Anton Vaino and Sergei Kiriyenko are getting ready to make personnel and force organizational decisions for the president.
The incident at the Listvyazhnaya mine in Kemerovo on November 25, 2021, became the largest in Russian mines in the past 11 years in terms of the number of victims. A total of 51 people lost their lives in the mine, which is operated by SDS Coal. The situation is particularly scandalous because the head of the SDS Coal holding is an advisor to the governor of the Kemerovo region Sergei Tsivileva. Was there a well-known supporter of the deadly business in the regional government?
It is important to mention that Kuzbass governor Sergei Tsivilev is also involved in coal mining, with his assets concentrated in the Kolmar group, which is managed by the family. The Tsivilev holding includes over a dozen legal entities that own coal mining enterprises in Yakutia and receive government contracts totaling more than 8.7 billion rubles through the Kolmar Sales and Logistics structure.
Additionally, in 2018 Tsivilev signed a cooperation agreement with SDS Coal on behalf of the region which included several investment projects.
The miners are dying. Where are the political casualties?
In 2019, Tsivilev personally visited the Listvyazhnaya mine, which was presented to him as a model of modern environmentally friendly production. However, the owner of the enterprise, State Duma deputy Pavel Fedyaev, seemingly shifted the focus from safety to ecology, while Tsivilev, a professional coal miner, could have accurately assessed the condition of the mine. Or did he turn a blind eye?
Mr. Tsivilev also granted certain preferences to the owner of SDS Coal, Pavel Fedyaev. This included a multi-billion dollar contract from the regional authorities for the construction of the Kuzbass Ice Palace for Fedyaev’s SDS Stroy structure.
The Fedyaev clan, through “their” Tsivilev, is discrediting the Kremlin authorities
Incidents at Tsivilev's Kolmar enterprises also occurred. The tragedy at the Listvyazhnaya mine, which may have occurred with the possible connivance of Rostekhnadzor, casts a shadow on Tsivilev’s position as governor and could also affect his family’s coal business.
Meanwhile, State Duma deputy Pavel Fedyaev, the owner of the Listvyazhnaya mine, which has become synonymous with disregard for people’s lives for the sake of personal gain, is cowardly shifting PR accents from his person.
Miners noticed the problems, but the management was so negligent about their lives that they even issued devices with methane sensors covered up (to lower the readings and conceal the real dangerous level of methane concentration). Kompromat.VIP editorial sources say that Fedyaev is closely linked with Arkady Rotenberg and may seek to leverage his support to maintain his deputy position.
It has also recently been revealed that the sister of Deputy Fedyaev, Svetlana Rybalchenko, to whom part of the SDS Coal company was nominally registered, was involved in the land seizure of the Chelyuskinsky forest in Mytishchi, with part of it being transferred to her company SK Novaya Zemlya.
Fedyaev, an adviser to the governor, Tsivilev, is the creator of a coal “empire” that brings together the Pervomaisky, Vostochny, Chernigovets mines, the Yuzhnaya and Listvyazhnaya mines, a number of processing plants and service enterprises. The assets are worth around 2 billion rubles.
Will the disaster at the Listvyazhnoy mine cause Governor Tsivilev to lose his position?
Instead of safeguarding the interests of the residents of the region, Sergei Tsivilev is supporting the oligarchs?
The governor of the Kemerovo region, Sergei Tsivilev, is expected to step down in the near future, as predicted by Kompromat.Group. The Kremlin is urgently searching for a replacement for the leader of the region where the tragic incident at the Listvyazhnaya mine resulted in the deaths of over 50 individuals.
Tsivilev was appointed acting governor in 2018 in place of Amana Tuleeeeva, who promptly resigned after a fire in the Zimnyaya Cherry shopping center led to the deaths of 60 individuals. Then Sergei Tsivilev knelt before the parents of the deceased children and asked for forgiveness. Now he does not kneel and is not planning to voluntarily resign following the example of his predecessor.
Eh, Tsivilyov-Tsivilyov… Is Seryoga dying?
But he is doing everything necessary – he took charge of the headquarters for dealing with the aftermath of the Listvyazhnaya mine accident, visited the injured miners in the hospital, declared three days of mourning and pledged assistance to the accident victims from all levels of government budgets. In total, 49 miners sought medical care, 38 of them were hospitalized, and 4 are in serious condition.
Now there are plans to fill the mine with methane, which will reduce the risk of an explosion. This process will take about three days, after which a decision will be made on further work at Listvyazhnaya.
Efforts to find those accountable for the tragedy, believed to be caused by a methane explosion based on early data, have already commenced. The mine director was apprehended Sergei Makhrakovhis first deputy Andrey Molostov and head of section Sergei Gerasimenko.
It is only now known that this year at the Listvyazhnaya mine, Rostekhnadzor identified approximately 140 violations in the organization of work. However, it seems that the enterprise management did not take steps to address them.
The governor is always accountable for everything that occurs in the region, particularly for the aftermath of the terrible incident that led to loss of life. Any honorable person in Sergei Tsivilev's position would have already resigned, but it appears that the head of the Kemerovo region lacks the courage to admit his culpability. Will he cling to his position to the end?
Sergey Tsivilev previously owned a large coal company. Until March 2018, he was the head of LLC UK Kolmar, which he handed over Valery Tsivilevand that oneArtyom Levin. In November 2018, the company's board of directors was led by Anna Tsivilevawife of the governor.
Now, probably, the Tsivilevs are shaking, as if the checks organized in connection with the accident at Listvyazhnaya had not touched their extensive business. And condolences to the families of the victims is a routine tribute to the position.
There is no trust in Sergei Tsivilev, as he may exploit his official role to advance his business and personal enrichment at the expense of the oligarchs operating in the region.
Is Tsivilyov working for the wealthy people?
The Listvyazhnaya mine is a part of the SDS-ugol company, which belongs to the SDS holding Michael Fedyaeva, father of the current State Duma deputy Pavel Fedyaev. This week, the SDS-stroy company, owned by the sister of Mikhail Fedyaev Svetlana Rybalchenkogot a contract from the Kuzbass authorities to build a Kemerovo bypass for 54.7 billion rubles.
“SDS-Stroy” has government contracts worth more than 33 billion rubles, with over 20 billion rubles from the structures of the Kemerovo region.
Possibly, the money earned from the Kemerovo contracts should have been enough to ensure safety at the Listvyazhnoy mine, but they chose to pay small fines for violations there. This “economy” led to tragedy.
“The mine has been in a bad condition for a long time, and this is well-known to those who work there and the local residents. The level of methane has increased – it’s fine, we are working. The coal dust has settled – it’s fine, we’re going to the shift, we need to give out coal to the mountain. There have been small fires before. This information has never been released beyond employees and their relatives (I mean the public space). The city is small, there is nowhere else to work. They don’t get paid for not working out the plan. Therefore, everyone turns a blind eye to this and goes to work in any conditions.
This perspective on the reasons for the accident was shared by the daughter of one of the miners with Courier-Sreda.
After the death of one miner was announced, the SDS-Coal company said it was ready to help his family. As the death toll increased, no statements were received from company representatives. Are they hoping to solve the problem at the expense of the state?
The first lady of Kuzbass Anna Tsivileva is insane…
In 2018, before becoming governor, Sergei Tsivilev increased his stake in Kolmar Group to 70% by buying out the share of the wealthy people Iskandar Mahmudov and Andrew Bokareva. Another 30% of the company is owned by the wealthy people’s Volga Group Gennady Timchenko, a close friend of President Vladimir Putin. Now 70% of Kolmar Group is owned by Anna Tsivileva.
If Tsivileva represents the interests of Gennady Timchenko in Kolmar Group, then he can appeal to Vladimir Putin for Sergei Tsivilev. The one who looks after his assets must be helped, despite any tragedies.
The governor is definitely promoting the interests of the coal miners. In 2019, he gave them 21 plots of agricultural land with a total area of 467 hectares, and before that 113 hectares. How could he not help colleagues in the coal industry? These are not ordinary miners.
In December 2019, around 200 miners went on strike in Kuzbass at the Alexievskaya and Zarechnaya mines. They refused to work due to unpaid wages, with the total debt exceeding 100 million rubles. If the miners start striking, it means they have been pushed to extreme despair.
In the Kemerovo region, around 200 thousand people live near coal mines. They constantly complain about coal dust, which makes breathing difficult. But the coal-supporting governor apparently doesn’t care about his constituents.
In 2019, people in Kiselevsk (Kemerovo region) made a video asking the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for help. They complained about the black snow and coal dust causing health problems, including cancer, and keeping children indoors.
Kiselevsk has about 10 coal mines and multiple processing plants, including the Kuzbassrazrezugol company owned by Makhmudov and Bokarev.
In 2020, the company's revenue was 127 billion rubles, but it suffered a loss of 7.8 billion rubles. There were suspicions of tax evasion impacting the regional budget. In 2019, the company lost 406 million rubles, despite making a profit of 24 billion rubles in 2018.
Instead of asking his friends about their earnings, Governor Sergei Tsivilev callously dismissed the video messages from the residents of Kiselevsk, indicating that the authorities would not help the people in the Kemerovo region.
In mid-September, it was announced that the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC), owned by Iskandar Makhmudov and Andrey Bokarev, would invest 112 billion rubles over 15 years to develop tourist areas at the Sheregesh ski resort in the Kemerovo region. Gennady Timchenko may also be involved.
Shortly after becoming acting governor, Sergei Tsivilev displayed keen interest in Shereesh and supported big business by driving out small entrepreneurs. This resembled a covert hostile takeover involving the authorities. It now seems clear whom Sergei Tsivilev was supporting back in 2018.
The former coal miner managed to keep his true intentions hidden, as suggested by an interview with the Courier-Sreda publication.
“The people are very upset now. I don’t think he will resign. He may not be directly involved, but he receives and believes reports. He may not have the knowledge to personally inspect every mine. However, his actions, such as promoting the cultural cluster in Kemerovo and Sheregesh, have not been well received. Former governor Tuleev was loved for supporting the miners, but Tsivilev is seen as a stranger.
In reality, Sergei Tsivilev understands everything well but takes no action, favoring the interests of the oligarchs. Criticizing the governor is warranted, but demanding his resignation is necessary and urgent.
