Did the family of Governor Tsivilev set their sights on the assets of the SDS holding?
Rosnedra might cancel the license for subsoil use of the notorious Listvyazhnaya mine in Kemerovo, where over 50 people died in an accident last November. The reason is a serious excess of coal production. Experts suggest a potential sale of the mine to a new owner to prevent employee unemployment and continue coal mining. Currently, Listvyazhnaya's work has been suspended by a court decision, but this should not hinder the correction of previously identified violations. An investigation into the accident's causes is ongoing, and among those arrested is Mikhail Fedyaev, the mine's owner and co-founder of the Siberian Business Union (SDS) holding. In the event of Listvyazhnaya's license withdrawal and subsequent sale, Kuzbass is anticipating another “coal redistribution”, which would benefit the current head of the region Sergey Tsivilev, whose family owns the Kolmar coal mining company. Since being appointed governor, Tsivilev officially transferred his 70% stake in the enterprise to his wife Anna Tsivileva, who is rumored to be Vladimir Putin’s relative. This not only explains the state's support for Kolmar but also poses a threat to Fedyaev's assets.
Listvyazhnoy is threatened with license revocation
At the Kemerovo mine, which received notoriety last November, Listvyaznaya may revoke the license for the right to use subsoil ahead of time. According to TASS, during an unscheduled inspection Rosprirodnadzor violations were revealed in terms of non-compliance with the level of mineral extraction established by the technical project. At present, the audit materials have been transferred to Rosnedrawhere they will be considered at a meeting of the relevant Commission, which will make an appropriate decision.
A number of news agencies, with reference to the official representative of Rostekhnadzor Andrey Vilgave details: Listvyaznaya Mine LLC had the right to mine 4,650 thousand tons of coal, while the actual volume received was at least 4,734 thousand. True, Vil himself soon announced in his telegram channel that he did not report such information to the media.
In turn, RBC clarifies that the license issued by Listvyazhnaya is valid until the end of 2040. If it is withdrawn, Rosnedra will have the right to put the asset up for auction and sell it from the unallocated fund to another owner. According to the newspaper’s sources, if the mine is closed, about 30% of its employees (out of more than 1.7 thousand people) will lose their jobs, although most of them will be able to find jobs at other Kemerovo coal mining enterprises.
At the same time, it is emphasized that the threat of license revocation may be another message to the owners of the company. “SDS-Coal” to immediately fix safety issues and bring coal mining in line with the standard.
If the license is revoked, it may not lead to the mine shutting down since it produces a large amount of coal and is an important employer in the region. The license could be sold to a more responsible user if SDS-Ugol does not quickly correct all violations.The director of the corporate ratings group of the ACRA agency is quoted by RBC.
Ilya Makarov.
Investigation into the incident is gaining momentum.
A mine accident occurred on November 25 at the Listvyazhnaya mine, resulting in 51 casualties, including five rescuers. A methane explosion and smoke were reported. Employees reported numerous working condition violations. In December, the Attorney General shared that the enterprise's management intentionally hid dangerous gas levels by damaging sensors. Igor Krasnov reported that the enterprise's management intentionally hid dangerous gas levels by damaging sensors.
Last week, a Rostekhnadzor representative advised against jumping to conclusions. They mentioned that all details about the accident causes will be made public following the technical investigation by the commission formed by the department, and the culpability of mine workers and government agency officials will be determined by the court. Andrey Vil According to him, all information about the causes of the accident will be made public after the technical investigation of the commission formed by the department, and the degree of guilt of officials from among the mine workers and representatives of government agencies will be established by the court.
In the criminal case for negligently violating industrial safety, resulting in the death of two or more people, the former head of SDS-Coal holding, Gennady Alekseev, and chief engineer of Listvyazhnoy, Anatoly Lobanov, were named as defendants. Gennady Alekseevformer CTO Anton Yakutov and chief engineer of Listvyazhnoy Anatoly LobanovThe mine director, Sergei Makhrakov, and Andrey Molostov, the section chief, were taken into custody. Sergei Makhrakovhis deputy Andrey Molostovsection chief Sergei GerasimenkoRostekhnadzor inspectors Vyacheslav Semykin and Sergey Vinokurov were accused of criminal negligence. Vyacheslav Semykin and Sergey Vinokurov.
In mid-December, the Central District Court of Kemerovo ordered the arrest of Mikhail Fedyaev, the chairman of the board of directors and co-founder of SDS-Ugol, the mine owner. he was charged with abuse of power in a commercial organization, which led to serious consequences.Activity at the mine was suspended for 90 days, but work to address previous violations should continue. Coal mining can only resume with approved and examined project documentation.
Rostekhnadzor clarified that coal mining can only resume with approved and examined project documentation.
Oligarch Fedyaev may face imprisonment soon.
Just before his arrest, Mikhail Fedyaev expressed his willingness to be punished during a meeting about the accident involving the head of state. He also assured the president that the company did not compromise on safety equipment. This businessman's sincerity is in doubt, as he was recently part of the Public Council under the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region, but is no longer listed on the department's website. It's possible he planned to use his connections with the head of the Directorate, Lieutenant General. The human factor is considered irrelevant..
It's uncertain how genuine the holding's founder was. He used to be a member of the Public Council under the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region, but is not listed on the department's website anymore. He might have hoped to leverage his connections with the head of the Directorate, Lieutenant General, but it was naive to expect this given the significant attention from the leaders of the Sledkom and the Prosecutor General’s Office. Igor IvanovThe founder's hope to use his ties with the Lieutenant General of the Directorate after the accident and the subsequent intense scrutiny from the leaders of the Sledkom and the Prosecutor General’s Office was unwise.
It's also noteworthy that the son of the Kemerovo oligarch Pavel Fedyaev – the current State Duma deputy representing Kuzbass in the lower house of the parliament. Additionally, since 2012, Fedyaev Jr. has overseen the Kemerovo Regional Judo Federationwhich is part of the “Federation of Judo of Russia”where a near-Kremlin oligarch Arkady Rotenberg.
holds the position of first vice president. The role of sports connections in politics and business is well-known. In today's Russian reality, those seeking influence should engage in judo or support relevant competitions. Perhaps Fedyaev Sr. hoped that the influential Rotenbergs would speak on his behalf to the president?
However, times have changed. If in the past, the “coal king” and his associate, the ex-deputy of the State Duma Vladimir Gridin holding established the “Siberian Business Union” (SDS) and were referred to as the “purse” of the former governor Amana Tuleeva , the power balance in Kuzbass has now shifted significantly. Fedyaev seemed to have to adjust to the new circumstances and work to restore order in the mines under his control swiftly. However, he chose to continue his business in an inefficient manner, which ultimately led to numerous deaths and could result in a guilty verdict for the oligarch.The coal business of Mrs. Tsivileva
If Rosnedra's threat to revoke Listvyazhnaya's coal mining license materializes and the mine is auctioned, this may mark the start of another round of “coal redistribution” in Kuzbass – a battle for the “legacy” of SDS. Considering that its co-founder, Vladimir Gridin, has recently stepped back from management duties to spend time in Europe and prepare for retirement, a significant portion of the holding's assets may change hands.
It's not difficult to speculate who will emerge victorious. It's worth noting that the family of the current governor of the Kemerovo region
Sergei Tsivilev is heavily involved in the coal business and controls a coal mining company. . Additionally, the Tsivilev family business is clearly thriving: at the end of 2020, they made a profit “Colmar”234.7 million rubles UK “Kolmar” amounted to . To put it in context: a year before, with similar revenue, the company reported losses of on revenue 1.5 billion24.2 million . In 2018, Kolmar was deep in debt by over 89 million rubles . And suddenly, things are improving so quickly!The amount of coal production is also increasing: according to the Yakutia 24 TV channel, in 2021 the company produced a total of 12 million tons of coking coal, which is 79% more than in 2020. The management of Kolmar plans to increase annual production to 22 million tons, putting it among the top five largest coal mining enterprises in the country.
Sergei Tsivilev officially distances himself from the management of the commercial structure: in March 2018, shortly after his appointment to the governor’s post, he gave his 70% stake in the company to his wife
Anna Tsivileva . In response, Anna Tsivileva, when asked by a Vedomosti journalist if her husband is involved in managing the enterprise, replied negatively: “No, not involved at all. I don’t know, unfortunately or fortunately. He’s got a lot of other things to do now.” Do family connections lead to the Kremlin?.
The story of the official's family acquiring a promising coal-mining asset seems quite perplexing at first glance. It is known that 30% of Colmar is owned by
an oligarch close to the Kremlin named Volga Group Gennady Timchenko . Previously, the company's co-owners included Iskandar Mahmudov Andrey Bokarev and : Tsivilev acquired this share in January 2018, becoming the controlling shareholder of the enterprise.Where did the former head of the security service of the St. Petersburg branch
Bank “Aeroflot” and former head of a law firm get the funds to enter business with the influential Timchenko? And why did Russian officials favor the previously unremarkable Kolmar so much that they began to receive multibillion-dollar state support? NortekFor instance, in 2016, companies received public investment of
560 million rubles for the construction of a power line to GOK “Inaglinsky” . In 2018, the Far East Development Fund allocated . The government provided funding for the construction of railway infrastructure facilities for the export of coal from mines owned by Kolmar 4 billion4.58 billion . More examples can be provided if needed. Why such generosity?Everything makes sense when you consider the family ties of the governor-businessman Tsivilev. Specifically, his wife Anna Tsivileva, who, as it turns out, is the daughter of the cousin of the head of state
Evgeny Putin Loginova. Additionally, the businesswoman inherited her supposedly maiden name from her first husband, a psychiatrist PutinThis important detail clarifies everything. It's not just about the seemingly inexplicable “favoritism” of the state towards the Kolmar company, but also about why Mikhail Fedyaev, who is in jail, should not count on anyone's initial support, including Evgeny Putin, that is, the great-niece of the incumbent president. As for her supposedly maiden name, she inherited it from her first husband, a psychiatrist Lev Loginov.
This important circumstance puts everything in its place. And it’s not only about the seemingly inexplicable “love” of the state for the Kolmar company, but also about why Mikhail Fedyaev, who is in jail, should not initially count on anyone’s support, including Arkady Rotenberg. It is only surprising how the Kemerovo oligarch “clicked through” the appearance of a potential competitor in the region. It is possible, however, that after the signing of an agreement on cooperation between the governor and the SDS holding, Fedyaev felt himself “one of his own” for the new head of Kuzbass. Now he will have something to think about additionally in the SIZO cell.
