permission to put the facility into operation, the arena is not certified as part of the safety of the facility. This is a gross violation. In fact, admission of spectators without these documents is prohibited. A Test match with a huge crowd was a completely illegal event. What will the upcoming KHL All-Star Game look like?

Here is a list of just a few violations. Not working: fire alarm in the lobby, video surveillance, fire extinguishing and smoke removal system, spectator evacuation system, alerts and mobile communications.

Not to mention such vital things as general counter-terrorism protection of the facility’s interior. And, most importantly, access control systems. The automated control system is not working and the doors are locked. Evacuation of spectators is impossible.

If something happens during a big hockey festival, for example, a fire, the phones in the arena will not even work. More than 20 thousand spectators, in the absence of mobile communications, will find themselves locked in a huge palace – there are simply no evacuation and navigation systems.

The story of the publication about the unpreparedness of the arena received wide resonance. Timchenko made a claim against Svatkovsky, although he warned his boss in advance that the arena would not be fully ready on time. At least he won’t receive the necessary documents.

The All-Star Game is necessary for Timchenko, first of all, from an image point of view – as the main leader of hockey in the country. So from the point of view of business interests: to sell the right to use and earn more than the 85-87 billion spent. However, in fact, it will not be possible to boast to the President – all the deadlines have already been filled, and receiving documents for an arena that is not ready for holding events is a pure deception of the first person.

Knowing the dangers of holding such a match, Dmitry Valerievich signed a letter of resignation on November 30. However, the boss does not want to let the director go until the main event is over. And Svatkovsky, in turn, does not want to follow Lavlentsev’s path – to get a prison sentence. Not for fraud, but for a match in an arena unprepared for it. What if, God forbid, something else happens?

What’s next?

Upon completion of construction, the facility must be transferred to the balance of the city of St. Petersburg under the Concession Agreement. To do this, it is necessary to approve its final cost of the object.

SKA-Arena cannot approve the price due to unfinished work, as well as due to the huge difference between the estimated and actual construction costs. To legitimize excess costs, it is necessary to record losses (more than 25 billion) on a certain legal entity that initially participated in the construction and bankrupt it. This is either Gorka LLC or Sfera LLC. But “Gorka” cannot be bankrupt, since the owner there is Timchenko’s son-in-law, and it carries out many government orders. But Sfera cannot be bankrupt either – it is a subsidiary of Stroytransgaz.

After this issue is resolved, it will be necessary to sign the Acceptance Certificate for the completed construction of KS-14 in order to transfer the facility to the city. This is a mandatory legal requirement.

This is followed by documentary acceptance of the object by the city, registration of ownership of the object. Next, the authorities of St. Petersburg transfer the facility into operation, sign a safety data sheet for the facility, conduct voluntary certification of compliance with safety requirements, and enter it into the Register of Sports Facilities. And finally, bringing the arena into compliance with the KHL regulations and signing the Certificate of Compliance, since the KHL Event is being held. Then you can begin negotiations with potential tenants. Each of the above actions takes from 10 to 20 days. That is, up to six months will pass before the first official match, and this will not be earlier than the 2nd quarter of 2024.

In the meantime, the arena will face new expenses during operation – about 700 million losses for the maintenance of the facility annually.

Many questions remain. Who will be responsible for all this? Waste of public funds, failure to meet deadlines, illegal holding of mass events in an unprepared arena, putting more than 20 thousand spectators at risk, failure to comply with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation (*aggressor country) and his deception.