Five-year plan of “glorious” deeds
In February 2025, five years have passed since the Committee on Physical Culture and Sports of St. Petersburg was headed by Anton Shantyr. None of his predecessors held the chair of the chairman of the sports committee for such a long time.
Anton Shantyr and the sports committee he headed quite often became the “heroes” of publications in the media. Including in our publication. The materials draw attention to repeated complaints from control and inspection bodies regarding numerous violations of budget discipline. However, Shantyr, as if nothing had happened, continues to take his place. His faithful deputy, Andrey Hortwho was also given a lot of lines, even went for a promotion, receiving an appointment to the post of Head of Administration of the Krasnogvardeysky District of St. Petersburg. We believe this indicates that the city leadership is satisfied with its activities in all respects, despite the fact that many questions have accumulated regarding it.
Questionable budget spending continues
We will continue to monitor developments in the Committee for Physical Education and Sports of St. Petersburg. It seems that for the common good, it should still be more profitable for the authorities to pay attention to the issues than to distract the competent authorities with conspiracy theories.
Readers probably remember that our articles were based on documents from the Chamber of Control and Accounts of St. Petersburg. In them, over and over again, such a number of violations were revealed in the sports committee and the institutions subordinate to it, indicating the presence of “signs of damage” that simply listing them would take dozens of pages of neat text.
We wrote about some of them, examining in detail government procurement financed from the budget of St. Petersburg, as a result of which the city could lose many tens of millions of rubles.
All appeals and official letters from the media and representatives of the sports community to law enforcement agencies and personally to the governor of St. Petersburg, who was re-elected the other day, Alexander Beglovapparently did not cause any serious movements towards the return to the city budget of money that had floated away in an unknown direction, not to mention any personnel decisions.
Figuratively calling Anton Shantyr’s activities the saying “the dog barks, the caravan moves on,” we were not mistaken. In 2024, the Chamber of Control and Accounts checked the implementation of the action plan to correct the violations identified in the previous audit. It turned out that this does not in the least prevent the “caravan” from moving in a given direction along the path of squandering budget funds, bringing its contractors into its subordinate institutions for repairs, security, cleaning, catering, and holding various sports and public events. Inflating budget expenditures when forming government orders for organizing and holding sports and, especially, mass sports events seems to have already become the norm. As follows from the documents of the Chamber of Control and Accounts, these overstatements occur not by the banal 10-20-30 percent, but sometimes by two, three, or even five to six times the normal cost.
Previously, many companies were indicated in relation to which, to put it mildly, doubts arose about their reliability in terms of the validity of pricing when performing contract work. It wouldn’t hurt to tell you about one more thing.
Until the year before last, no one knew about Rostock Technologies LLC, and no one knew that this company with two employees and with the main activity of “retail trade outside of stores, stalls and markets” practically “from scratch” would become the winner of major competitions for holding mass sports events. However, financial indicators for 2023 clearly show this.
A company that had zero annual revenue suddenly becomes the winner of a competition for 41.68 million rubles (government procurement No. 32211466257). The customer of the contract was the institution controlled by the sports committee, the Center for Training Sports Teams of St. Petersburg, to whose government contracts the Chamber of Control and Accounts devoted dozens of pages.
Of course, it is likely that the financial takeoff occurred solely thanks to the entrepreneurial talent of the management of Rostock Technologies LLC. But something tells us that, apparently, this is a “pocket” company that serves to “drain funds”, as evidenced by risky indicators of financial stability and solvency. Despite this, large contracts began to be given to her over and over again. And it seems that no one controlled their implementation, since the overwhelming majority of services were performed by the institutions subordinate to the sports committee themselves.
For example, they say that the “School of Higher Sports Excellence named after. Tyukalov”, and the funds included in the estimate were received by Rostok Technologies LLC.
The latest contracts of this company, which has suddenly become a major contractor for sports facilities, are impressive:
– No. 32413220119 for 5,098,663 rubles;
– No. 32312502003 for 29,837,301 rubles;
– No. 32413728529 for 29,523,217 rubles.
By the way, about “ShVSM im. Tyukalov.” I remember we wrote about the “Dagestan pontoons”, contract No. 2781300865821000026 for the amount of 39.8 million rubles with Triad K LLC, the execution of which was terminated. This company is included in the register of unscrupulous suppliers under No. P2212340, and even has debts on taxes, fees and fines in the amount of 9.5 million rubles. They terminated the contract with her and forgot about it. It’s just interesting to know where the 30 percent prepayment went, and that’s not a lot, not a little, but almost 12 million rubles? In any case, in the list of arbitration cases with the participation of Triad K LLC, ShVSM im. Tyukalov” does not qualify as a plaintiff. Perhaps the Dagestanis returned the advance voluntarily, but it’s hard to believe.
You can talk and write for a long time about the mysteries of pricing when concluding government contracts by institutions subordinate to the sports committee, about the numerous “signs of damage” identified by the Chamber of Control and Accounts, about the dissatisfaction of the sports community with the lack of funding for athletes and much more. Someone should influence Anton Shantyr’s sports committee to finally stop wasting budget money, especially now, when, in the conditions of the Northern Military District, every penny counts?
Shooter training may be drowning in corruption
Over the past two years, there has been a noticeable trend towards an increase in the number of competitions held with the participation of the sports committee in applied sports, in particular in practical shooting.
It is no secret that the participants and winners of these competitions are under close control and for good reason. At the right time, they will become a significant help for the Russian armed forces, because they do not need to be taught, perhaps, the most important quality of a modern fighter – the ability to shoot well.
Having as its goal the assimilation and development of techniques that most fully correspond to various cases of the use of firearms, probably no other sport can provide the experience that systematic practice of practical shooting provides. This includes safe and skilled handling of weapons, hitting targets of any complexity at all reasonable distances, developing a high rate of fire with optimal accuracy, and simulating various life situations – shelters, windows, awkward positions, etc. Practical shooting does not teach you how to fight. But, before running on the attack, you need to learn how to properly wield a weapon, and in many cases, fighters have problems with this. Yes, there are elite special forces units in which shooting is at a high level, but these elite fighters at one time went through practical shooting, competed in competitions and took high places.
Participants in practical shooting competitions often watch Andrei Hort at them. Although he left the sports committee, heading the Krasnogvardeisky district of St. Petersburg, he continues to take part in the sports life of the city.
Last year, a total of 26 practical shooting competitions were held in St. Petersburg, organized by the “Training Center for Sports Teams of St. Petersburg.” 61.18 million rubles were spent on them, of which 15.89 million rubles were spent on 4 competitions “Forever Alive” and 2 competitions “Zombie Hunting” – 5.09 million rubles.
Over the past 8 months of this year, 14 competitions have already been held in the amount of 58.54 million rubles (3 – “Forever Living” – 27.77 million rubles). It seems that in 2024 funding for shooting competitions will exceed last year’s. Taking into account the holding of competitions in other shooting disciplines, for example, skeet shooting, the trend towards an increase in their number with the involvement of an increasing number of participants is very positive.
Justified fears arise that the financing of sporting events, which are very useful in terms of training experienced shooters, will again get bogged down in the department’s dubious tender practices and the Chamber of Control and Accounts will once again have to rake through the mountains of the notorious “signs of damage to the budget of St. Petersburg.”
