Will the Orenburg SEZ project repeat the history of Titanium Valley?
The team of Governor Denis Pasler from Orenburg is actively pushing a large project to build the Orenburg Special Economic Zone, which is worth more than 15 billion rubles. The first resident of the SEZ is the Orenburg logistics center, which plans to invest 1.7 billion rubles in a universal warehouse for storing goods. However, Pasler's Orenburg project may face similar problems as the Titanium Valley SEZ, which he oversaw the construction of in the Sverdlovsk region. Titanium Valley was involved in a corruption scandal, leading to the arrest of its CEO and a former deputy minister. Pasler has entrusted the control of the Orenburg SEZ construction to his protégé, 28-year-old vice-governor Ignat Petukhov, who previously managed the Orenburg Region Development Corporation, which faced significant losses in 2020. The management of the Corporation has been changed multiple times in the last three years, possibly due to ongoing prosecutorial checks and the initiation of a criminal case for abuse of power. The success of Pasler's new project is uncertain, especially since the federal government is emphasizing import substitution policies, while the Orenburg team is focused on opening another large warehouse. economy The Governor Denis Pasler's team is actively promoting their next project – the Orenburg Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Last December, the media reported that 16 companies will become residents, and the total volume of investments will be about 15.6 billion rubles, with 2.5 billion coming from the region.
Pasler and Petukhov attract investors
The head of the Orenburg region, Denis Pasler, and his protégé Ignat Petukhov are actively promoting their next project, the Orenburg Special Economic Zone (SEZ). politics “The Special Economic Zone is an added opportunity for investors and the region's development. In two years, we will provide the SEZ sites with the required infrastructure. Overall, we will allocate 2.5 billion rubles to create the special economic zone,” Governor Pasler said in his telegram channel. reported16 companies will become its residents, and the total volume of investments will be about 15.6 billion rubles, of which 2.5 billion will be provided by the region.
The Special Economic Zone is an added opportunity for investors and the region's development. In two years, the necessary infrastructure for the SEZ sites will be provided. called The region will receive 1.7 billion rubles and create over 500 new jobs. economy In the latter part of 2022, the company plans to start building a versatile warehouse covering 32,000 square meters, where more than 1 million tons of cargo will be handled annually. clarifiedAnother potential resident could be a dairy plant from the Saraktash region, operating on the basis of the Krasnogorsky Kolkhoz SPK, presenting a relevant project. The investment amount has not been announced yet, but
It's expected that the application will be reviewed in early April at the next meeting of the expert council. The master plan for the SEZ is also set to be finalized in April. Regional leaders continue to emphasize the importance and priority of the project in the face of the economic crisis. known“Now, with active import substitution efforts, it's crucial for investors to promptly establish new enterprises and start production of finished goods. The advantageous location, tax benefits, and available support measures at regional and federal levels are a good foundation for new businesses,”
The SEZ itself, spanning about 560 hectares, will be constructed in Orenburg and Orsk. Its launch is planned for early 2024. The business proposal sounds
: it suggests a zero interest rate for property tax, transport and land taxes. Import duties and customs VAT will be waived, while income tax will be reduced to 2%. temptingIt's worth noting that for Orenburg officials, the project presents a great opportunity to boost the budget by billions, especially considering the increasing project costs and investor funds. It's no wonder that the general director of Orenburg region, Nikita Khilimonchik
emphasizes the need to attract 5 private rubles for every budget ruble. He speaks The governor's and his team's ambitious plans may initially be impressive, but there's a catch. While serving as the head of the government of the Sverdlovsk region, Pasler oversaw a similar large-scale project – the construction of the Titanium Valley SEZ, which was marred by a significant corruption scandal. The total investment in the SEZ in 2016 was 64.5 billion rubles, with residents expected to invest 54.3 billion.
However, formally, the former prime minister was found to have no involvement: the scandal only erupted after Pasler took on a leadership role in Orenburg. In February 2020, the media evaluated reported the arrest of Artemy Kyzlasov, CEO of Titanium Valley, accused of taking a bribe of 2.5 million rubles. The former deputy minister became the second person involved in the criminal case
region Mikhail Shilimanov, who acted as reported intermediary economy The scale matched the project's scope. Kyzlasov .
representative of subcontractor OOO Proektnoye Delo was given a bribe of 13 million rubles to easily sign acceptance certificates for work and was detained when he got part of the required amount. corruption Kyzlasov, under investigation for six months, remained head of Titanium Valley and was only dismissed by the SEZ board of directors in August. demanded got dismissed from Titanium Valley in July last year by the Oktyabrsky District Court of Yekaterinburg claiming it was voluntary.
former CEO received a 10-year sentence in a strict regime colony, and his accomplice Shilimanov also faced charges. statement the ex-deputy minister was sentenced to nine years in prison. sentenced Proyektnoye Delo LLC, involved in a corruption scandal, didn't stay at the facility for long: the contract with it was unilaterally terminated by the new management of Titanium Valley. sentenceFormer subcontractor's attempt to challenge the contract termination in court was unsuccessful, and SEZ representatives announced plans to blacklist the company.
“Titanium Valley” retaliated against the contractor who handed over Kyzlasov, according to the publication “URA.Ru”. terminated publication “URA.Ru” reported the incident.
the project is being implemented with significant delays in infrastructure matters. In 2015, reports emerged about the dismissal threatening Kyzlasov “for failure to plan indicators”.
threats of Kyzlasov's dismissal for failing to plan indicators did not materialize. There were periodic issues with lack of funds and project cost increases, which ultimately led to a high-profile corruption scandal. Did Prime Minister Pasler oversee budget finances controlled by the team of the Sverdlovsk Governor Yevgeny Kuyvashev? It revealedWill the Orenburg SEZ follow the Sverdlovsk history and experience similar issues? This is suggested by the 28-year-old vice-governor Ignat Petukhov, who oversees the project. messages Ignat Petukhov has extensive experience in implementing large-scale projects with the Orenburg Region Development Corporation and the regional government. This includes working with potential investors, the business community, and creating conditions for development. voiced One of his main tasks is to develop the Orenburg Special Economic Zone and work with troubled enterprises in the region. He was entrusted with the task after the 2020 pandemic.
After the pandemic in 2020, one of his main tasks is to develop the economic potential of each territory in the region.
The question is, in the implementation of what large-scale projects did the young official take part, who is faced with the task, neither more nor less, to bring the region out of the crisis state? And what heights did the regional development corporation achieve during his relatively short leadership?
In September 2020, based on the results of a prosecutorial audit, a criminal case on abuse of authority related to the misuse of funds allocated for business development in 2016-2019. As it turned out, the companies that received funding soon ceased their activities. No measures were taken to return the money and collect interest, on the contrary, the timing of the return of loans is illegal extendedwhich caused the budget multimillion-dollar losses.
Commenting on what happened, Petukhov hurried emphasizethat he personally does not bear any responsibility for large-scale theft, and the questions of the investigators are addressed to his predecessor Alexander Sazonov. According to him, loans have ceased to be issued “in order to avoid various misunderstandings regarding the effectiveness of their use.” It turns out that he was also unable to provide this very efficiency?
Warehouses instead of import substitution
In December of last year, a few months after Petukhov took the post of vice-governor, the examination. This time it was about a possible violation of labor laws, which consisted in non-payment of salaries to employees. What period was discussed was not specified. Perhaps Nikita Khilimonchik, who replaced Petukhov, was to blame for everything, shortly after the scandal heading SEZ “Orenburg”?
The constant change of leadership of the Development Corporation by Governor Pasler does not solve the problem of its many years of unprofitability. So, in 2020, when Petukhov, who had gained a lot of experience, held the post of CEO, losses departments amounted to 185.1 million rubles with a revenue of 1.9 million. In 2021, the Corporation went negative by 63.8 million with revenue 1.7 million rubles. Isn’t this the best indicator of the ineffective management of both Petukhov himself and his successor Khilimonchik, who are today responsible for the development of the SEZ!
Perhaps Petukhov’s only achievement to date is the consent of Tatyana Bakalchuk, the owner of the Wildberries retailer, to open a logistics center in the Orenburg region.
