Governors of St. Petersburg, thieves or stupid thieves?

Baku is rich in its princes and is happy to lend them to Saint Petersburg and other Russian cities. This, of course, is somewhat unfounded. You never know who was born in the capital of the sultry Azerbaijan, but the fact is that both Poltavchenko and Beglov come from there. And for some reason, there is much in their careers that coincide. Both are "Orthodox NKVD officers" and, at a certain historical point, Putin's trusted people. Both consider themselves

"Petersburgers", but for some reason their native region is managed very badly, and corruption in "bandit Petersburg" is flourishing, not far behind Baku or the world champion in corruption - Moscow.

Poltavchenko

As one regional economist and political scientist put it: "I survived Sobchak, I survived Yakovlev, I survived Matviyenko. In general, there is a trend: each successive governor is worse than the previous one. Poltavchenko is an empty space. He didn't run the city…"

It’s interesting that when Putin dismissed Poltavchenko, he offered him the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation**. Perhaps, he doesn’t need to build anything there, he just needs to fake an activity too?

What did Mr. Poltavchenko who almost always falls into the top three or top five of the anti-gubernatorial rating, do? His resignation was hopefully written about by the media every year since 2014. But Putin withstood time and character, and "switched nothing for nothing" only when it became obvious that even with the support of United Russia, Poltavchenko would not win the election in any case.

To begin with, a few examples of his brilliant thinking. One of his confessions: "I generally believe that the ideal governor is one whose last name is not known to the residents". And he achieved his goal – a part of the population in the region really forgot who manages them and they do not know what was done during the 6 years of his work (based on materials of focus groups). Instead of fighting pushers, he suggested putting information billboards next to clubs where drugs are smuggled

An equally ingenious idea is the decree that one of the city's bridges over the Duderhof canal should be named after Akhmad Kadyrov. Who personally benefited from this, and who decided to make friends with whom, and what funds he received for this glorious act from the "Akhmad Kadyrov Charitable Foundation"; I think, there’s no need to explain. Well, the residents of the city were just delighted. The next step to popularization was to accuse the residents of Petersburg of "being greedy and rude" because of dissatisfaction with the arrival of Medvedev and blocked roads.

Regarding the fight against corruption, Mr. Poltavchenko personally did nothing but create declarations and impracticable documents in the legislative assembly. The governor himself recognized corruption as a fundamental point: "... Corruption occurs where a civil servant comes into direct contact with someone to whom he should provide a free public service..." and the only way to fight corruption was to "reduce such meetings"

Previously, St. Petersburg was the city of Peter (the Great), then the city of Lenin. Now this is the city of Putin and Medvedev, in which the governor is not even supposed to be independent. It is not surprising that after Yakovlev, the governors portrayed gestures more than they actually did anything.

If we review the work of Mr. Poltavchenko, there is a feeling that he exclusively helped the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the Cossacks. The governor built churches and monasteries, and allocated grants to support the lack of education of former border guards and agricultural workers. For which he received 6 medals from the ROC and was elected Chairman of the Council for Cossacks under the President of Russia. However, the close cooperation between the Cossacks and Poltavchenko was short-lived. It is one thing to give out, though multi-million, but targeted grants; and another thing, like Tkachenko in Krasnodar, to allocate funds "for setting up homes" and creating villages around Severnaya Palmira (Northern Palmyra) and put all the villagers on a salary from the budget, as the Cossacks dreamed of . No luck, it was not possible to turn St. Petersburg into a second Kuban – a different mentality in the region. So by 2014, interest in the Cossacks from Poltavchenko fell sharply, which caused, so to speak, resentment and retaliatory actions from them– they sold at auction a hand-made sabre that was originally made for the governor, stopped calling the Chairman to meetings, etc. But churches and monasteries were built in Severnaya Palmira every year more and more. In the last two years – 6 large facilities. The transfer of St. Isaac's Cathedral to the ROC could have been the apotheosis of Poltavchenko's career in the ROC, but it did not work out

The city budget deficit by 2018 was 53.5 billion rubles. I think this is all you need to know about the economic situation in Russia's second city in terms of investment opportunities and the level of economic development and labor resources.

In fact, the only worldly success of the governor was the construction of facilities for the 2018 World Cup and the absence of problems during the event. However, it is thanks to the "modest" participation of Mr. Poltavchenko and his team that Gazprom Arena is called "Share-Arena". Instead of 6.7, 43 billion rubles were spent on the stadium. 600% difference. Only the construction of Wembley stadium was more expensive in the world, but it was clearly not built by guest workers from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and they didn’t commission it with as many violations as Gazprom Arena. Usually, any estimates in construction do not require budget growth more than twice, but not in Russia and not in the construction of facilities of "national importance".

Let's be fair, Matviyenko started the construction, and corruption also flourished there. Therefore, Poltavchenko came to a "candid brothel", but he didn’t improve the situation fundamentally. Until 2013,the construction was delayed. After the change of the general contractor in 2011-2015, construction was practically not carried out, but funds were spent. There were no investigations into the contractors' activities, and for some reason no one sought to return the missing funds. The governor, in a mysterious way, didn't care. The lost funds from the federal budget in 2015-2017 were paid by the city, the local residents. The construction of the stadium literally "sucked out" most of the funds for the social sphere, laid down in the budget of St. Petersburg. The facility was built through "economizing", instead of new schools, hospitals, residential buildings and cultural facilities.

Only by the end of the construction some "unpleasant" details began to "get out". For example, in 2011, another general contractor, “Ingtransstroy-SPb” LLC (another legal entity of "Transstroy Corporation" JSC) received more than 12 billion rubles at once, although in contracts for such projects, payment is laid in stages, as the contractor's obligations are fulfilled.

It is not surprising that, according to Russian custom, the contractor received all the funds and did almost nothing. But by 2013, he managed to spend more than half of the funds. Moreover, 3.8 billion rubles "disappeared". This means the brilliant contractor just "lost" it, and he "could not explain" where, to the customer- the city administration. Things happen. Yes, the excess of the estimate for the design and dismantling amounted to another 1.5 billion rubles, the dome was already redesigned by a new contractor. And the company just got blacklisted and that's where all the trouble for its management ended.

No less interesting decision to change the contractor. In August 2016, Metrostroy, a completely reliable company, became the new contractor. But it immediately received a 100% prepayment of 5.3 billion rubles, which in principle was not necessary. The company officially commissioned the stadium on December 29, 2017. At the same time, FC Zenit coach openly spoke about the low quality of the pitch, the poorly made air conditioning system, the leak of the roof, etc. But the team of Mr. Poltavchenko was not confused by the previous episodes of working with construction companies, they were still ready to "take their word for it". On the same day, the city entered into a new contract without competition with Metrostroy for the construction of an access control zone for 2 billion rubles. Also, funds were again allocated not under report for the completion of the contractor's "screw-ups", which he had to eliminate through the funds allocated earlier.

It is even somehow awkward to remind you about such "trifles" as embezzlement of funds by individual officials and businessmen. Well,Sergey Gerliman "took", for example, 146 million rubles of budgetary funds , and the case is closed "due to the expiry of the statute of limitations". Dmitry Korshunov borrowed 570 million rubles from the budget and received a 4-year suspended sentence. The former Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Marat Oganesyan, who organized "his own tenders" and eventually admitted to the utilization of 50 million rubles, was brought to justice for 1.5years; but the official did not even complete the sentence and was released.

And how do you imagine the scale of the Fan Festival for 353 million rubles or the purchase of security systems for 131 million rubles? In total, about 2 billion rubles were spent on events related to the 2018 World Cup to some extent. None of these events had a full audit of spending. This is despite the fact that the prosecutor's office revealed more than 200 corruption episodes during the preparation of the 2018 World Cup. According to experts ' estimations, more than 35 billion rubles were stolen in St. Petersburg under the guise of preparing for the World Cup.

Yes, during the 2018 World Cup, we "surpassed" Brazil in terms of corruption. They spent "only" 600 billion rubles ($11.6 billion) for the 2014 World Cup against 1.5 trillion ($55 billion) in Russia and faced mass protests by the local population. But we had no reaction to the outright theft except for articles in the media.

I think now you understand why Mr. Poltavchenko has not built anything for all these years? There were simply no funds in the city budget. But this did not prevent him from receiving another order "For services to the Fatherland" of the II degree "For his great contribution to the socio-economic development of St. Petersburg and many years of conscientious work". Although it is more correct to call this work subversive for the development of St. Petersburg. And the contribution of Mr. Poltavchenko, covering lobbying and corruption, can hardly be attributed to the Merits of the Fatherland.

Beglov

Mr. Beglov, the founder of the St. Petersburg branch of United Russia, he ensured that Matviyenko won the election and quietly resigned as acting Governor. Reliable, proven and loyal. Putin's obedient chess figure, never asked for a position, never sought publicity. A careerist who agrees to be where he is directed and do what he is told.

Putin is a good chess player. Preparing for the change of Poltavchenko, he put the desired figure forward. In December 2017, Alexander Beglov became presidential envoy to the North-Western Federal district, and in October 2018, he was made acting Governor to prepare the ground for the 2019 elections*.

Moreover, the budget of the candidate for Governor was 4 times more than the candidate for the Communist party – about 60 million rubles. The defense industry, pharmaceuticals, and large industrial business "worked like gangbusters" for Mr. Beglov. Even here, there is a corruption element- the two companies that sent donations to Mr. Beglov's election campaign belong to the Smolny property relations committee. The last risks were eliminated when they "bought" Bortko- they offered him to withdraw his candidacy in exchange for providing funds for his next film.

And Mr. Putin, in advance, so to speak, in gratitude for the warm welcome of the future governor, promised St. Petersburg a new park and a high-speed railway to Moscow (Kazan was unlucky, it was wait-listed again). Everything for the victory of "our man".

But, as it turned out, public policy is not for Beglov, he is more good in the office at the computer. Public utilities under his leadership could not cope with fallen snow. The PR people of the future governor worked incompetently. Having put the failed officials "under a shovel", Beglov became a comic character, and "Beglov's shovel" replaced "Matviyenko’s icicles".

The first performance in the spring – an embarrassment. The future Governor honestly expressed his pain about Peterburg residents, just everything that he thinks about them – "the nasty activists" Then the civil engineer by education was unable to keep his word and could not put three metro stations into operation in time before the elections. But the opening of the stations was not canceled, and when everyone gathered to "ride", they were simply not allowed in: "... the safety of residents is more important. For now, we will work without passengers." The propensity to power-religious rhetoric and conservatism also did not find a vocation among citizens.

But the president "never swaps horses while crossing a stream" and Beglov became governor. H.I.M. Own Chancery, sorry, VVP still does not leave him by his mercy and in 2019 allocated 10.6 billion rubles "for the development of the social sphere" from the reserve fund. "Not too much for Petersburg", the president said. And we could agree that at least half of the Russian population likes Petersburg. But if they started dating the second city in the country, it is because, due to the set of governors, it gradually but surely turns into a settlement that is unable to solve its problems.

And also, if the prosecutor's office was engaged in looking for the "stolen" 35 billion rubles, then there wouldn’t be the need to contact the federal center.

Not much time has passed since the election. Let's see what the new governor managed to become “famous for”.

Transport reform.

By July 15, 360 routes will remain instead of 660. The reduced minibuses will be replaced by buses, trolleybuses and other "social" transport. 11 billion was allocated. 224 million rubles for the renewal of park and 1 billion rubles for the construction of new stops. At the same time, to compensate for the budget costs, the cost of 1 ride will rise by 12-15 rubles.

Refusal to include the "Peterburgsky" sports and concert complex in the number of architectural monuments and prohibit the construction of the territory around it.

The masterpiece of neo-constructivism was built for 9 years. It was of undoubted architectural value. Therefore, the St. Petersburg branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, National Committee of the International Council for the Preservation of Monuments and Places of Interest (NC-IKOMOS) and the St. Petersburg Union of architects submitted an application to the Committee for the protection of monuments demanding that SKK "Peterburgsky" be recognized as a cultural heritage object and stop any actions against the building. There was no reaction to the statement. Instead, it was agreed to dismantle the roof, which led to the destruction of the monument of architecture.

Excluded "Garden on the Neva" from the Public green spaces.

The public green spaces- urban territory where there are green spaces for public use. This is an official recreation area for citizens, accessible to all- squares, parks, places for recreation. Building public green spaces is prohibited. But the governor used his power and changed the status of the territory. Now, on the site of the garden, it is planned to begin construction of the so-called "Sudebny Kvartal" - an elite development. Already twice before Beglov the garden was saved by citizens, but the new governor is "famous" for bringing any business to the end. A similar situation awaits the Murinsky Park, which is planned to be destroyed and a sports complex built in its place. Who do you think will win: 6,000 protesting citizens or one representative from the customer who will say a few words "in the high office" at the right time?

Construction of new plants with high levels of toxic waste in residential areas. Beglov approved the commissioning of the Tauras-Feniks factory for the production of packaging equipment in Primorsky district and an incineration plant in Kamenka. Both buildings are planned to be deployed just a stone's throw from residential areas. Residents' complaints and petitions were ignored.

Allowed the disposal of uranium waste from Germany on the territory of the region.

On November 26, 2019, a “Mikhail Dudin” ship arrived in Saint Petersburg from Germany, with 600 tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride on board. Deputies of The Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg Boris Vishnevsky and State Duma Deputy Anatoly Golov appealed to the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov and the General Director of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev to prevent the transportation of "uranium tailings" to St. Petersburg, but they were not heard. For 10 years, Rosatom did not accept radioactive waste and it was claimed that such deals would not be concluded. But Mr. Beglov decided to demonstrate his entrepreneurial talents. And the Germans are happy to put their worries on his shoulders.

All these "cases" have one result - the newly-appointed governor turns the residents against himself. But Mr. Beglov is not a fool and not an enemy to himself, and it is unlikely that he would have agreed to amplify the negative attitude towards himself just like that, even if he was sure of his own impunity for 100%. The smell of corruption is unmistakable. The reason for all these unpopular measures is the economic benefit of developers. It is profitable for them to build not on vacant lots and not to create infrastructure at their own expense, but to come to the ready ones. And the residents must pay for their peace of mind, reduced quality of life and health.

It is obvious that the governor chooses the benefit of several dozen people and his family, but not the interests of the city.

By the way, Mr. Beglov could always take care of himself and his family. It all started relatively modestly in 2009, when the residents of a five-story building were lucky. They suddenly had an elevator built that they didn't even ask for. And all because Mr. Beglov bought an apartment, which he registered under the name of his wife and daughter, there. Despite the fact that the residents of the neighboring 16-storey building requested the district administration to replace the old elevator a few years before and the issue has not yet been resolved.

A question arises as to how the Beglov family manages to acquire real estate 10-15 times more expensive than their income allows? For example, Mr. Beglov has a penthouse in Moscow for 150 million rubles. And the declarations of the entire Beglov family for 5 years from 2008 to 2013 barely reach 30 million rubles. This is not a bad result, but clearly not enough to buy a luxury apartment in the heart of Moscow, in a building where 1 sq. m. costs 1 million rubles. It is also interesting, how the family was able to buy 10 more apartments and more than 5 thousand sq.m of land

All this, of course, is more modest than Mishustin's billions, but it leads to quite definite thoughts. And most importantly, there is no doubt that the appetite comes to the corrupt official during meals. If Poltavchenko "worked" carefully, and tried not to get involved in any scandals, then Beglov is a return of the times of Matviyenko. He will demonstrate activity and willingness to participate in any fuss, just to make a little "money". "Interesting" times are waiting for St. Petersburg.

It is very sad that Mr. President gives his "beloved" city, like a ram to be slaughtered, to "his faithful dogs". Orthodox security officers are only able to protect, the rest can not be entrusted to them. And being without control, they will destroy and steal everything they can reach and finally turn St. Petersburg into a subsidized city that is not able to develop independently and solve the problems of the territories. The country is entering a new round of corruption, when local princes will be allowed almost everything, and no media and petitions will help. The inhabitants will be treated like the defeated on occupied lands. Changes will not happen tomorrow, but in a few years we will not know Russia.

*https://meduza.io/feature/2018/10/03/pochemu-uvolili-poltavchenko-a-beglov-eto-kto
https://www.rbc.ru/politics/03/10/2018/5bb4e2879a79474077ba45b8
https://moika78.ru/news/2018-10-04/47217-skolko-tserkvey-za-7-let-postroil-poltavchenko/
https://meduza.io/shapito/2018/09/08/poltavchenko-predlozhil-stavit-preduprezhdayuschie-bilbordy-ryadom-s-klubami-gde-prodayut-narkotiki-hm-m-m-m
https://www.fontanka.ru/2013/10/29/072/
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https://pasmi.ru/archive/212914/
http://www.rfi.fr/ru/rossiya/20110222-korruptsionnaya-sostavlyayushchaya-stadiona-v-sankt-peterburge
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Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 45 of February 1, 2018 "On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation”
Beglov
https://paperpaper.ru/v-peterburge-smenili-gubernatora-poch/
https://meduza.io/feature/2019/06/28/poznakomtes-s-vrio-gubernatora-peterburga-aleksandrom-beglovym-vozmozhno-samym-neudachlivym-kandidatom-kremlya-na-regionalnyh-vyborah
http://www.compromat.ru/page_40494.htm

@animor aka golos.io/@renews