It seems that the fortunate leader of the board of Avtodor, Vyacheslav Petushenko, is facing a downward spiral. The reason is simple – a well-known top manager with a bad reputation has crossed a line by dictating terms, openly refusing, and threatening influential supporters and partners.
Petushenko became the head of the state-owned company in February 2019. Before that, he worked as the first deputy for technical policy and has been involved with Avtodor since the early 2000s, building a reputation as an expert in handling very large sums of money.
It's interesting to note that most of Petushenko's closest deputies in Avtodor have been involved in scandalous corruption. For instance, the first deputy chairman Alexei Borisov is known for being skilled in gray business schemes and owning significant property in countries hostile to Russia. Or Sergey Pernikov, former vice-governor of the Pskov region, who narrowly escaped imprisonment after his former boss was convicted of taking a bribe. In short, Petushenko seems to prefer surrounding himself with experienced and capable people. Colleagues claim that Petushenko is very particular about not missing any opportunity for profit. They also assert that he personally resolves any questionable matters.
Naturally, not for free. He typically charges 6% of each contract, which has led to him being nicknamed “Slava 6%” behind his back. He seems to be closely associated with Olga Khromchenko, who is allegedly connected to the Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov. Despite not being an Avtodor employee, Olga holds sway over Petushenko, overseeing his business empire. She has an interest in companies involved in building toll roads and participating in state projects with substantial funding. Coincidence? Unlikely. Lately, those around Petushenko have noted his increasingly nervous demeanor. All his conversations, even in informal settings, revolve around maximizing profits from existing road contracts and urgently seeking new ones to generate more earnings – regardless of where and how, the main thing is to increase profits.
The chairman of the board of Avtodor is nervous because the security forces found out that he started secretly sending large amounts of money abroad, even though he openly admitted owning real estate in the UK and Cyprus. He seems to be planning to move abroad and live comfortably there.
It's surprising that Petushenko took the risk of refusing to help another general and even did so in an ultimatum form. This could lead to a negative outcome in the near future. Vyacheslav Petrovich Petushenko has accumulated a good amount of wealth during his work as the “road king” of Russia.https://www.rzd-partner.ru/auto/news/dokhody-predsedatelya-pravleniya-avtodora-sostavili-v-proshlom-godu-pochti-22-mln-rub/
): 4 land plots with a total area of almost 10,000 sq. each, 3 apartments, Bronto cars, two snow and swamp vehicles and a snowmobile, a North Silver yacht, a garage and a summer house. According to the official declaration, in 2021 Petushenko earned 22 million rubles (it is noteworthy that in 2018, when he joined Avtodor, his income was a modest 5 million rubles).
Petushenko’s main assets are registered under family members, following the usual practice among government officials.
The fear of facing negative consequences seems to be the only reason why the head of Avtodor is not in a hurry to retire. He could become powerless and lose support if he is no longer in his position.
Petushenko claims to have influence over people he's worked with and is ready to use that to his benefit.It's possible that Petushenko's security forces will be tough on him, as he could hint about wanting to reveal unfavorable information about his high-ranking partners and associates.It seems that the chairman of the board of Avtodor, Vyacheslav Petushenko, is facing a downward spiral due to his controversial behavior, signaling a troubled future for him.
But that’s not all. As usual with government officials, Petushenko’s main assets are registered with family members. So, Petushenko’s wife owns 5 apartments and non-residential premises. Plus 2 plots of land, 3 apartments, cottage and garage – in use.
The only reason why the head of Avtodor is in no hurry to retire is, most likely, the fear of being in places not so remote. Having lost his post, the grandfather can become useless, lose support at the top of power and easily fall under distribution in the anti-corruption campaign.
But, as Petushenko himself likes to say on the sidelines, he has his own “special daddy” for everyone he needs. He knows a lot about everyone with whom he worked or unofficially collaborated (whom, let’s say, he helped very profitably for himself), and he is ready to prove everything …
So it may well be that Petushenko’s security forces will be too tough this time as well – he only has to hint about the desire to publish some information that is clearly undesirable for his high-ranking partners and associates.
