Readers drew the attention of the editors of Kompromat.VIP to the fact that the publication disappeared from the original publication about how VTB and Sberbank started a war for billions in debts of the contractor FGC UES. As you know, FGC UES is now part of the structure of PJSC Rosseti, but the chairman of the board of directors at FGC UES is still the same – Andrey Murovson of the disgraced ex-director of the Federal Security Service Evgenia Murova. Simultaneously with the leadership of FGC UES, Murov Jr. is the executive director of Rosseti – the first deputy head of the state energy holding Andrey Ryumin.
In a remote publication, it was reported that the builders of the powerful Iset substation found signs of deliberate bankruptcy, and creditors demand 8 billion rubles from the company:
“The threat of liquidation of a major contractor of FGC UES, Uralelectrostroy, which received notoriety, including through work at the Iset substation in the Sverdlovsk region, has become an occasion for multibillion-dollar conflicts. In particular, litigation led to an open clash between VTB and Sberbank, which fundamentally disagreed in assessing the prospects of the enterprise. VTB lawyers have already demanded that bankruptcy proceedings be introduced against Uralelectrostroy, which could lead to problems with the list of large energy buildings and the dismissal of hundreds of employees.
In addition, law enforcement agencies are likely to show interest in the contractor FGC UES in the near future – in March (2019 – approx. “Kompromat.VIP”), the arbitration manager announced that there were signs of deliberate bankruptcy in the company. The next arbitration meeting, at which the vector of development of the conflict situation should be determined, is scheduled for April (2019 – note by Kompromat.VIP), but for now, creditors continue to make financial claims to Uralelectrostroy, the total amount of which has already exceeded 8 billion. The CIUS UES also put forward its claims for hundreds of millions to the organization, pointing to unspent advances on energy projects in the Republic of Crimea.
One of the major contractors of FGC UES (part of Rosseti PJSC), Uralelektrostroy, infamous for the construction of the 500 kV Iset substation in the Sverdlovsk region, continues to generate multibillion-dollar conflicts, information about which has probably already got to law enforcement agencies.
To clarify, even in the past (2018 – approx. “Kompromat.VIP”), bankruptcy proceedings were initiated against the company, and creditors managed to achieve the introduction of a monitoring procedure in Uralelectrostroy. In March of the current year, according to information posted on the EFRSB, the contractor FGC UES showed signs of deliberate bankruptcy. According to the law, information about them should have come to law enforcement agencies from the arbitration manager.
However, the interim manager of Uralelectrostroy Valery Mammoths declined to comment on the intentional bankruptcy and on the litigation in general.
It is noteworthy that at the same time, the arbitrator suggested that the company’s creditors switch to the procedure of external management, declaring the possibility of restoring the solvency of Uralelectrostroy. According to the calculations of the anti-crisis manager, within 18 months the organization will allegedly be able to accumulate at least 8.6 billion rubles. 5 billion of this amount, according to him, falls on liquid receivables. Another 3.5 billion – for profit from the completion of existing projects, for which, however, another 4.8 billion must be spent.
Note that this decision has already been opposed by one of the major creditors of the contractor FGC UES – VTB PJSC (60.93% of the shares belong to the Federal Property Management Agency), thus entering into an open conflict with Sberbank. The latter is the majority creditor of Uralelectrostroy and, like the temporary manager, insisted on the introduction of external management. We add that the position of VTB was supported by the Federal Tax Service and representatives of the Rus bank, the ultimate beneficiary of which is the government of the Orenburg region.
The volume of financial claims of Sberbank against Uralelectrostroy, currently included in the register, exceeds 6 billion rubles. As Pravda UrFO found out, colossal requirements are associated with at least nine credit lines opened by the company from 2015 to 2018 under contracts with FGC UES and CIUS UES (100% subsidiary of FGC UES). In particular, Uralelectrostroy LLC worked on such projects as the construction of a 220 kV overhead line Fevralsk – Rudnaya (Amur Region), the construction of a 500 kV Beloberezhskaya substation with calls to a number of power lines (Bryansk Region), the construction and commissioning – commissioning of the 500 kV Substation Preobrazhenskaya (MES Ural, Orenburg region) with calls to the overhead lines. Work was also carried out on the 500 kV Nevinnomyssk – Mozdok-2 overhead line, the reconstruction of the 220 kV Orskaya substation (MES Urala, Orenburg region), the reconstruction of the 220 kV overhead line Rysaevo – Saraktash-tyaga, as well as construction of SS 220 kV Slavyanskaya with 220 overhead line Ermak – Slavyanskaya (YaNAO, for the needs of MES Western Siberia). The official representative of PJSC FGC UES preferred not to comment on the conflict with the contractor.
In turn, VTB announced claims to Uralelectrostroy for more than 1.1 billion, citing a number of loan agreements with the company and issued bank guarantees.
Moreover, state-owned banks, apparently, have a radically opposite vision of the prospects for Uralelectrostroy. Thus, in arbitration, VTB demanded that bankruptcy proceedings be introduced against the contractor FGC UES, in addition, making claims to Sberbank “that the purpose of its actions is not to restore the solvency of the debtor, but to satisfy personal interests.”
“The representative of VTB believes that the solvency of the debtor cannot be restored, it is not possible to collect receivables, since the debtor enterprises are in bankruptcy procedures and have an unstable financial situation. He also believes that there is an affiliation between the debtor and PJSC Sberbank, which creates conditions for a conflict of interest and makes it possible to doubt the independence and impartiality of the arbitration manager, ”says the position of the bank, voiced in arbitration.
It should be noted that the introduction of bankruptcy proceedings may lead to the suspension of a whole list of projects in which Uralelectrostroy continues to participate, and will also affect the fate of about 750 people currently working in the organization. The next meeting to consider the financial analysis of the debtor’s condition, the report of the arbitration manager and the results of the monitoring procedure will be held at the end of April.
In the meantime, the volume of financial claims against the company continues to grow, having already exceeded 8 billion rubles. Moreover, the requirements from various organizations are actively received at the moment. Based on the materials of the courts, in addition to banks, Uralelectrostroy owed large sums of money to the TsIUS UES, the budget and contractors from various regions of Russia, including the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions, as well as the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
For example, CIUS UES managed to include a debt in the amount of about 246 million rubles in the register of Uralelectrostroy. As it turned out, the Orenburg company was involved as a subcontractor for the expansion project of the 330 kV Sevastopol substation and the 330 kV Zapadno-Krymskaya substation and the construction of the 330 kV Zapadno-Krymskaya – Sevastopol overhead line. At the time the requirements were included, the projects had not been completed, but the structure of FGC UES insisted on determining outstanding advances and filing obligations in court, emphasizing that the work was carried out under the federal target program and financed from the budget.
In addition, the Federal Tax Service announced claims against Uralelectrostroy for more than 285 million. The validity of the tax requirements will be considered after the introduction of the procedure following the supervision.
Debts to companies working at the facilities of FGC UES in the Sverdlovsk region and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug also surfaced in court. For example, LLC PermLesTrans, registered in Yekaterinburg, stated that it was only partially paid under the contract for the vertical layout of the 500 kV Iset substation. As a result, 26 million obligations were included in the register. Severelectrosetstroy from Novy Urengoy was able to prove claims for 230.7 million related to work on the 220 kV Slavyanskaya substation with the 220 kV Ermak-Slavyanskaya overhead line.
Let us add that he is going through the bankruptcy procedure now and Sergey Chernov, listed as the main owner of Uralelectrostroy LLC. At the moment, Sberbank has announced claims to the entrepreneur for more than 6.3 billion, VTB – for 1.1 billion, Forshtadt Bank – for 113.4 million rubles, Bank Rus – for 199.8 million rubles. So far, a debt restructuring procedure has been introduced against the businessman.
Bankruptcy proceedings have also been initiated against structures associated with Chernov. For example, at the Orenburg Industrial Zinc Coating Plant, LLC, at the request of Sberbank, a monitoring procedure was introduced in March. A similar fate befell Energia LLC, but in connection with debts to the Federal Tax Service.
As Pravda UrFO previously reported, Uralelectrostroy LLC became widely known in the Urals Federal District during the construction of the 500 kV Iset substation by order of PJSC FGC UES. The facility was positioned as strategically important for the industry, as it was necessary to ensure power output from the new fourth power unit of the Beloyarsk NPP (Rosatom State Corporation). The construction was accompanied by mass conflicts between the general contractor and subcontractors, who could not receive payment for the work performed for several years, and, according to FGC UES, the funds for the substation were paid to Uralelectrostroy in full. Thus, the facility was put into operation at the end of 2014, and in 2017, individual subcontractors applied to arbitration with a demand to declare the company bankrupt.
FOR REFERENCE
LLC “Uralelektrostroy” is registered in the city of Orenburg. According to the data of the Kontur.Fokus system, the founders of the company are Sergey Chernov – 67%, and since 2018 Sbk Premier LLC, affiliated with Sberbank – 33%. The balance of the enterprise at the end of 2017, according to the system, was 16.3 billion, revenue – 7 billion, net profit – 18.3 million.