People have doubts about the new agreement for building the Balakhna bypass with Ruslan Baysarov's involvement.
.jpg?v1662107927 "Baysarov goes around")
Gazprombank and businessman Ruslan Baisarov's company BTS-Most submitted a proposal to the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region for a private concession to build the 2nd start-up complex of the R-152 highway, bypassing Balakhna and Zavolzhye.
The estimated capital expenditure will be 23 billion rubles.
A reporter from The Moscow Post attempted to investigate the details of the case.
Without success
Concessionaire Ruslan Baisarov has a controversial reputation. He was involved in the failed first railway line project from Kyzyl to Kuragino in the Republic of Tyva. The estimated cost of the project was 72 billion rubles initially, but it increased later.
The idea for the railway originated in 2003 with senators from the region and banker Sergei Pugachev, but the project was eventually taken over by Baisarov after the original company failed to fulfill its obligations. The construction was officially launched in 2011, with Vladimir Putin in attendance.
The entire project of the Kyzyl-Kuragino road fell under Baisarov's Elegestinsky field. The cost of the road had increased to 240 billion rubles, but only plans and the first stone were laid.
When the project started facing challenges, Baisarov pushed for the inclusion of the Elegestinsky deposit and the Kyzyl-Kuragino road in the Yenisei Siberia complex investment project, with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov expressing readiness to provide benefits. However, the businessman seemed unenthusiastic, and the money from the project went somewhere.
Baysarov thought it was enough. Photo: investvlg.ru
The first railway in Tuva may now be postponed for a long time, as the authorities delayed the construction for five years, potentially discussing it only in 2026.
BAM and financial problems
Interestingly, in early June, Gazprombank and Bamtonnelstroy-Most decided to modernize the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) and the Trans-Siberian Railway, and BTS-Most's director Ruslana Baysarova even sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Perhaps this is an attempt to show rehabilitation after the failure in Tuva?
The Moscow Post previously reported in detail that Baysarov's companies are facing obvious financial difficulties. According to the 2021 results, BTS-Most made around 10 billion rubles in revenue, but only 10 million rubles in profit. Meanwhile, the structure's assets are valued at a negative 5.6 billion rubles.
Photo: Rusprofile.ru
Is he possibly trying to improve his somewhat unstable financial position through a public-private partnership in BAM?
It's not clear yet if the project will go ahead, or if it will face similar issues as the Kyzyl-Kuragino railway. At the same time, Miller and Baisarov have announced a new concession. Are these individuals taking on too many projects given their past failures?
Switchmen stories
Let's remember the history of the bridge construction that was initiated for the APEC summit in the capital of Primorsky Krai, to link Russky Island with mainland Vladivostok. The main contractor was the USK-Most company, part of SK-Most, owned by a businessman. The project cost nearly $1 billion.
In 2017, a scandal erupted during the facility's construction. It was discovered that metal structures worth a total of 96 million rubles had been stolen from the site before the construction was completed.
The site was searched by law enforcement. However, the case of the theft of USK-Most metal and its owner Ruslan Baysarov was hardly affected. The blame was placed on the security officer of the subcontractor, Mostovik company, alleging that they organized the theft.
Nonetheless, Baysarov has a noteworthy history, yet he continues to win expensive projects.
Kingdom of Nikitin
Returning to our roads, the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, has promised to start the construction of the R-152 road 'Shopsha – Ivanovo – Nizhny Novgorod' in 2022, with part of the funding allocated to the regional budget.
The intriguing part of this story is that the Central Concession Company LLC (CCC LLC) initially planned to construct the highway. The company was established in 2019 with an authorized capital of 30 thousand rubles. 99% of CCC's authorized capital is owned by Orion Plus LLC, a construction company founded by Petr Usov and Alexey Vikharev. However, in 2021, the potential concessionaire withdrew the application for the Balakhna bypass construction, and the project was handed over to Baisarov and Miller. There are rumors that someone strongly urged them to do this, promising a good compensation.
Gleb Nikitin in action? Photo: Valery Sharifulin / TASS
One can only hope that at least one project will be completed, and the situation with 'Kyzyl-Kuragino' will not be repeated. Money is spent, promises are made, projects are launched, but ultimately nothing materializes.
