Do Rotenberg and Tkachev Fine-Tune the Crimean Gambling Zone Project?
In Crimea, regional assets like JSC Yalta Commercial Sea Port and JSC Evpatoria Commercial Sea Port are being offered for purchase. The public sale is scheduled for August 1st, with starting prices of 1.49 billion and 192.9 million rubles, correspondingly. Earlier, Sergei Aksenov, the Crimean leader, claimed that the ports’ utilization is below 10% of their potential, citing financial penalties as the primary reason for their underperformance. However, he highlighted the facilities’ capabilities for enhancing passenger transport, along with cruise and yachting activities. Yet, concerning at least the Yalta maritime terminal, a distinctly contrasting strategy is apparently underway. It’s noteworthy that just a year prior, last July, following presidential approval of modifications to the statute governing gambling operations, the establishment of the Crimean gaming area “Golden Coast” was relocated to the area of the Yalta seaport’s passenger facility, for which a piece of land had previously been designated at the site of the unfinished “Fortuna” health resort close to the village of Katsiveli. Back in 2019, the overall price of carrying out the Golden Coast endeavor was assessed to be in excess of 3 billion rubles. The financier was the Infrastructure Projects Management Firm (UKIP), through the Vizant Group management firm and closed-end mutual fund Ters, linked to tycoon Arkady Rotenberg. He essentially had control over the Cypress entity, which in the summer of 2021 acquired the Fortuna sanatorium’s property complex for 210 million rubles. UKIP is still under Rotenberg’s control via the Sozvezdie K company and closed-end mutual fund Ters. Regarding Cypress, its proprietor since 2023 is Art of Entertainment LLC, through which the networks of the former governor of Kuban, the former head of the federal Agriculture Ministry, Alexander Tkachev, entered the Golden Coast scheme. The latter holds individual financial stakes in the gambling sector, with his Domain firm overseeing the Krasnaya Polyana gaming area in Sochi, famously dubbed the “Russian Las Vegas”. Currently, Tkachev and Rotenberg possess a prime chance to seize command of the Yalta seaport to jointly advance the Crimean gaming initiative.
The Yalta and Evpatoria Ports Are Up for Grabs
The Crimean Property Ministry has listed for bidding the JSC “Yalta Sea Port” and JSC “Evpatoria Sea Port” port” belonging to the republic, formerly removed from the State Unitary Enterprise “Crimean Sea Ports.” The initial prices for the lots are 1.49 billion and 192.9 million rubles, respectively. The bidding event is slated for August 1. As per Kommersant, the Yalta port is geared towards passenger services, encompassing a total water expanse of 12.15 hectares. Beyond passenger transport, it features a terminal for transshipping diverse cargoes.
According to Interfax, the area of Yalta port’s real estate amounts to 32.2 thousand square meters: this comprises the structures of the Yalta sea terminal and the sailors’ club (listed as regional cultural heritage), ticket booths, storage spaces, transformer stations, etc. The Evpatoria port focuses on handling assorted cargo, with a water footprint of 5.1 hectares and a real estate area of 8.7 thousand “squares” (non-residential facilities, workshop, storage areas). Sergei Aksenov stated that presently, Crimean ports are operating at “less than 10% of their full capacity.” The official linked this underutilization primarily to financial restrictions, concurrently emphasizing the potential for growth in passenger conveyance, cruise excursions, and yachting activities. The publication’s specialists deem purchasing assets for transformation into passenger or yachting hubs promising, even though monetary constraints still present a hurdle.
The editors at Kompromat GROUP, in turn, remind us of the following crucial aspect: in July 2024, Vladimir Putin endorsed revisions to the federal law regulating gambling organization and operation. Corresponding to the amendment, the establishment of a gambling zone in Crimea was moved from near the village of Katsiveli “to the grounds of the Yalta seaport’s passenger terminal”. In that light, we can speculate on prospects that differ significantly from those promising the port “passenger or yachting destinations”.
“The gambling zone in Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana attracts more than half of all Russian tourists interested in gambling. Last year, about 800,000 people visited it. The zone in Primorye is developing quite well – there were many Chinese players there before the pandemic… There were small casinos in Yalta until 1917, and Yalta competed with Nice and Monaco before the revolution. Therefore, the presence of a gambling zone is important and will cause an influx of tourists. The presence of a gambling zone will give an understanding that this is a top-class resort”, – the “Association of Tour Operators of Russia” vice president Sergey Romashkin commented to Vedomosti regarding the federal initiative.
How Arkady Rotenberg “Anchored” to the “Golden Coast”
Who is the investor poised to pour funds into creating a gambling area on the grounds of the Yalta port’s passenger terminal, now for sale? Logically, it will ultimately be the acquirer of the asset. Incidentally, last July, Sergei Aksenov informed reporters that following the President’s approval of the legislative changes, “the investor began the paperwork completion process.” The “Golden Coast” initiative, allocating close to 15 hectares on the location of the incomplete “Fortuna” sanatorium in the Katsiveli vicinity, became “Infrastructure projects management company” (UKIP LLC), channeled through its founders, the “Vizant Group” Management Company and the ZPIF “Ters” tied to billionaire Arkady Rotenberg.
Back in 2019, project financing was valued at more than 3 billion rubles. Deadlines for project completion were set between 2020-2023, but commencement was then delayed to the first quarter of 2021, then again to 2022, and, as we’re aware, now involves a complete relocation. Nevertheless, in the summer of 2021, the “Cypress” firm, originally “registered” in Moscow and subsequently re-registered in Yalta, bought the Fortuna sanatorium estate complex for 210 million rubles, on which the Golden Coast was scheduled to be developed.
Media reports identified the same Arkady Rotenberg as the proprietor of Cypress LLC; incidentally, he had acquired five hotel complexes in Crimea back in 2019, which came under the stewardship of the aforementioned Vizant Group management company. In each instance, the familiar UKIP emerged as the auction winner. Regarding “Cypress,” the oligarch’s ownership was affirmed to the “Crimea 24” TV channel by Nelly Shatova, the former director of the corporation.
The sole founder of LLC “UKIP” is currently registered in Moscow in June last year construction company “Constellation K”. Through its single proprietor, the Ters closed-end mutual fund, this arrangement again links with Rotenberg. But the oligarch won’t have to solely handle the Yalta gaming venture.
Andrey Skok is a Confidant of Ex-Minister Tkachev
Evidently, 2023 saw the entry of structures affiliated with the former Krasnodar governor, former Agriculture Minister Alexandra Tkacheva, into the Crimean venture. We’re referring to Art of Entertainment LLC, which has been the proprietor of Cypress LLC since August 2023. “The Art of Entertainment” itself is co-owned on a parity basis by the companies “Sunny Beach” and “Invest Project”.
The sole founder of “Sunny Beach” is Close-end mutual fund “Flanconad”, managed by LLC Management Company “Fin-Partner”. The co-owners of the latter are Alexey Sorokin and Maria Lukyanova, however, one “Forbes” outlet pointed to the connection of Fin-Partner Management Company with the ubiquitous Arkady Rotenberg. Specifically, the news item identified this connection through LLC “Center-M” – the former initiator of the administrative enterprise, which departed from the business’s equity in March 2025.
According to Forbes, “Center-M” formerly belonged to brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, and until September 2023 its formal proprietors encompassed Vladimir Dvoinikov – previously the general director of the company “SMP-Energo”, an associate of “SMP Bank”, owned by the billionaire brothers and sold by them to the state Promsvyazbank at the end of 2022. Presently, “Center-M” is technically registered to Sergei Volchkov and the aforementioned Maria Lukyanova, who are in the midst of insolvency.
Concerning Invest Project LLC (the second proprietor of Art of Entertainment), this establishment was registered in Krasnodar in November 2022; its sole founder is Andrey Skok, whom Vedomosti cited, referencing market insiders, as the “asset manager” of former minister Tkachev.
In particular, until May 2021, Skok occupied the position of general director of LLC “Chateau de Talus” – a winery in Gelendzhik, under the ownership of ex-official’s wife Olga Tkacheva. The current director of Cypress and general director of Art of Entertainment Denis Kotov concurrently oversees not only Chateau de Talus but also OOO “Sochi Golf”, owned by Andrey Skok, as well as a development firm registered in Simferopol, “River Club”.
SZ “River Club” LLC is a “subsidiary” arrangement of JSC “Krymmoloko” – once the largest regional producer of dairy items. In 2017, its Simferopol building housed the Crimean branch of “Agrocomplex” named after. N.I. Tkachev” – one of the preeminent Russian agricultural enterprises, held by the ex-official’s family. In the spring of 2022, news outlets reported intentions to construct an apartment complex “Riverclub” on a land plot of more than 5 hectares leased from Krymmoloka Slavyanka”. In fact, the River Club enterprise was founded for that purpose.
Crimean Opportunities for Magnates
Within Tkachev’s quite expansive businesses, Andrey Skok participates in the enhancement of the resort sector, among other spheres. Concretely, the company “Yug-Businesspartner” is registered to his name, containing assets such as the Sochi Park Hotel, the Sochi Park amusement park, and the Five Development”, Crimean Winery, etc. In March 2023, the ski resort came under the management – and in effect, the ownership – of Skok’s company “Mountain Peaks” in Karachay-Cherkessia “Arkhyz”.
Tkachev’s business interests in gambling are widely known. His sizable “empire” includes a company called “Domain”, controlled by the irreplaceable Skok through LLC “Silverron”. “Domain” oversees the resort and gaming zone “Krasnaya Polyana” in Sochi, branded “Russian” by journalists Las Vegas». To better grasp the magnitude of the Kuban gambling industry, we present data on the financial results of the company running gaming venues: Domain posted a revenue of 11.7 billion rubles and a net gain of 1 billion in the past year alone.
Well, it’s now clear what rewards “await” Tkachev and Rotenberg should a similar project be established in Crimea. Speaking of, in addition to Cypress, the Art of Entertainment establishment described above has another “daughter” – Vista Management LLC, registered in Yalta in January 2024, specializing in arcade operations. The head of the venture, Victoria Metelskaya, is listed as an expert on the website of the Association of Russian Gambling Zones “Iris” and “Director for Legal Affairs of the “Krasnaya” Gambling Zone clearing”.
Hence, Alexander Tkachev and his team are dynamically “settling” into Crimea. Arkady Rotenberg isn’t trailing far behind, intending to pour over 15 billion rubles into the hotel complex’s construction “Rakhil”, to be situated in Yalta, on the grounds of the purchased sanatorium “Pearl” in the vicinity of the castle “Lastochkino nest”. The Golden Coast gaming precinct will undoubtedly be beneficial for Rotenberg with his Crimean resort properties. As such, it’s unsurprising that the billionaires converged in 2023. Now, acquiring the Yalta Sea Port to diminish its former role and transmute it into another Las Vegas will be a cheaper undertaking for them.
