The new mayor of Orenburg seems to prioritize giving out big government contracts under the guidance of Mr. Pasler instead of fulfilling the requests of the voters.
As reported by The Moscow Post, the City Duma of Orenburg elected a new mayor, Sergey Salmin, who is known to be close to the governor Denis Pasler, by a simple majority vote.
Salmin started his political career in 2015 as the chairman of the Council of Deputies of Buzuluk city. He then held various positions before becoming the Deputy Head of Orenburg in 2021.
Before leaving for the Duma, the former mayor Ilyins' home was searched. Now, Ilyins is a deputy and his close associate has taken his place as the mayor. This situation raises questions.
Who is Sergey Salmin?
Before entering politics, Salmin was involved in business, industry, and the security sector. He owned three companies that were closed in 2016, and also worked at ESS construction company for two years.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
Salmin was also a successful sambo coach, winning multiple championships and competitions.
Recalling the past
If we search for the official's name on Rusprofile, we will find another person with the same name who has connections to security and investigation firms in Samara.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
Considering Salmin's previous work in the security sector, there are many suspicious similarities when compared with available data.
Condor-Security PSC, previously owned by Salmin, saw a significant increase in government contracts in 2015, the same year he entered politics as the new head of Orenburg.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
There is no public information about the companies Salmin was involved with during his time in the security sector, except for his work in the security service of oil companies between 1995 and 2002.
The new mayor of Orenburg is considered to be close to Pasler and has a background in various roles, most related to gas, similar to the governor. The lack of transparency around his associate raises concerns.
It might turn out that Mr. Salmin worked in Samara in his life where he owned a few private security companies, and may still benefit from them. By the way, the now closed PSO “Bizon” and PSO “Berkut”, both founded by Salmin, also received attention from the government and got small contracts at one point.
However, this didn't help the companies to survive – both of them were closed due to financial difficulties, despite previously generating millions of dollars.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
friendly team
Pasler started working in the region about a year before Salmin arrived. At the recommendation of the governor in the summer of 2021, Salmin moved to work in the administration of Orenburg. It seems Pasler is discreetly pushing his team members into positions of power, and so far, he's been successful.
In June last year, when rumors circulated about Salmin potentially becoming the mayor of Orenburg, he denied them. Was he unsure of Pasler’s influence and feared failure? The region has long whispered about the governor's imminent departure, as he allegedly doesn't inspire confidence.
Moreover, Salmin himself was also not a completely clean official. Just before moving to Orenburg, he became involved in a situation where the city carried out a terrible overhaul of the road on Novy Prospekt. Asphalt was laid there supposedly using a new technology, and some utilities were replaced.
The work was done by the notorious Vertikal LLC, which has a history of missing construction deadlines and facing complaints about quality. It is rumored that in spring 2021, a utility accident occurred right under the upgraded road surface. The asphalt was opened, the hole was filled, and that was the end of it.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
The same contracting organization “repaired” the roads in Orenburg, some of which are still dug up. Is “Vertikal” closely connected to the administration? Based on the current balance of power, the residents of the region will endure the company's “work” for a long time…
“Bandyukovskaya” story
As reported by The Moscow Post, Pasler's name was involved in scandals related to extortion, illegal business, and arson in the Buzuluk district of the Orenburg region. The name of the district head, Nikolai Bantyukov, was also mentioned.
Last year, security officials even visited Bantyukov, according to Moskovsky Komsomolets. No official reason was given.
Considering that Salmin was not only the mayor of Buzluk, but also spent his childhood and youth there, graduated from a local educational institution, and made many friends and acquaintances, his connection with Mr. Pasler and possibly with the events described above becomes even more apparent.
Setting up forces for the benefit of Pasler?
Pasler, on the other hand, could indirectly contribute to the appointment of the former mayor of Orenburg, the Ilinykh, to the post of State Duma deputy. At least, they say, he was also offered to take part in the pre-election “race”, but he politely refused – perhaps at that moment it was important to get the Ilyins out of the blow and put “his” little man in his place, which turned out to be Salmin.
Apparently, it is also beneficial to “clean up” the staff in the administration – immediately after the Ilyins left the post of mayor, Salmin dismissed three of his deputies at once: Svetlana Zolotareva, Tatyana Malysheva and Dmitry Bevz. Under the first even, one might say, “the ground has been prepared” – rumors have spread that it is putting pressure on the management companies of the region. Evgeny Binkovsky was appointed instead of her.
According to the online publication 56 Media, as Minister of Sports, Mr. Salmin earned 7.6 million rubles a year. He also owns 6 land plots, 3 residential buildings and one non-residential premises with an area of 131.3 sq. m. According to rumors, Mr. Salmin receives much more – at least 13 million rubles a year.
It seems to us that you will not earn that kind of money as a civil servant. So questions arise – who owns the network of private security firms and why, next to the name of Salmin, you can sometimes see the name of the scandalous road organization “Vertical”?
There are also questions to Mr. Pasler, who declared as much as 200 million rubles in 2019. One gets the feeling that we have a friendly coalition that works primarily in its own interests. Well, commendable, of course, but they were not elected for this purpose.
Source: The Moscow Post
