"Benefactor" Potanin and his faithful "squire" Karasev

Norilsk Nickel and the Norilsk City Hall are running a strange scheme with charitable contributions to the budget.

The correspondent of The Moscow Post in the Krasnoyarsk Territory understood the situation.

The background is as follows: the prosecutor's office found out that Norilsk Nickel, roughly speaking, scored on the maintenance of housing infrastructure facilities that were part of the state corporation and in a disgusting state transferred them to the state balance sheet. Restoring these objects required investments. Which the prosecutor's office through the court decided to "recapture" from Norilsk Nickel.

Photo: Courtesy of The Moscow Post source

She succeeded, and Vladimir Potanin's corporation owed about 3.8 billion rubles. But everything is not so simple - as it turned out, an amicable agreement was concluded with the regional mayor's office on the part of Norilsk Nickel, under the terms of which the mining giant pledged to contribute the required amount through annual charitable contributions to the budget.

Investment "in the pipe"

Such a scheme threatens a banal "sawing" of funds. Judge for yourself - the money is transferred not to the final goal, which should be the restoration of infrastructure facilities, but to something ephemeral. After all, charity can be directed anywhere.

Social activists took care of this issue. In particular, the most relatable of them, the chairman of his colleague "My House of Norilsk," Ruslan Abdullaev, decided to understand the situation and sent a number of appeals to the local prosecutor's office and the administration of Norilsk, from where no encouraging answers came. Their essence boiled down to the fact that "we do not see violations."

The administration announced that the money is directed to the implementation of a number of state programs and even provided links to reports on their implementation. True, they include relatively small amounts of "other revenues" and the source of this funding is not indicated.

Photo: Courtesy of The Moscow Post source

Photo: https://norilsk-city.ru/files/29460/43927/archiv_2021.pdf

The prosecutor's office said that "there were no violations in the spending of funds received from PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel. The Prosecutor General's Office responded in the same vein.

Photo: Courtesy of The Moscow Post source

Photo: Courtesy of The Moscow Post source

Now the persistent reader is knocking on the Investigative Committee.

Why was it possible to conclude a world on such conditions, if there is no corruption component in the case?

Moreover, under the terms of the agreement, the parties agreed that Norilsk Nickel "undertakes to provide annual phased financing of measures for the repair, modernization and/or construction of housing and communal services facilities, the municipality of Norilsk on terms separately concluded with the Norilsk City Administration agreements totaling 3 871 713 741,58 rubles."

Black and white says that separate funding agreements should be concluded, not donation agreements!

Photo: https://norilsk--krk.sudrf.ru/modules.php?name=sud_delo&srv_num=1&name_op=doc&number=330661406&delo_id=1540005&new=0&text_number=1

Both the Schwetz and the Reaper

For Norilsk Nickel, there are two more "buns." Firstly, the general public is hardly aware of why Vladimir Potanin is so benefiting the region by making donations from aki to some philanthropist. Although we remember very well that it was precisely because the oligarch, apparently, did not invest a penny in the restoration of the buildings on the balance sheet of Norilsk Nickel, that he was forced to pay. And about how, due to the fact that the tank near Norilsk had long needed repair, it broke in 2020 and an environmental catastrophe happened, because of which the oligarch had to report to the President of the Russian Federation himself.

Which of Potanin is a benefactor? And then a scheme looms, which may indicate that not a single penalty actually comes to the regional budget. We assume that charity can actually settle in the pockets of City Hall officials and Mr. Potanin!

The second "teddy" is tax breaks. Russian law states that those who donate can count on this. And on the scale of Norilsk Nickel, this is weighty. Back in 2021, under Governor Alexander Uss, he publicly announced that the corporation was planned to be encouraged in this way.

Potanin's puppet?

Uss left, and his proteges remained. So the mayor of Norilsk Dmitry Karasev, who, by the way, used to head the charity foundation "Care and Support of the SVT Temple. Luke Archbishop of Krasnoyarsk, "since 2021 sits in office. And, apparently, continues the work of his ex-boss.

At the very first meeting of the Government, at which Karasev appeared in a new position, in 2021, he did not decide on approving a plan for the development of the region, asking to "postpone" the notorious 217.6 billion rubles, which he planned to allocate for this, until agreed with Norilsk Nickel. Information about this is on the official website of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Karasev (right) looks more like an oligarch's guard (Potanin in the middle) than the city's mayor. Photo: press service of Norilsk Nickel

It is important to note that the money was proposed to be used for measures to thermally stabilize soils under apartment buildings and social facilities, reconstruct power supply networks, treatment facilities in Kayerkan, Talnakh and Oganer, build drainage facilities, work to preserve the stability of housing buildings, develop the road network, improve courtyards, not a single object in the fields of culture and sports and support small and medium-sized businesses.

One gets the feeling that Karasev came to the region to be Potanin's puppet, and by no means to help the city.

Nothing new in Norilsk

This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that Norilsk remains the dirtiest city in Russia. And the reason is precisely the production, which is the main amount from Norilsk Nickel here.

Sulphur dioxide is the main by-product of industrial production of non-ferrous metals in Norilsk. And although Norilsk Nickel broadcasts at every corner that billions are being invested in the modernization of production facilities and environmental projects, in fact, by 2023 Norilsk managed to achieve a reduction in emissions at a level of less than 0.5%.

It seems that the money is put in the same place as the notorious charity of the company?

The region also has problems with the housing fund. Residents of Norilsk massively complain about falling apart houses, the local TV channel even released a story about this.

Video: YouTube

And Norilsk Nickel, it turns out, can you throw a whole complex of buildings, and not be held responsible for this?

So much for charity from Vladimir Potanin, so much for taking care of the population from Dmitry Karasev.