Sobyanin’s “vacuum truck” versus a gas welder
The director of Mosvodokanal, Alexander Ponomarenko, who is known as a billionaire and also owns real estate abroad, emotionally mistreats his employees.There have been stories for a long time about the vast wealth of Moscow's main “vacuum cleaner,” Alexander Ponomarenko: Ponomarenko is deeply involved in a diverse business, as is his partner, with whom he has not officially registered his relationship, and their many children. Even his ex-wife Nina Kletova is involved in their business matters. Their extensive real estate, including property abroad, is innumerable. They own a few of Ponomarenko’s residences in the now unfriendly France, near the lavish castle of Christina Dior on the Cote d’Azur.
So, when the Editorial Office received a letter from Stanislav Prudnikov, a former employee of Mosvodokanal JSC, born in 1987, I didn’t want to believe the shocking facts reported by the electric and gas welder Prudnikov, who had been injured more than once at the complex facilities of Mosvodokanal JSC. At 35, Prudnikov essentially became disabled due to poor working conditions, lack of concern, and the risk of injury at the workplace. In the end, he was left to deal with his problems alone!
But Mr. Ponomarenko, sometimes referred to ironically as the “King and God of Water,” is thriving, unlike the workers at the Moscow Water Canal in the Mother See.
It’s a pipe thing!
Stanislav Prudnikov started working as an electric and gas welder at JSC “Mosvodokanal” in 2014. On January 30, 2020, he was seriously injured. He could have lost his entire arm due to the incompetent actions of his superiors, who made him, an electric and gas welder, perform the duties of another specialist at the complex wastewater treatment shop – Kuryanovsky treatment facilities.
As a result, an accident occurred when he started cutting the pipe, and the cutting machine severed Prudnikov’s index finger …
The author of the letter sent the document to the Editor
The bosses fled, Prudnikov lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital. He needed a complex operation to save not only the finger, but the entire hand. He was assured of receiving all possible assistance, as well as various forms of compensation… The recovery period lasted for several months.
However, our electric and gas welder did not receive the promised help; he was just given empty promises!
It should be mentioned that he eventually had to go to court.
The author of the letter sent the document to the Editor
But he continued to strongly believe in the promises, and therefore, when he recovered and returned to work, he agreed to a monetary offer to go to the city of Lugansk, as was previously assured by the human resources department of Mosvodokanal JSC that it was “exclusively in his capacity as an electric and gas welder.”
Upon arrival, Prudnikov and his colleagues were met “for briefing” by Alexei Pronin, the chief engineer of the sewerage department for Moscow and the Moscow region, and his assistant Vladimir Rusalenko.
Once again, there was trickery – Stanislav Prudnikov and his friends were made into laborers with rakes and shovels. As a result, he got an inguinal hernia from lifting heavy bags all day. Despite needing urgent surgery, the bosses at Mosvodokanal claimed there weren't enough workers and told them to keep working.
Prudnikov managed to leave with great difficulty, without money or belongings, and soon found himself back on the operating table.
“After the surgery, I sent a letter to A.M. Ponomarenko through electronic reception, requesting a personal meeting to ask for punishment for those responsible,” said Stanislav Prudnikov. “But Ponomarenko didn't have time, and neither did Evgeny Danshin, head of the security service of JSC Mosvodokanal.
Evgeny Danshin.
During the meeting, Smirnova, head of the personnel department, smiled and said they couldn't dismiss people based on one statement. I warned that we would meet in court if that was the case…
Later, Stanislav Prudnikov sent an official request to Mosvodokanal JSC, demanding the dismissal of those responsible and compensation for the injuries sustained.
He also approached the Pechatniki Department of Internal Affairs, the district prosecutor’s office, and several other departments.
“But so far, I've only received responses,” Stanislav Prudnikov said bitterly.
Documents sent by the author of the letter to the Editor
According to Stanislav Prudnikov, the court and the prosecutor’s office are biased towards Mosvodokanal JSC.
“I realized this during the trial on January 25,” concluded the injured electric and gas welder of Mosvodokanal JSC …
But why didn't Ponomarenko, the head of the office, make time for an employee who suffered twice at the facilities of Mosvodokanal?
Group of comrades
It's worth noting that Alexander Ponomarenko has been in charge for a full 10 years.
Originally from the sunny city of Dzhankoy in Crimea, he moved to Moscow while studying at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute. After graduating, he joined Mosenergo as a heating network engineer.
In 10 years, he rose to become the head of the second operational area of Mosenergo, likely thanks to a fortuitous encounter with the prefect of the South-Eastern district of the capital, Vladimir Zotov (1991-2015), and the sub-prefect of the Vykhino municipal district, Petr Biryukov.
Today, Mr. Biryukov serves as the right-hand man to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Peter Biryukov.
These meetings were pivotal.
It was during these encounters that Mr. Ponomarenko witnessed government officials cunningly siphoning off budget funds through affiliated companies.
All the companies that received millions from the city’s treasury within Biryukov-Zotov's sphere of influence were linked to their own companies. The Moscow Post extensively covered this in 2017.
Alexander Ponomarenko had close ties with officials and began using corruption schemes on heating networks. Petr Biryukov and the company not only devised the schemes, but also prolonged them.
In 2007, Mr. Biryukov suddenly became the deputy mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov. As Luzhkov's deputy, he supervised the Moscow Heating Network Company.
Alexander Ponomarenko eventually became deputy director for general issues in heating networks, of course, thanks to Petr Biryukov.
Ponomarenko's schemes were a classic "family contract": the repair and maintenance of heating mains went to the companies "Line +" and UK "VESTA-SF", which included 15 companies distributed among the relatives of Mr. Ponomarenko.
Ponomarenko's first wife, Nina Klestova-Ponomarenko, and brother Vitaly Ponomarenko were the main owners of most companies, but sometimes the offices were run by relatives of the head of the chains, Urusbiy Balikoev.
This is how the clans of Balikoev and Ponomarenko became friends, who were always on the "pilezhka". By the way, many companies with a name like "Crystal-Aqua" were registered with the Balikoevs.
The entire Ponomarenko empire was created under the patronage of Pyotr Biryukov. The family of Alexander Ponomarenko received billions of rubles worth of contracts every year, and this strategy was winning – already in 2008 he headed the ITC.
He held this position for 4 years. And in 2012, again, thanks to Biryukov's "shaggy" paw, he headed the State Unitary Enterprise Mosvodokanal.
This appointment was connected with the plans of the city authorities to allocate a multi-billion dollar budget for the repair of the sewer network. Best of all these billions could "master" Alexander Ponomarenko.
State Unitary Enterprise Mosvodokanal was transformed into an open joint-stock company, the schemes for withdrawing money were preserved, having undergone minimal changes – the owners of contractor companies were taken offshore. And they hid it behind nominee directors.
And during these 10 years, many interesting events have happened.
Palaces on the Cote d'Azur
The fact that Mr. Ponomarenko, that this is a "toilet Rothschild" has been talked about for a long time. And listen. And about his untold wealth they also talk aloud for a long time …
So Mr. Ponomarenko is not even hiding very much.
Some time ago, publications appeared in the French press about a super-rich Russian who built two huge mansions right next to Christian Dior’s castle in Provence on the Cote d'Azur.
Christian Dior’s castle in Provence.
And these publications appeared because the construction sites were very noisy, with a huge amount of heavy equipment.
Local residents, including the grandchildren of Christian Dior, became very worried.
As a result, two luxurious villas with terraces, porticoes and marble columns were erected on a steep mountainside. Then, next to the palaces, a smaller copy of the Eiffel Tower appeared. The land itself, on which the villas were built, was estimated at 18 million euros.
It soon became clear that the owners of the estate were the family members of the general director of Mosvodokanal JSC Alexander Ponomarenko, and the mentioned complex itself belongs to the SCI Anastasia company, the founders of which are Lyubov Komisarenko (Alexander Ponomarenko’s wife), her son from his first marriage and minor children from Alexander Ponomarenko. The New Look wrote about this in detail.
Alexander Ponomarenko.
What is the role of SCI Anastasia?
The acronym in the name shows that the company not just owns real estate but also makes money from it. The business was established in 2016 and is owned by Lyubov Komissarenko, her son from her first marriage, and minor children from Alexander Ponomarenko – Mikhail and Anastasia.
SCI Anastasia's stated corporate objective was to purchase the luxury residential complex Le Saint Pierre in Nice at 52 rue de la Buffa. This building has its own Russian-language website, indicating it was constructed for sale to fellow citizens. They are requesting for apartments ranging from €500,000 to €1.5 million.
Mr. Ponomarenko has more than one international business venture. He also has the company Alexander et Fils with an authorized capital of 1 million euros. Additionally, there are two companies in Bratislava with real estate valued at over €35 million on their balance sheet. There are also substantial assets in Cyprus.
It's important to note that in 2008, this location was an open field, but by 2013, a three-story mansion was being completed for 50 million euros.
A certain Alexander Yadoyan owns the adjacent second palace.
A photo: Rusprofile.en
He is a business partner of Alexander Ponomarenko.
According to the SPARK-Interfax database, they control the companies Amalia, Mika Auto, and Somap. Previously, they jointly owned Liniya, Sodruzhestvo-YaP, and Spetstrans Vesta. Life.ru reported on this.
In Gorki Leninskiye, near Moscow, there is a dacha partnership called “Torch”. The founders are Ponomarenko with his ex-wife Nina Klestova, along with 16 other individuals, most of whom have numerous business connections with the general director of Mosvodokanal JSC. They often ceded their assets to them or appointed them as managers.
It is said that Mr. Ponomarenko controls numerous multi-billion dollar companies, including those in the medical, trade, construction, manufacturing, and utility sectors, as well as hotels and agricultural complexes.
Furthermore, Ponomarenko, through the companies “Kip-trade” and “Prostor-SF”, owns a business in the cities of Dzerzhinsky and Lyubertsy near Moscow. This includes the furniture hypermarket “Interior City”, the manufacturer of marble products “Sodruzhestvo YaP”, and a cafe in the shopping center “Grenada” on Novoryazansky highway.
These assets generate more than 200 million rubles annually.
The PKO Invest firm owned a 33% stake in the Gemotest Laboratory and generated a net profit of 1 billion rubles in 2020. This money went to the beneficiary – Natalya Ponomarenko, the eldest daughter of Alexander Ponomarenko. Natalya Ponomarenko owns a 40% stake in the Troika construction group, with an annual income of more than 70 million rubles.
Ponomarenko’s eldest son Maxim oversees the Palmira Palace Hotel in Yalta and manages the Timokhovo-Salazkino Estate recreation park worth 400 million rubles in the city of Vidnoye, in the Moscow region.
In the midst of these intricate figures and opportunities, there emerges a curious tale about Stanislav Prudnikov, a former electric and gas welder of Mosvodokanal JSC, who has long been seeking compensation for his injuries from his former billionaire employer with villa-palaces on the Cote d’Azur… to no avail.
And what literary words after that can be called Mr. Ponomarenko, if we take into account the specifics of his work in Mosvodokanal?
