‘Crimean vendetta’ of Vodopyanova: RT trade unions took revenge on Kolomoisky for the lost oil refinery of Tatneft

About how the Republican lobbyists of workers’ interests won over ‘ershovkiye’ in the trades for the Black Sea resort

Yesterday, became known the bidder that was awarded the contract on Crimean resort Foros, previously owned by Ukrainian oligarch and the owner of Privatbank Ihor Kolomoisky, the opponent of Tatneft, and then nationalized. It is known that Kolomoisky managed to take control over the Kremenchug oil refinery from Tatarstan oilmen. Details — in the report of Realnoe Vremya.

To buy a dacha near the sea

According to the documents of the bidding, the initial price of the property was 1.421 billion rubles. The recreation resort, located in an urban-type settlement Foros of the urban district Yalta, was put up for tender on 31 December 2015. Applications were received until 29 January. Both parties applied for two and a half hours until the deadline.

Previously, the resort was put up twice – on 15 October and 8 December 2015. Both times the bidding was recognized as invalid due to the lack of eligible participants.

According to the contract, the initial price of real estate amounted to 1.356 billion rubles, movable property – at 64.7 million rubles. In the list of real property there were included 507 facilities, including non-residential building with an area of 21 800 square meters. The bulk of the objects, however, is a paving and retaining walls. In the list of movable property – 7 575 facilities, including video cameras, barrels, fire extinguishers, grinding machines and vice.

The winner is the Federation of trade unions of the Republic of Tatarstan, the head — Tatyana Vodopyanova. Photo: inkazan.ru

The struggle between workers and 'connoisseurs' of antiques

The bidders were two organizations. One of them, which became the winner, according to TASS, is the public organization Federation of trade unions of the Republic of Tatarstan. It was established in November 1993, the head – Tatyana Vodopyanova. According to its website, she became the head of the Federation in 2000. In 2004-2014 she was a deputy of State Council of RT and the member of the Presidium of the RT State Council.

Another bidder is PLC Akar, established in 1993 in Sevastopol. Authorized capital – 1.48 billion rubles, the head – Sergey Makhov, the only founder of PLC Avista. Avista, registered in Moscow at Novocheryomushkinskaya Street, is owned at 54% by PLC RTK-Invest, at 46% by non-public joint-stock company Restor. Authorized capital – 2.23 billion rubles.

As for PLC RTK-Invest, the founders are PLC RTK-Petrol at 80% and by PLC Impeks at 20%. PLC RTK-Petrol is owned by PLC Promresurs (85%), that at 90% is owned by PLC Matriks. The latter is owned by Polyakov Vladimir Yuryevich and Mikrukov Viktor Alekseevich. In Kazan they are known as close to Tatneft traders and the connoisseurs of historical and other immovable property, nicknamed in media as 'ershovkiye'.

We would like to note that the second bidder – PLC Ankar – is famous in Crimea for a long time. As Ukrainian media wrote in 2000s, in winter of 1993-1994 the company provided Crimea with 18 754 tonnes of black oil. Then, in the repayment of debt the company received two buildings of dacha Tesseli in Foros. On the website of state procurments we can see that in August of 2015 PLC Ankar won a tender of GUE of the Republic of Crimea Solnechnaya Tavrika on parking services from 1 January to 31 August 2015. Selected way of purchase – 'from the only supplier'. The contract was at 175 000 rubles. According to the decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea, in August of 2014 Solnechnaya Tavrika was assigned with 105 enterprises-resorts in Crimea on the right of economic management. Foros was not on that list.

Here, Mikhail Gorbachev was at the time of Soviet coup d'etat attempt. Photo: fotokonkurs.ru

About how Mikhail Gorbachev, locked by GKChP, listened to the radio in the resort

The resort settlement Foros (less than 2 000 of habitants) became famous to the world in 1991 due to the first and the only President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1986-1988 near Foros, a new government dacha was built. In the documents, it was named as 'Object Zarya'. However, it was quickly dubbed as 'Gorbachev's dacha'. Almost immediately the site became overgrown with rumors and legends about the unprecedented amount of funds spent. In fact, a new palace appeared at the coast of Crimea.

But the widest popularity of the dacha in Foros brought August of 1991. Here, Mikhail Gorbachev was at the time of Soviet coup d'etat attempt. Here, Gorbachev was during the entire confrontation of State Committee on the State of Emergency and the head of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin. Here, some members of the Emergency Committee flew to obtain the resignation of Gorbachev, but failed to get to him.

About how brother-in-law of Kuchma lost to Benya

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the recreation resort and all dachas around together with Crimea moved to Ukraine. Then the recreation resort somehow came under the control of a relative of the second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma – Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian billionaire. Then, one of the largest Ukrainian oligarchs Ihor Kolomoisky bought out it.

It was the struggle for Foros that collided Pinchuk and Kolomoisky. The conflict in 2011 turned into a real judicial war ended in total victory Kolomoisky, who after a series of trials was able to buy out some structures of Pinchuk and to take the estate in Foros fully under his control.

After the annexation of Crimea it has become widely known that Kolomoisky owned almost all the best recreation resorts, rest homes and even summer camps on the Crimean coast — at a total amount of 2 billion rubles. In September, all objects in Crimea were nationalized, that were owned by the oligarch and his group company Privat.

A caricature by Gadel Shakirov: 'Benya Kolomoisky is mamish satisfied'

'Bright personality, the star of this chaos is our Mr. Kolomoisky'

However, the interests of Kolomoisky crossed not only with Pinchuk, but with Tatarstan company Tatneft as well.

In 1994, Tatneft together with the Ukrainian Kremenchug oil refinery established joint venture Ukrtatnafta. Originally, Tatneft controlled about 55% of the company's shares: 18.7% owned by the government of the region, 8.6% — Tatneft and 18.3% —American and Swiss companies controlled by Tatneft. In 2008, the head of Ukrtatnafta, representing interests of Tatneft, was accused of money laundering and tax evasion. The Supreme Court of Ukraine transferred the shares of American and Swiss companies to the Ukrainian side, and in 2009 the Court deprived Tatarstan of 29% of shares, owned by the Ministry of Land and Property. Tatneft considered the incident as a forcible takeover.

In 2010, Ukrtatnafta was transferred under control of Ihor Kolomoisky. He started to control 47% of shares through his group Privat. In 2014, the International commercial court of arbitration in Paris obliged Ukraine to pay compensation to Tatneft for the losses incurred as a result of obtaining control over Ukrtatnafta by the group Privat. Interestingly, the process of corporate combat with Private Tatneft was headed by Nail Maganov, its current Director.

The authorities of Tatarstan perceived the loss of refinery rather painfully, as the actions of Kolomoisky. 'How Ukraine can be European, when there is such a mess? I think even in Africa there is no such thing! And bright personality, the star of this chaos is our dear Mr. Kolomoisky. But when you dig a hole, dig it so that you could be placed there. Those ways that he used to use for the lead, he gets back today,' — said Minnikhanov about Kolomoisky.

What rest do we have a right to?

Trade Unions in Tatarstan have proved to be the owners of the resorts. According to the survey of Realnoe Vremya, the trade unions due to the administration of recreation resorts are among the largest owners of hotel areas. The company is inferior only to JSC Hotel Complex Orlyonok (manages the hotel Korston), municipalities, PJSC Hypermarket Koltso (Grand hotel Kazan) and Tatneft.

The Federation of independent trade unions of Russia, which includes the largest trade union organizations of Tatarstan, owns one of the oldest recreation resorts on the territory of Tatarstan — Shifaly Su-Izhminvody in Mendeleevsk region of the Republic. It is famous since ХIX century. Besides, trade unions own recreation resorts Vasilyevsky in Zelenodolsk region.

Comment from the unions at the time of publication could not be obtained.

By Maksim Matveev, Dmitry Semyagin, Arslan Minvaleev