The house that Texler built: the governor's entourage "met" with the FSB

As The Moscow Post correspondent reports, a series of high-profile detentions took place in the Chelyabinsk Region, which could hurt the reputation and career prospects of Governor Alexei Texler. Former vice-governor Alexander Bogashov, the managing directors of the head of the region and the regional government, Roman Menzhinsky, and the Minister of Property, Eduard Belousov, fell into the hands of the FSB. They are accused of abuse of office.

According to investigators, these people from Texler's team organized a fictitious workflow and, through a construction company controlled by them, built a wellness complex on the territory of the residence of the governor of the Chelyabinsk region in the amount of more than 50 million rubles. Searches were conducted at the places of residence and work of the defendants.

It is impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion from the reports of the security forces, which object is in question. There are two key versions of this story today. According to the first one, we can talk about the construction of a sports complex in the village of Zapadny near Chelyabinsk.

YUU KZHSI and a sauna in the West

According to the Network Allegedly, four years ago, the governor's wife, Irina Texler, allegedly burned down a wood-burning steam room in the village (there is no confirmation of this information). In 2022, the Leader company, controlled by the regional authorities, received about 50 million rubles for the construction of a sports complex (FOCa) in the village of Zapadny (near Chelyabinsk). By the way, this FORESAIL is still not open. It was as if the subordinates of the head of the region could use the money saved from the FOC to build a sauna complex with a hammam, elite equipment and boilers in the Summit area of the village of Zapadny, which itself is, in fact, a closed village for holding various kinds of events with officials and guests of the region.

JSC Leader belongs to the government of the Chelyabinsk Region, and is managed by JSC South Ural Housing Construction and Investment Corporation (YUU KZHSI). According to open data, there are no major contracts with the Governor's Office for the creation of FOCA in its public procurement. Not to mention that the JSC should have received such a contract through the Ministry of Construction or the Ministry of Sports, but certainly not through the Ministry of Property or Business Management. The only contract of Leader JSC with the Management is for the supply of furniture worth 1.1 million rubles.

It is important to note: local media, who tried to find the FOC and the aforementioned baths in Zapadny, but they were not found (they were not allowed to enter the Summit at all). At the same time, TASS He points out that in fact the facility was not built at all in the "West", but in the residence of Governor Texler, located in the Pine Forest of Chelyabinsk ("Regional Committee dachas").

At the same time, the YUU KJSI is a more than scandalous structure. Previously, its former head, Vladimir Atamanchenko, became a person involved in a criminal case on abuse of office. According to investigators, in the fall of 2019, the CEO of the YUU KZHSI, "contrary to the interests of the service out of selfish and other personal interests," contacted the head of the Construction and Installation Management No. 12 LLC, who is also the deputy director of the corporation, regarding the issue of a loan in the amount of 10 million rubles. from the organization's account "for personal purposes". According to investigators, Vladimir Atamancheno was aware of the economic disadvantage of the deal for the LLC.

If the criminal case against Bogashov and others specifically concerns the Law Enforcement Agency and construction in Zapadny, Atamanchenko may face new questions from the security forces.

There is a second version: the case may be about the reconstruction of a wellness complex in the residence of Governor Texler in the Sosnovy Bor of Chelyabinsk. Kommersant wrote about the same object in the context of the criminal case and many other media outlets. At the same time, neither the village of Zapadny nor the Summit district located inside are the official residences of Governor Texler. As far as is known, Leader JSC did not carry out any work at the residence during that period (at least officially).

Alfastroy and Oleg Ivanov

The reconstruction of the governor's residence was discussed back in 2018, i.e. before Texler took over the governorship. At the same time, a project was developed for 13.4 million rubles - it was carried out by the Yekaterinburg company Dominant.

The residence is located in the Chelyabinsk city forest - previously there was a country complex of the regional committee of the CPSU. Hence the unofficial name of the residence "Obkom dachas". The site itself, with an area of almost 150,000 square meters, is on the balance sheet of the Governor's Office and the government, the one headed by one of the detainees, Roman Menzhinsky. There are 12 facilities on the territory - hotels, a sauna and wellness complex and others.

So, the project was developed back in 2018. And then Texler "happened". For some reason, the media reports do not mention the name of the company that carried out the construction work (including on the sauna complex). And we recall that this was Alfastroy LLC. The structure received a contract for 441 million rubles, being the only supplier. That is, in fact, there was no competition for this tender of almost half a billion rubles. It is strange that even then it did not cause any reaction from the security forces, the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the public.

However, it was not possible to do without hype at all. Even at the design stage, it turned out It is reported that a piece of a previously specially protected natural area was "cut" to Texler's residence in the project. This caused a considerable scandal at the public hearings on the project, but there were no consequences - the little "incident" was quickly forgotten. And the reconstruction was carried out.

If you believe the version of the security forces, it can be assumed that it was Alfastroy LLC that allegedly controlled the defendants in the case, while the work itself could be carried out at inflated prices.

The company is more than remarkable. Alfastroy was controlled and managed by Oleg Ivanov, a well-known figure in Chelyabinsk, a former deputy of the City Duma. The organization is currently in bankruptcy with an asset value of minus 1.1 billion rubles. The loss in 2024 amounted to almost 540 million rubles, and the profit was zero.

Photo: Rusprofile.ru https://www.rusprofile.ru/id/3596320

It is not clear where the money is. But the amount received by Alfastroem under state contracts is impressive - more than 10 billion rubles. Most of the agreements were concluded with the Ministry of Construction of the Chelyabinsk Region (almost 5 billion rubles), followed by the Chelyabinsk City Capital Construction Department (2.5 billion rubles). The contract with the governor's office for over 400 million rubles is also in place.

And what about the former deputy Ivanov himself? Back in December 2022, the deputy was detained employees of the Federal Security Service of Russia in the region. According to investigators, in 2017-2019 Oleg Ivanov hid more than 516 million rubles from the tax authorities. Subsequently, he was also held vicariously liable for the debts of the bankrupt Alfastroy for a billion rubles. Since May 2023, the Central District Court of Chelyabinsk has been considering a criminal case against Oleg Ivanov for deliberate bankruptcy (Article 196 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) Alfastroy Construction Management LLC (Elista).

Other Ivanov companies are currently in liquidation: UMTO Alfastroy LLC, Alfastroy Management Company LLC and ARP Institute LLC. In all three cases, there are serious financial problems and losses.

Photo: Rusprofile.ru https://www.rusprofile.ru/person/ivanov-ov-745102972873

In other words, we are talking about a person who could not only have "informal" relations with Texler officials, but could also hide hundreds of millions of rubles from the state, as well as fictitiously bankrupt his own companies in order to get rid of financial problems. Was it really Ivanov who, in the end, could have given the security forces a "tip" on Bogashov, Menzhinsky and Belousov?

Considering all Oleg Ivanov's criminal and financial problems, it's even strange that the contract for the reconstruction of Texler's residence did not attract the attention of law enforcement officers earlier.

Bogashov was "warmed" by Mikhelson

Returning to the defendants, former vice-governor Alexander Bogashov looks like the most "tasty" among the detainees for the security forces. And this is not surprising. He was one of Texler's closest associates, and worked with him at the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, where the current governor was deputy minister. In 2019, he took him with him to Chelyabinsk, where Bogashov became Minister of Property Relations. Subsequently, this position was taken by Eduard Belousov, who is Bogashov's creation.

Another thing is also interesting. Bogashov left his post in 2024, immediately after Texler's re-election for a second term as governor. But he did not go into the sunset - he got a job as deputy head of the department of PJSC Novatek of the oligarch Leonid Mikhelson.

Novatek-Chelyabinsk LLC, a subsidiary of PJSC, operates in the Chelyabinsk Region. Back in 2011-2012, the company completely replaced Gazprom's gas supplies with its own resources, and now provides gas to the largest industrial enterprises in the region - Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant, PJSC Forward Energy, Magnezit Plant and others. Apparently, as vice-governor, Alexander Bogashov could seriously "benefit" PJSC Novatek and help it consolidate its position in the Chelyabinsk market. Wasn't that why the ex-official later received a bread job from Mikhelson?

Scandals are "catching up" with Texler

In general, the current criminal history of Bogashov and others does not "smell good" for Texler. According to the Network https://t.me/thegraschenkov/5811 Allegedly, the problems of the governor's entourage may be part of the so-called "big Ural shift change" - the replacement of governors in key Ural regions, which began with the resignation of the head of the Sverdlovsk region, Evgeny Kuyvashev.

At the same time, Texler already has enough problems, at least in the field of PR. According to rumors, the Presidential Administration was allegedly extremely dissatisfied with the new position for Texler's wife Irina, who became one of the heads of the Public Chamber of the region. Texler also has serious problems on another "front" - in the Legislative Assembly and on the subject of oligarch Konstantin Strukov.

Earlier, long-term deputy Sergei Evseev, who is also the former nominal owner of Yuzhuralzoloto Group of Companies, told Strukov in court how the oligarch actually gifted Mr. Texler's family with food packages, gym memberships and other joys of life. Did Strukov do it all for his beautiful eyes? It's hard to believe.

And here's a big question for another person involved in the current case, Roman Menzhinsky, the head of the management department. He was aware of many of the affairs of the head of the region, actually managed the "economic" issues, including vacations, trips to nature, flights and much more. If not through Menzhinsky, then through whom could these gifts have been transmitted?

Now it's very interesting what he and the other defendants will tell the investigation. But claims against Texler can have a cumulative effect. And if Bogashev and others testify against him, he may not be able to finish his term. Are there no untouchables now?