The wealthiest deputy of Arkhangelsk, Alexander Frolov, has obtained the permission to develop the southwest area of Moscow. One might wonder how Mayor Sobyanin is connected to this.
.jpg?v1661245213 "\"Teply Stan\" for Frolov")
The Moscow City Hall has found a backer for the transformation of the industrial area. Akvilon Group will construct over 200,000 square meters of commercial property.
The Moscow Post correspondent investigated who and how could benefit from the project.
Without the right to choose
LLC SZ Sevtekhnadzor, which is linked to the Akvilon group, won the competition to revamp the former Teply Stan industrial area in the southwest of Moscow. It is noteworthy that another company, Nord-West Investment, also took part. It may also be connected to Akvilon. At least its owner and CEO, Konstantin Poslavsky, leads several entities associated with the developer.
It is noteworthy that Sevtekhnadzor had only one employee in 2021, yet the company's revenue was 18 million rubles, and it incurred a loss of 43 million rubles. It is odd that a company incapable of managing its own income is entrusted with large-scale development in Moscow. At the same time, the company's director, Sergey Chanchikov, heads 11 other companies, with a total revenue of 252 million rubles.
A photo: rusprofile.ru
The second organization that participated in the auction seems to be in better financial shape, but there are also doubts. Its revenue for 2021 amounted to 9.7 million rubles, and the profit was only 91 thousand, with just two employees.
The Teply Stan industrial area will be acquired by Sevtekhnadzor at a starting price of 24.6 million rubles. Office centers, retail facilities, and technology parks will be in demand on its territory. The proceeds from the sale of space in such projects may total 30-50 billion rubles. It appears that the company is doing well. Who will benefit from the funds? Certainly Alexander Frolov, co-founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Akvilon Invest construction holding, which is connected to both companies.
Arkhangelsk “bump”
Alexander Frolov is known as the wealthiest deputy in the Arkhangelsk region. He consistently secures valuable lands. His company ranks among the top 25 Russian developers in terms of ongoing construction. Last year, he made it to the Forbes list and claimed 33rd place in the Power and Money ranking of public officials and deputies.
Photo: Forbes.en
Frolov quietly gained dominance in the market of the Arkhangelsk region. His “Aquilon” Invest was involved in all major construction projects. This was made possible with the assistance of Igor Godzish, the former head of Arkhangelsk.
In order to develop the city center, it was necessary to relocate people from their mostly wooden houses. In 2021, there was a widely-publicized case of arson in the residential areas. Akvilon was linked to the incidents, and searches were conducted, leading to the discovery of crucial evidence. However, the case was hushed up, and Frolov’s company emerged unscathed.
City residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the deputy’s company. Things escalated to the point where citizens sought legal intervention to halt the construction of high-rise buildings by Akvilon. Despite being contrary to the General Plan, a 12-storey residential complex called “Green-quarter-2” was planned within the boundaries of Lomonosov and Novgorodsky avenues. Despite the urban planning document, the Arkhangelsk administration issued a permit to deviate from the established parameters at the end of 2016. The permit was deemed unlawful by the court. Nonetheless, work at the site persisted even after the court ruling.
In October 2019, a scandal happened with the construction of the River Park residential complex in Arkhangelsk. The work was carried out on the territory of the former Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery, which gave Frolov an opportunity to grab a “tidbit” in the historic center of the city. Construction is still ongoing, but apartments are already worth 7 million rubles.
wide scope
Alexander Frolov was able to push through many projects in Arkhangelsk, because he had connections there. However, this wasn't enough for the businessman, so he turned his attention to St. Petersburg.
In 2015, the company's first project was the residential complex “4You” on the territory of the former meat processing plant “Samson”. Other projects followed later.
One of the company's most controversial projects is the residential complex “Kingdom” in the Petrogradsky district at the intersection of Lodeynopolskaya and Petrozavodskaya streets. The construction was disliked by the authorities and locals. Residents of a neighboring house were at risk of their building collapsing due to the construction. The project had to be put on hold.
In January 2020, Akvilon Invest decided to venture into office real estate in St. Petersburg and announced the construction of a business center on Moskovsky Prospekt near the Frunzenskaya metro station. The project was planned to be completed in 2022, but it seems they have not yet had time to finish it.
Earlier in The Moscow Post A detailed report was published about the accidents and mistreatment of workers at Akvilon-Invest construction sites. There were also violations of labor laws, and the company was involved in buying buildings “together with residents.”
Despite the company's controversial history, they entered the Moscow market in 2018 to build the Akvilon Park complex in Kommunarka. In the first half of 2020, they acquired 4.5 hectares from Capital Group in the village of Rozhdestveno for the Mir Mitino complex.
Alexander Frolov and developer Alexander Rogatykh completed the construction of the Sreda residential complex near the Novokhokhlovskaya MCC station in the southeast of Moscow.
It's worth noting that Akvilon is currently overseeing the development of 1.4 hectares in Signalny Proyezd, which they acquired from the structure of Roskosmos this year.
Isn’t Frolov getting too many privileges? Photo: region29.ru
Now the Moscow mayor’s office is granting Tyoply Stan to companies with a tarnished reputation. This raises questions about the possible interest of Sergei Sobyanin, as it's unlikely that Alexander Mikhailovich would have entered the Moscow market on his own.
