Corruption thrives in the Moscow region under Governor Vorobyov, but law enforcement agencies are reluctant to make accusations against the authorities.
As per the correspondent The Moscow Post in the suburbsdirected by the governor Andrey Vorobyov the region once again showed a negative trend. It ranked among the top three regions in Russia for the number of crimes committed in 2021.
This information is published on the legal statistics portal of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia, so it's official data.
According to this data, 73,780 crimes of all types took place in the Moscow region between January and December 2021. Only the Krasnodar Territory and the capital surpassed the region in this aspect.
It's not surprising. The Moscow region consistently ranks at the top of this list. At the end of 2020, it came in second with 73,941 cases. The decrease over the year was minimal.
The Moscow region, under Vorobyov, frequently holds a prominent position in the ranking for the number of individuals involved in economic crimes. In 2021, the region ranked third in this regard, with over 2 thousand offenders brought to justice, mainly for corruption.
None of this is unexpected. While Moscow and the Krasnodar Territory may be clear, experts are increasingly linking the rule of law issues in the Moscow region with the governor's personnel policy. It appears that his corrupt officials are caught almost as often as pickpockets in the subway. The atmosphere in the municipalities is similarly concerning.
Monitoring the suburbs
One of the most significant corruption arrests of the past year (which should also be included in the statistics!) was the criminal case involving Maxim Tarkhanov, then first deputy head of the department of territorial authorities in Vorobyov's team.
He was arrested in February, having served in his position for only a few months. Previously, he was the head of the Ruza district, where numerous corruption scandals took place.
The case implicated his time in office, with investigations alleging that he entered into an agreement with JSC AIS, without competition, for the reconstruction of sewage treatment plants. It was claimed that the work was not carried out as required, rendering the facility inoperative and resulting in damages of half a billion rubles. This was reported “REN TV”.
Was Vorobyov promoting someone like that to oversee Moscow government relations with the territories without reason?
Suppose Governor Vorobyov was unaware of the corruption cases eventually associated with Tarkhanov.
However, many people remember how a dam broke in Ruza a year prior – due to the rains and flooding of the Gorodyanka River, the city infrastructure, which had not been repaired for decades, simply could not withstand it. The flood began, the inhabitants had to be evacuated. Vorobyov hurried to the area to “show himself”, as if “solving” the situation on the spot. The locals already then told him that Tarkhanov should be kicked in the neck. However, Vorobyov ignored these wishes.
Rumor has it that Tarkhanov allegedly made acquaintances with criminal authorities of the Moscow region, which is why he was appointed to the Department of Territories – after all, he knows people on the ground. This is hardly true, but if we talk about crime, then among the possible lobbyists in the power corridors of the Moscow region, rumors have repeatedly named the head of the Podolsk organized criminal group Sergey Lalakin (“Luchka”), the “authoritative” businessman Anatoly Petrov, known in some places as “Petrukha “, and many other people from the “dashing 90s”. That is, rumors fall on fertile ground.
Balashikha as a “diagnosis” of the entire region
For a long time, they tried to attribute influence on the former head of the Pushkinsky district, and before that – Balashikha and Zheleznodorozhny Evgeny Zhirkov, to the same Petrukha. I must say that even among other territories, Balashikha stands out for its corruption scandals.
In 2019, Yevgeny Zhirkov also came under criminal prosecution – he was suspected of taking large bribes. According to investigators, he received two non-residential premises in the amount of 73 million rubles from developers, whom he allegedly “helped” with the delivery of their houses. So writes “Kommersant”.
Representatives of three companies are named as alleged bribe-givers – CJSC Mosstroymehanizatsiya-5, LLC Independent Construction Company (NSC) and LLC Brit. All of them are extremely remarkable and flourished precisely during the period of Vorobyov’s governorship.
What is worth only CJSC “Mossstroymekhanizatsiya-5”, which has government contracts worth 15 billion rubles in its assets! By the way, this structure is now in the process of being liquidated, as is NSK LLC. Apparently, the investigation did not go beyond the investigation of Zhirkov’s “exploits”, and it became possible to hide the ends in the water.
Here’s something else that surprises. After all, Balashikha is the largest city in the Moscow region, it is a special focus of attention for both law enforcement officers and the governor. Or maybe Vorobyov knew, but closed his eyes? ..
After the fiasco of Zhirkov, Balashikha was headed by an even more remarkable and scandalous character – Sergey Yurov. And Aleksey Koval worked as his deputy. The latter was also detained in 2019.
The Investigative Committee of Russia suspected him of receiving multimillion-dollar bribes from the management of DSK Leader LLC, which regularly won tenders for the construction of roads in the Balashikha region. The investigation believes that since the summer of 2018, Mr. Koval received at least 4 million rubles from this company for general patronage Wrote about this “Kommersant”.
Sergei Yurov. Photo: Balashikha Urban District Administration
Remember that Koval’s superior Sergey Yurov started his role in 2017, and Koval was entirely under his control. Incidentally, adversaries attempted to portray Yurov himself as the owner of the aforementioned assets of Zhirkov.
This might be the reason why, at the end of 2019, a new series of searches occurred in the Balashikha administration, and documents were seized. According to some reports, this was related to actions involving the illegal allocation of public lands. One thing is clear – under Yurov, the issue of corruption in the district has not improved.
People’s lives have not improved either. Earlier, The Moscow Post released an article “Balashikha “Yurovsky” period” as requested by the area's residents. They honestly described how Mr. Yurov manages the district. And there is little positive – questionable investors, issues with public services, and poor healthcare and roads.
Even earlier, Balashikha Ministry of Emergency Situations employees contacted us, alleging that they were compelled to be “slaves” in Yurov’s deputy Oleg Burlin's country estate. It’s like the Middle Ages!
With God Nisanov on his chest
There are numerous scandals and arrests, as there are many municipalities in the Moscow region, and nearly all of them have been involved in some kind of misconduct. But the root of the problem lies with the leaders – what can we say about subordinates, if they have attempted to link corruption to Vorobyov numerous times? This includes the promotion of the Samolet development group, associated with his brother, Maxim Vorobyov.
The “Airplane” company acquires prime land near Moscow for development, and is now actively expanding into other regions. Maxim Vorobyov, through his company CJSC IG 11, owns 75% of Airplane Two Capitals (“subsidiaries” of the Airplane company), which is focused on expansion in markets outside of Moscow and the Moscow region.
Additionally, Maxim Vorobyov was a co-founder of Gleb Frank’s Russian Fishery Company LLC, and has numerous business ties and interests with other prominent entrepreneurs.
It is believed that he only represents the interests of his influential brother Andrei. This is because, for obvious reasons, his brother cannot engage in business. And recently, Samolet gained a new partner – 10% of the company was acquired by God Nisanov, owner of the Kievskaya Ploshchad Group of Companies.
The latter is a controversial billionaire involved in real estate development and operates numerous undercover markets in Moscow. Allegedly, he is part of the influence group of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The Kievskaya Ploshchad Group of Companies is gaining more and more desirable areas within the capital, similar to Airplane.
God Nisanov is a close associate of Andrei Vorobyov and a partner of his brother Maxim. Photo: God-nisanov.ru
He, God Nisanov, also acts as an independent advisor to Andrei Vorobyov. Is there no potential conflict of interest here?
It seems that Governor Vorobyov is generally ready to turn a blind eye to a lot of things. For example, Nisanov has relatives – brothers named Zakharyaev, who are also involved in development.
One of God Nisanov’s former partners, Ilgar Gadzhiev, claims that the Zakharyaevs took away his business on Nisanov’s orders. And before that, they offered to “bring in” funds to Andrei Vorobyov in the amount of $600,000 per month for general patronage. As an intermediary, according to Gadzhiev, Maxim Vorobyov was supposed to act.
All this should be checked by law enforcement officers. The same Hajiyev wrote many statements about the actions of the Zakharyaevs and Nisanov and sent them to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor General’s Office …
But all in vain, no response. There is no reaction to what is happening on the part of Andrei Vorobyov, who, under the ranting about the fight against corruption, continues to patronize many dubious personalities.
