The new leader of the Tomsk region, Vladimir Mazur, appears to be continuing the policies of the previous governor. The same people are in the government, and the same controversial companies are being favored. Just like the ex-governor of the Zhvachkin region, Mazur seems reluctant to address uncomfortable questions from the region's residents.
.jpg?v1660310099 "Mirage Campus Or What Mazur Was Silent About")
Local reporters became convinced of this during Vladimir Mazur's recent live broadcast as acting governor of the Tomsk region. This was reported by a correspondent. The Moscow PostDuring the broadcast, no one asked about the future of the controversial interuniversity campus being constructed as part of the national project “Education.”
This is the same project where former deputy governor Yuri Gurdin was arrested in July for embezzlement, causing an estimated 70 million rubles in damages, as reported by BFM.ru.
Observers suggest that Mr. Mazur may have intentionally avoided uncomfortable questions, indicating that he has no intention of addressing the corruption issue. More details about the political dynamics in the Tomsk region can be found in The Moscow Post.
The construction of the campus is the region's largest investment project, with the government allocating around 18 billion rubles for its implementation. It is scheduled to be completed by 2025. Therefore, the absence of questions about this infrastructure facility is indeed concerning for the project.
The project is being executed by Tomsk Student Campus LLC (TSK), which was established by Gazprom and the Granit Group of Companies.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru Upon reviewing the financials of TSK’s second parent company, some doubts arise about its ability to complete the campus construction.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
A 99% stake in the Granit Group of Companies is held by a company established in 2022, which lacks financial performance information. Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
It's worth noting that the project began and the embezzlement occurred under the previous governor, Sergei Zhvachkin, who led the region for a decade before resigning in May of this year.
Critics claim that this move was prompted by accumulated concerns, including those related to the campus. Allegedly, he handed over responsibilities to one of his close officials (before serving as governor, Mazur was involved in the mayor's office of Tomsk, responsible for information policy and public relations) to oversee the situation from a distance and exert influence.
These assumptions are not baseless. After Zhvachkin's departure, Mazur retained the governor's team. Nevertheless, considering the number of criminal cases against officials in the region, a personnel overhaul would be beneficial.
in the same situation
It is important to remember that Mazur worked as a deputy governor under Ivan Klein, a controversial official who faced a criminal case in 2020 for abusing authority and participating in illegal business activities, as reported by Kommersant.
As The Moscow Post previously mentioned, Zhvachkin might have known about the activities of a subordinate and may have even benefited from ignoring them. Can we assume that Mazur was well informed about all this and was rewarded with the governor's position for his silence and loyalty? It's well known that such positions are not given to outsiders.
During Zhvachkin's tenure, the scandalous construction company TDSK, led by the deputy and head of the town planning commission of the Tomsk region Alexander Shpeter, held significant influence in the region. Despite numerous violations at the construction sites, this company received multi-billion dollar state contracts. The Moscow Post extensively covered this story.
Under the new leadership, the situation remains unchanged. TDSK has already been contracted for the construction of another educational institution in June. Additionally, the company recently received an award for being the winner in the category 'The Golden Fund of the Construction Industry of the 1st Degree' in the All-Russian competition for the best construction organization.
Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru
Also, the company JSC TOM-DOM TDSK, a subsidiary of the scandalous company, was named in the 'Golden Fund' among enterprises with a contract work volume ranging from three to ten billion rubles.
Side note: In March of last year, TDSK was fined for colluding with the authorities, as reported by Taiga.info. This could be one of the reasons for Mr. Zhvachkin stepping out of the spotlight. However, nothing has actually changed.
“Efficient” Mazur
Mr. Mazur himself came under the scrutiny of the security forces. In addition to his role in the administration of Tomsk, he served as the deputy governor of the Tyumen region, the first deputy governor of the Kaluga region, and the head of the administration of Tobolsk. Ura.ru reported that investigators checked his activities during this time.
The issue arose when the city illegally granted a permit for the construction of an eight-story building, despite regulations allowing only three floors. Mazur's subordinates at the time – Vladimir Yegorov, the former chairman of the land relations and forestry committee, and Alexei Ermolenko, the chairman of the urban planning policy committee of the administration of Tobolsk – became defendants in criminal cases.
Ultimately, Mazur was bypassed. It's possible that the then head of the Tyumen region, Vladimir Yakushev (now the presidential plenipotentiary in the Urals Federal District), played a part in covering up the matter. In general, Mazur knows how to choose his influential supporters.
Under Mazur's leadership, Tobolsk officials felt quite comfortable. For example, the mayor allowed his deputy, Eduard Alekseenko, to engage in business activities. When this was discovered, Alekseenko only received a reprimand without being dismissed.
He did not touch Yana Zubova, who was in charge of the social sphere. With her, the results of the audit of the Chamber of Control and Accounts showed a huge number of violations in terms of the state of social institutions.
Quote from Ura.ru: “In school No. 1, for example, the roof was repaired in such a way that now not only the ceilings, but also the walls get wet from rain and snow. In kindergarten No. 36, the new linoleum went in waves, for some reason the paint appeared on it , and the seams of the pavement parted. Storm sewers have not been installed at school No. 5 and kindergarten No. 10, and the condition of the asphalt in a preschool institution directly threatens the health of children. “
And this is not the whole list of violations.
Under Mazur, holes arose not only in linoleum, but also in the budget of Tobolsk. So, according to the deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Yury Yukhnevich, in the section of gratuitous receipts, the budget for 2016 did not count about 3.3 million rubles. And this is despite the fact that the largest gas and petrochemical company in Russia, Sibur Holding, is registered in the city. Sibur’s revenue for 2015 is over 270 billion rubles! Budget revenues should be colossal, unless Leonid Mikhelson (the head of the company) agreed with Mazur.
It is hard to believe that such a manager will bring goodness and prosperity to the city. As we have already seen, Mazur’s tactics are hushing up problems, not solving them.
