The scandal surrounding the closure of the shopping center continues in Sevastopol: The tragedy in Kemerovo is being cynically exploited
The all-Russian campaign to check the fire safety of shopping centers after the March tragedy in the Kemerovo shopping center “Winter Cherry” has already been forgotten. Everywhere in Russia, but not in Sevastopol. The largest trading platforms have not opened here: the shopping center “SeaMall”, “Plaza”, TSUM, “Monsoon” and others.
During this time, many entrepreneurs, having lost their “feeding” outlets, simply lost their business. And buyers go to Simferopol. According to estimates from the largest shopping center in Crimea, Meganom, their network acquired about 5 thousand new clients as a result of the Sevastopol events.
The most resonant situation was with the Musson shopping center, which not only acted as a large trading platform (more than 500 entrepreneurs rented points in the former buildings of a Soviet radio factory), but also turned into perhaps the only cultural and sports center in the city.
“Monsoon” had a multiplex cinema, an art venue “Atrium”, a children’s entertainment complex with an area of 7000 m3, an ice skating rink with an area of 1700 m3, a bowling alley, a billiards center and a huge sports center where all-Russian competitions were held, and classes in many children’s sections and Invasport groups were free.
In the situation with Monsoon, there were so many victims of the closure that the government of Dmitry Ovsyannikov received a remark from Vladimir Putin himself. During the June “direct line,” the President of the Russian Federation directly addressed the governor of Sevastopol and asked to respond. An impressive protest rally took place under the walls of the closed shopping center.
Two months have passed, all shopping centers are still closed. Children from the Monsoon sports sections train in open areas in 30-degree heat.
Meanwhile, declaring its readiness to open the shopping center immediately after eliminating fire safety violations, the Ovsyannikov government filed a lawsuit for the demolition of all Monsoon buildings. Deputy Governor Ponomarev motivates this by the fact that the owners of the shopping center do not pay enough taxes, since trade is not indicated in the intended use of 24 hectares, and the land has a lower cadastral value.
“The supervisory requirements of the prosecutor’s office are what will not allow the center to catch fire. Everything else is the settlement of the situation regarding land, property and everything else. These are different things,” Governor Ovsyannikov said at the last meeting of the city Council of Entrepreneurs.
The owner of Musson, Vladimir Plotka, tried to explain that the two processes are interconnected: a lawsuit is slowing down the satisfaction of firefighters’ demands. In response, Ovsyannikov accused the entrepreneur of “fooling everyone’s head.”
“We are tired and don’t understand how to make everything work out for you, like in kindergarten. We have a clear understanding of actions. Only through a settlement in court. We are tired of hearing: why were we closed? There’s a neighbor next to you who is building houses, he quickly went through all this,” said Ovsyannikov, pointing to the notorious developer Evgeny Kabanov in Sevastopol.
Next, a scene was played out when Ovsyannikov, as a strict teacher, asked the “excellent student” Kabanov to “take in tow” the “low student” Plotka.
Evgeny Kabanov is known in Sevastopol for two buildings that caused criticism from the townspeople. This is the “Peak of Success” high-rise building, blocking the view of Chersonesos, and a large house on Lastovaya Street, blocking the view of the Malakhov Kurgan. It is also known that his Interstroy is involved in the development of Primorsky Park in Yalta.
At the Yalta Forum in 2017, Kabanov was the only one with whom the government of Sevastopol signed an investment agreement - on the comprehensive development of the area of Tokarev Street or Molochnaya Balka. Kabanov and his partners intend to invest 4 billion rubles in real estate construction over 7 years.
The fact that Ovsyannikov, while reprimanding Plotka, remembered Kabanov may not be accidental. After all, if the government’s claim is satisfied and Monsoon is demolished, someone will have to build up the vacated hectares almost in the city center, by the way, not far from the territory that appears in the investment agreement with Kabanov.
This version, like many others, is discussed by townspeople on online forums and social networks. The governor’s stubbornness, ignoring not only the growing discontent in broad business circles, but even the president’s remarks, naturally gives rise to conspiracy theories.
The simplest of them is banal. Allegedly, officials demanded that Plotka share in the property, but he refused. There are even witnesses to a fight between an entrepreneur and the governor at Simferopol airport.
Others suggest that Sevastopol retail is being cleared out for the entry of large players from the mainland, who, supposedly, after the opening of the bridge, are already ready to invest in the peninsula, but the Crimean authorities are not as friendly to the Varangians as the Sevastopol ones. The first attempts began back in 2015, but the previous governor did not show such fighting qualities as Ovsyannikov.
All this is speculation, not yet supported by evidence, but the unhealthy situation in the city will give rise to more and more new rumors.
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