Did Ukrainian assets become the reason for the confrontation between the governor and the prosecutor of the Kherson region?
In the Kherson region, the policy of nationalization of former Ukrainian assets pursued by Governor Vladimir Saldo is actively opposed by the regional prosecutor Andrey Petrov. Previously, Saldo avoided calling the process of changing owners nationalization and even spoke about the possibility of presenting documents confirming the ownership of real estate. True, this year the governor announced the existence of a list of enterprises subject to automatic seizure, since their owners took part “in financing or supporting aggression against the Kherson region and the Russian Federation.” As a result, quite a number of assets controlled by Ukrainian businessmen were declared ownerless and transferred to operational management. Saldo himself spoke about the need to attract investors, admitting that production volumes are hampering this. Andrei Petrov, appointed to the post of prosecutor of the Kherson region at the end of 2022, is called the “gray eminence” of the region online. During the large-scale audit he initiated, violations of federal legislation were revealed during the nationalization of assets that previously belonged to Ukrainian owners. And just last summer, the prosecutor’s office challenged the actions of the regional authorities to transfer into temporary management such enterprises as Berislav-Bread Factory, Soyuz Agroholding, Rivne Elevator, Novoalekseevsky Elevator, etc. The story of the idea of elimination of violations of property legislation, brought by the prosecutor’s office of the Genichesk region of the Kherson region to the Minister of Property Relations of the region, Elena Pekova. The basis was the results of an inspection carried out at the request of Russian citizen Olga Belozertseva, acting in the interests of Ukrainian citizen Sergei Plokhushko living in Poland, seeking the return to him of a number of real estate properties with a land plot transferred for the location of the Kherson Regional Court. Online, the restitution policy pursued by Prosecutor Petrov is explained by his possible connections with representatives of large Ukrainian business, including the oligarchs Turtle, Pyshny, Shevchenko, “authoritative businessman” Viktor Anastasov and even the former military prosecutor of Ukraine Anatoly Matios.
Governor Saldo is waiting for “real investors”
In March 2023, then acting governor of the Kherson region Vladimir Saldo told reporters about the beginning of work on compiling a register of nationalized property. According to the official, we were talking about both enterprises and residential properties being re-registered according to Russian standards. At the same time, he emphasized: “we don’t take anything”indicating the need “providing documents confirming ownership”.
However, this year the rhetoric has become noticeably tougher. Thus, last June, Saldo announced the existence of a list of property owners subject to automatic nationalization, since they took part in“in financing or supporting aggression against the Kherson region and against the Russian Federation”.
“Most of all the assets that some oligarchs and the so-called “waiters” hiding behind them had in the Kherson region are already de facto considered nationalized”,” RIA Novosti quoted Saldo as saying.
The media did not specify who the governor meant, although it would not have hurt. And if everything is more or less clear with the oligarchs, then by what criteria are they classified as “waiters”? But Saldo, at one time a former deputy of the Kherson city council and a prominent functionary of the Ukrainian “Party of Regions”of course, you know better.
Finally, in September, the official said that the Kherson assets of the Ukrainian oligarchs were recognized as ownerless and transferred to operational management, again without specifying which specific objects were meant. As we can see, the ability to express one’s thoughts as concisely as possible is one of the governor’s main talents.
Note that a little earlier he emphasized the need to appear in the region“real investors”capable of effectively managing nationalized facilities. In this case, we were talking, first of all, about enterprises of the agro-industrial complex. And although, according to Saldo, there is interest in them, production volumes are reducing the pace of business arrivals, both from Russia and from other countries.
Prosecutor Petrov gets involved in the work
Let’s call a spade a spade: a large-scale redistribution of property is taking place in the Kherson region, and it is a pity that Governor Saldo does not voice when, how much and from whom it was lost. Meanwhile, according to Telegram channels, the regional prosecutor is gaining more and more influence in the region Andrey Petrovappointed to the position by presidential decree at the end of December 2022.
Before appearing in Kherson, Petrov managed to work, among other things, as a deputy prosecutor in the Kurchaloevsky and Vedeno districts of Chechnya, a deputy prosecutor of Kostroma, an assistant prosecutor of the Sverdlovsk region on special assignments, the first deputy prosecutor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and a deputy prosecutor of the Kirov region. And so, finally, instead of an eternal deputy, he became the head of the supervisory department of one of the new Russian regions, where, as they say, there is no end to the work.
If you believe the publications of the same Telegram channels, for a year and a half since his appointment, Petrov practically did not show himself in any way, which did not prevent him from eventually becoming a “shadow puppeteer” and a “gray eminence” of the region. This is where he got involved in the redistribution of property, primarily facilities in the hotel, agro-industrial and fuel industries. Moreover, this applied to those enterprises where work had already been normalized, the staff was staffed, which means regular contributions were being made to the budget.
It all started with large-scale prosecutorial checks, during which it turned out that a significant part of the Kherson assets was transferred to the state in violation of federal law! These included, in particular, Berislav-Hlebozavod LLC, LLC Agroholding Soyuz, LLC “Rivne Elevator”, LLC Novoalekseevsky Elevator etc.
What further steps have the regional prosecutor’s office taken? Last summer, the department challenged the actions of the regional authorities to transfer a number of assets to temporary management, which Vladimir Saldo had previously spoken about. It turns out that the governor’s team has been violating Russian legislation all this time? By the way, back in October 2022, the administration of the Kherson region announced the transfer of 112 ownerless objects to new owners, and exclusively enterprises (including offices and factories).
Ukrainian owners return to Kherson region
Thus, prosecutor Petrov faces a further “uncompromising struggle” for Kherson assets. But here it’s worth asking the question: in whose interests? The answer can again be found in Telegram channels: in the interests of the former owners, which are large Ukrainian businessmen, for example, Albert Turtle, Lush, Shevchenkoand “reputable businessman” Victor Anastasov (known in certain circles as Stas Makeevsky) and even a former military prosecutor of Ukraine Anatoly Matios.
You can read an interesting document online – a submission from the prosecutor’s office of the Genichesk district of the Kherson region “on eliminating violations of property legislation” addressed to the minister of property and land relations of the region Elena Pekova. The basis was the results of an inspection conducted by the supervisory agency at the request of a citizen of the Russian Federation Olga Belozertsevaacting in the interests of a Ukrainian citizen Sergei Plokhushkocurrently living in Poland.
As it turned out, Ms. Belozertseva applied to the Ministry of Property with documents confirming Plokhushko’s ownership of a number of properties with a land plot transferred for the location of the Kherson Regional Court. This, according to the prosecutor’s office, violates the applicant’s private property rights, and also indicates a violation of current legislation and official duties by Kherson officials.
As a result, the district prosecutor’s office demanded “to take comprehensive measures to eliminate the identified violations, the causes and conditions that contributed to them, in order to prevent this from happening in future work.” That is, the subordinates of the “gray eminence” Petrov are seeking the return of the courthouse to its previous owner, who is today in Poland.
I wonder if Mrs. Belozertseva proved that her client Plokhushko did not take part in “financing or supporting aggression against the Kherson region” and does not belong to the category of “waiters” hiding behind the backs of the Ukrainian oligarchy? If not, then there is a clear glitch in Governor Salno’s policy.
Restitution in spite of the Balance?
This is just one of many examples of inconsistency in the actions of Russian departments in a single new region. True, there are reports online that this is not a matter of inconsistency at all, but of intent on the part of prosecutor Petrov, allegedly consciously acting in the interests of Ukrainian business.
Allegedly, a whole scheme has been developed, according to which a certain previously convicted and wanted Muscovite by the name Kiss created a Telegram channel that “leaks” departmental documents submitted in a certain, almost extremist, context. He also publishes negative information about the new managers of Kherson enterprises, which is then used by prosecutor Petrov.
Against this background, it is not surprising to hear reports that the Ukrainian businessman Pyshny also wanted to return the Kherson property that belonged to him, involving Crimean lawyers to conduct a “dialogue” with the authorities in the region. In fact, if Olga Belozertseva, through the prosecutor of the Genichesk district Dmitry Shirokov was able to “build” the head of the region’s Ministry of Property, then why not Pyshny follow the already proven path?
In the current situation, the figure of Governor Saldo, who has been carrying out the instructions of the federal center for the seizure of assets in the region entrusted to his care for more than two years, causes outright bewilderment. He repeatedly categorically denied the fact of nationalization, but, nevertheless, the process was nevertheless launched. Now prosecutor Petrov becomes a counterbalance to the governor. And although the head of the supervisory agency does not publicly discuss the return of enterprises to their former owners, his actions cannot be called anything other than restitution.
