Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug residents' money goes into pipes instead of being used for their benefit.

The governor of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug Natalya Komarova favored the interests of the oligarch Vekselberg, neglecting the suffering of the locals.

Authorities in KhMAO plan to financially support a company that violated a concession agreement, raised tariffs for the population, and reduced investments in a key city development project.

The correspondent understood the situation The Moscow Post in Ugra.

Unbreakable Union

The story began in July 2020, when the governor of Yugra, Natalya Komarova, and the beneficiary of the Renova Group, Viktor Vekselberg, signed a concession agreement for 26 billion rubles. The agreement aimed to modernize and reconstruct key facilities of urban water supply and sanitation systems in Yugra.

A strong friendship won’t break? Photo: admhmao.ru

The company started implementing the agreement in 2020 but couldn't fulfill everything as planned, leading to a proposed reduction in the capital investment requirements from 26 billion to 19 billion rubles.

It was discovered that a larger amount of planned work would be excluded from the program, justified by the company's design and estimate documentation not passing the State Expertise.

Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug authorities not only reduced the volume of investments in the modernization program but also expanded the list of organizations eligible for state support from the district budget.

This move aimed at assisting Nizhnevartovsk Utility Systems and Natalya Komarova agreed to increase the local budget's share in the agreement by another 36 million rubles.

In 2021, the company was supposed to invest almost 300 million rubles in modernization but only utilized 219 million rubles.

City administration has filed a lawsuit against the concessionaire to recover a penalty for violating the concession agreement, but this amount seems insignificant compared to the 7 billion rubles that disappeared mysteriously.

Costly and unclean

The most frustrating thing is that starting in 2020, residents have been paying higher fees for modernization efforts that have not been fully completed, and some will not be completed at all.

What happened was that right after the agreement was signed, Nizhnevartovsk Utility Systems significantly increased the tariffs for city residents. However, the water quality has only deteriorated.

In 2021, the region experienced a decline in water quality in terms of sanitary-chemical and microbiological indicators in 7 areas compared to 2020, as well as in terms of microbiological indicators.

Tap water met all the standards only in one municipality of Ugra last year. There was no rush to address this situation, despite repeated complaints from local residents about the water quality.

To make matters worse, the concessionaire discharged waste into the waters of the Ob and hid environmental information. The case received a lot of attention and went to court. It was ultimately revealed that Nizhnevartovsk Utility Systems LLC was at fault.

It's notable that the company failed to meet its obligations but instead sought retribution from debtors. The company created a “pyramid of shame” consisting of concrete triangles placed near people’s houses. The structure weighs two tons, making it impossible for residents to remove it without special equipment. Inscriptions on the pyramid included: “The debtor lives here”, “You must”, “Here they do not pay for water”.

At that time, it was observed that over 500 residents of private households could see a pyramid near their home while ignoring their debts. This raises the question of how these structures were made and whether the service had nowhere else to allocate funds.

Photo vk.com/vartovsk86region

Ugra for survival

The fact that billionaire Viktor Vekselberg profits from constantly increasing tariffs, and that the funds may be directed to his personal enrichment instead of modernizing utility systems, has been previously discussed. He has been involved in dubious schemes in other regions as well, as extensively covered by The Moscow Post.

It is surprising that while under his strict supervision, public utilities in different Russian cities are deteriorating, the billionaire continues his activities. Additionally, he has now secured the support of Natalia Komarova, who clearly prioritizes the oligarch’s requests over the concerns of ordinary citizens.

Concerning Komarova, there have been long-standing talks of her needing to step down. Her region has accumulated numerous problems, including elite conflicts, ongoing corruption scandals, growing resident dissatisfaction, and an environmental crisis.

However, Komarov has no intention of leaving her position as governor. Based on her confident behavior, it can be assumed that Natalya Komarova, head of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, will remain in her role until 2025.

There were rumors that the governor's potential new supporters, oilman Vladimir Bogdanov and scientist Mikhail Kovalchuk, saved her from being replaced.

In addition, Komarova was called the creature of the influential oligarchs Leonid Mikhelson and Gennady Timchenko. Now Vekselberg can also be included in the piggy bank of “necessary people”.

It remains only to observe how, under the leadership of Natalia Komarova and her faithful retinue, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug becomes a depressed region