One of the most influential persons of Russia, Herman Gref, the Head of «Sberbank of Russia», old friend of Vladimir Putin, actively develops the Southern Shore of Crimea. For his benefit, lucrative land plots are transferred or expropriated from local residents; buildings are destroyed; Massandra vineyards and unique forests are erased; property and businesses of local entrepreneurs and even unique tourist objects are eliminated. Gref replaces them with multi-billion palaces and hotels. Russian Crimean «authorities» are waiters who deliver their hungry «guest» new and more delicious meals.
Bulldozers of Gref’s «Mriya»
Luxury hotel complex Mriya Resort & Spa in Opolzneve village in Great Yalta is owned by «Sberbank Russia» through LLC «Garant-SV» and its founders LLC «Auktsyon» and «Gamma-S». The Ukrainian office of «Sberbank Russia» launched its construction before the Russian occupation of Crimea. Ukrainian government, headed by Mykola Azarov, adopted beneficial taxation regime for this «strategic investor».
Half built sanatorium of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of USSR has been completely erased. It was built for the personnel of Kyiv Avia Factory, the developer of the largest plane in the world – AN-225, better known under the name «Mriya» [Dream]. Founders of current hotel complex borrowed name «Mriya» and destroyed everything else.
Half built sanatorium of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of USSR. Photo: mriyaresort.com
In August 2014, Putin held the session of the Russian National Security Council and meetings with members of the Russian State Duma in not-yet-completed «Mriya». He recognized the use of Russian troops during so-called Crimean referendum.
Mriya Resort & Spa became one of the most expensive hotel complexes in Crimea. Yalta International Economic Forum was conducted each year in «Mriya». This investment forum hosted propagandist forum of «friends of Russian occupation of Crimea». This activity of the hotel caused the US to impose sanctions on its founder LLC «Garant-SV» in November 2018.
The Center of Journalist Investigations told the story of «Mriya» and its role in the Russian occupation of Crimea in an investigation «How sanctioned hotel «Mriya» wins World Travel Awards».
In 2018, hotel complex expanded and included «Wine Park». The «park» has been set up on lands illegally expropriated upon the request of Herman Gref from Ukrainian national wine factory «Massandra». 13 hectares of vineyard of white muscat near «Mriya» were destroyed. New vineyard, two times smaller, was planted. The seizure of lands of unique «Massandra» was highlighted in our material «Russian oligarchs-winemakers on stolen lands of «Massandra» and their European puppets».
Hotel complex Mriya Resort & Spa. Photo: mriya.maot.ru
Now complex Mriya Resort & Spa together with «Wine Park» occupies 50 hectares of the land near the sea shore.
Herman Gref announced recently the construction of another hotel near «Mriya» – with 420 rooms («Mriya» has 425 rooms).
«Hotel complex will be built into existing landscape, into the city… it will be astonishing project», as said Gref.
The project of new hotel, more advanced that «Mriya», has been developed, as reported Gref. It is planned «to move the sea».
«Now the beach zone is being constructed. We will expand the beach by 25 meters into the sea», as said head of «Sberbank».
«Dachas of Herman Gref» in Alupka
Local residents call «dachas of Herman Gref» new luxury residential complex in Alupka, built on the location of destroyed Soviet time sanatorium «Zlatoust».
The scale of construction works can be seen on amateur video made in 2021.
The story begins in 2008. The CJI covered it in 2014 within the special project «Masters of Crimean Beaches». LLC «Inter-Resurs-Servis», registered at Palatsove shose, 34, bought sanatorium «Zlatoust» (former Soviet «Southern Ural»). The company leased the largest beach of Alupka (400 meters long) for 49 years.
The company was founded by two Simferopol LLCs with final beneficiaries, hiding behind offshore companies, Alupka company «Sulanzh» and asset management company «Akers invest», owned by Vasilii Khmelnytsky, Ukrainian oligarch and former member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the pro-Russian Party of Regions.
In 2013, the construction works were launched.
Beach of sanatorium «Zlatoust» in 2013. Photo: investigator.org.ua
After the Russian occupation of Crimea, the Russian State Register of Legal Entities registered Russian clone of Ukrainian company «Interstar-Resurs-Servis». There are now three founders of this company: LLC «Sulanzh» (30%), «Avangard-Invest» (35%) and Pavel Batrybekovich Tischenko (35%), connected with Gref.
Together with son of the head of «Sberbank» Oleg Gref, Tischenko founded LLC «Neva Invest Group» on property sale in Saint Petersburg in 2017.
Russian «Sulanzh» is the clone of Ukrainian LLC, registered in 2009 at the address of construction site – Palatsove shose, 34. This cleaning company was founded by Yakov Moiseevich Khor. 87 years old Yakov Khor is father of Gleb Khor, billionaire, member of the Russian State Duma from political party «United Russia». it is reported that Gleb Khor is an old partner of Herman Gref. Born in Donetsk oblast, Gleb Khor is the representative of «coal lobby» in State Duma. The main asset of Khor family is coal mining in Siberia (company «Rutek»). Yakov Khor is listed among founders of «Rutek».
Khor family has also construction business. Their company «Riviera» (Yakov Khor has been among its founders until 2019) received several construction contracts in Crimea – development of territories of monasteries in Fiolent and Inkerman, reconstruction of Akhmatova park and park of Victory in Sevastopol.
«Riviera» received over 800 million Rubles for the reconstruction of the park of Victory. The works have been of poor quality, and city administration filed law suit against the company. «Riviera» participated in the construction of «Mriya». In 2015, Gleb Khor was awarded the Order «For Fidelity to Duty» by Sergii Aksyonov.
Russian deputy-businessman Gleb Khor (left) and Russian «Head of Crimea» Sergii Aksyonov. Photo: ruspekh.ru
Former «Zlatoust» is adjacent to the gorgeous park of famous Vorontsov Palace, the most visited tourist object of Crimea. Former Soviet sanatorium has been turned into luxury residential complex with over 200 apartments (from 27 to 700 square meters), tennis courts, swimming pools, sports and helicopter sites.
Residential complex at Palatsove shose, 34. Photo: наш.дом.рф
Final completion of the complex has been delayed several times. Now it is expected at the end of 2024. Average price of luxury property there is over 517 thousand Rubles (almost 6 thousand USD) per square meter. In accordance with service наш.дом.рф, 19% of apartments were already sold.
Residential complex at Palatsove shose, 34. Photo: наш.дом.рф
How Gref destroyed Crimean rope road
Now there is a turn for another interesting story – how Gref broke unique Crimean rope road. Rope road Miskhor-Ai Petri, 2980 long, is among ten unique engineering objects of the world. Its 1.5 km long part, from middle station «Sosnovy bor» to upper station «Ai Petri», is the longest part of rope road in Europe without pillars. The role of pillars is played by moving cars of the road.
The road was opened in 1988. It is among the most visited tourist objects of Crimea. Its cars moved visitors within 15 minutes to the height of 1 152 meters – from lower station «Miskhor» to Ai Petri Mountain.
Rope road in Ai Petri. Photo: c-pravda.ru
Since 1994, the rope road has been leased by Leri Georgiyovych Svanidze and his wife Nadia Grygoriivna Olifer through their LLCs «Olimp» and «Startinvest». 64 years old Leri Svanidze is known person in Great Yalta. This man of Georgian origin made business and political career in Ukrainian Crimea. In 2006, he was elected to the Koreiz Village Council and in 2010 he became the speaker of this Council. In 2014, he supported Russian occupants. Until 2021, he has been a member of occupation Yalta City Council from Russian political party «United Russia». But he suddenly resigned upon his own will. Why? The reasons are explained below.
Rope road has been very lucrative business. It served millions of visitors and brought a fortune to Svanidze family. In 2021, «Startinvest» revealed 43.5 million Rubles of profit. Russian occupation authorities of Yalta awarded it the prize «Best Taxpayer».
However, in 2020, «Yalta administration» cancelled leasing agreement with «Startinvest» in court. The company tried to appeal the court decision but in 2023 it withdrew its lawsuit. Rope road was closed at the moment.
In October 2022, assets of rope road were transferred to new leasing company – recently created LLC «Rus», registered in Koreiz at Alupkinske shose, 52. Keep in mind this address.
The manager of «Rus» is not disclosed by the Russian Federal Taxation Service. But Russian State Register indicates its e-mail – [email protected]. This e-mail leads to Sevastopol regional public organization of veterans of special forces and participants of wars «Specnaz-Rus». Since 2015, it has been headed by Andrii Viktorovych Kudryavtsev. He is also member of «Public Chamber of Sevastopol». This «Rus» has only one employee with half a million salary. It seems it is Kudryavtsev. It should be noted that «Startinvest» has had over 80 employees and hired additional employees in the summer to service the rope road.
Collaborator Andrii Kudryavtsev. Photo: sevoborona.site
Why successful company and «best taxpayer» «Startinvest» was suddenly deprived of its business?
At the end of 2022, assets of rope road, three stations and three land plots, were transferred from municipal to republican ownership. Occupation authorities announced that investor was going to invest 150 million Rubles into modernization of rope road. The name of investor was not disclosed.
There is no secret here. New investor is not «Rus» and Kudryavtsev. It is LLC «Mriya.Pro», managed by «Mriya», i.e. «Sberbank».
Today Leri Svanidze is the head of department of resorts and tourism of «Yalta administration». He looks happy in his account in Russian VKontakte and praises Russia and Putin. He participates in rallies and meetings organized by «Sberbank»…
Leri Svanidze at the forum of the Academy of Hospitality. Photo: vk.com
After the closure in 2022, Russian authorities promised to open rope road before the season of 2023. «Mayor of Yalta» Yanina Pavlenko announced that the road would start not from lower but from middle station. She argued it was necessary to avoid traffic jam.
«In Miskhor, we always had traffic jam there, there is a narrow «bottleneck» and a lot of cars», as said Pavlenko.
However, local residents suggested another reason for the closure of lower station. It stands on the road between new «dacha of Gref»and hotel «Mriya». A lot of cars and people were a problem for luxury clients of the hotel. Local residents wrote the following comments on local online forums:
«Somebody needs to free road in Miskhor from ordinary people. We all know perfectly well about it».
«Everybody knows that he has dacha near lower gates to Vorontsov Part… large wooden gates are the entrance to his dacha. He did not life traffic jam on the road to his dacha. It is not allowed to pronounce his name, it has four letters… «Mriya» is his asset».
«Somebody stole lower station of the rope road. I will not be surprised if Gref (such an awful name!) is involved into this affair. He sucks lands as vacuum cleaner. How tourists will get to middle station without cars? There is long way from the road to the station. This rotten Gref sucks Southern Shore of Crimea. Let him go to Mariupol to build there! There is a natural reserve around middle station, by the way. It is interesting to see what they will do with the forest around, there is no space for parking lot there»…
«Mriya» stole rope road and we are told that it was optimization…»
And now recall the address of intermediary company «Rus». Alupkinske shose, 52 is the address of the lower station of the rope road.
Closed lower station of rope road «Miskhor». Photo: po-krymu.ru
The rope road was re-opened on June 12, 2024, the Day of Russia. Now it starts from middle station «Sosnovy bor». Forest with unique pines was cut for parking lot…
«Golden rain» of «Sberbank» in Alupka
In April 2022, «Sberbank» came back to Crimea, after the USA and other countries imposed sanctions on the bank. It left Crimea in 2014. At that time, it was afraid of sanctions…
Since 2022, Herman Gref has often visited Crimea. Some say that he de facto settled in Alupka.
In 2022, Alupka won the grant of Russian federal national project «Tourism and hospitality industry» for the development of city center. It is rumored that Gref could have lobbied the victory of Alupka grant proposal. The federal budget allocated over 250 million Rubles for the project within 2022-2024. Electric grid was hidden under the ground; water and sewage systems were changed; several private houses were destroyed.
Objects destroyed in Alupka. Photo: avatars.dzeninfra.ru
This year «golden rain» fell down on Vorontsov Palace. Unknown sponsor donated 223 million Rubles to replace existing pavement with more reliable and expensive stones. The procurement has been conducted without competition. New stones were supplied by LLC «Garden City», registered in Moscow district.
Yefimkin Igor Vasylyovych is among the founders of the company. He has been co-founder of above mentioned LLC «Riviera» which worked for «Mriya».
Thus, the supplier comes from the inner circle of Gref…
Local residents say that Gref likes morning runs around Vorontsov Park. Its pavement should correspond to luxury sports shoes of Gref…
It is remarkable that Gref has conducted frequent inspection visits to Alupka. On May 1, 2024, Gref examined reconstruction of Alupka. In August, he made a visit, together with Russian «Head of Crimea» Aksyonov and Metropolitan Tikhon, close to Putin.
Herman Gref (right) in Alupka, May 1, 2024. Photo: avatars.dzeninfra.ru
Sergii Aksyonov (left), Herman Gref (center) and Metropolitan Tikhon (right) in Alupka, August 13, 2024. Photo: vk.com
Gref’s future for Ai Petri
«Mriya» is expanding. Besides new hotel, its development program until 2035 includes construction of congress hall, Entertainment Park, Natural Park as well as wine and mountain clusters.
It means that Gref is going to «master» Ai Petri. In 2017, all buildings, cafes and shops of local entrepreneurs, were erased. It was presented under slogans of protection of unique nature of Ai Petri. Aksyonov announced that only station of rope road would be left intact.
It was rumored at that time that «Sberbank» was going to become the only owner of tourist infrastructure of Ai Petri.
Later occupation authorities declared that ski resort would be built there. But they dropped this plan as there was a shortage of water sources for artificial snow.
Destruction of buildings at Ai Petri plateau, 2017. Photo: Олександр Полегенько
It is unknown who develops Ai Petri now. Its website calls it Mountain Park. It advertises and sells tickets for rope road and proposes commercial property for lease.
Presence of «Sberbank» was confirmed by presentation of art object «Whisper of mountains» at Ai Petri. It was opened by Gref himself.
Art object «Whisper of mountains» at Ai Petri. Photo: oblast45.ru
This art object was offered by Ural office of «Sberbank». «Art object was opened within celebration of the 10th anniversary of Mriya Resort & SPA. It is a symbol of unity of Crimean and Ural Mountains», as reported press service of Crimean resort. It added that «Whisper» is the first out of ten compositions to be offered by various offices of «Sberbank».
Gref told at the opening that it was the very beginning of the development of tourist zone in Ai Petri. He announced that new rope road would be opened next year because existing one «did not correspond to modern requirements. The new one will be 22 times more effective…»
«At the same time we develop sea shore – we erase illegal ugly buildings. We would like to make two open accessible beaches. Together with Yalta administration, we work on destroying illegal infrastructure and construction of new beach complexes», as said Gref.
Thus, new colonizer of Great Yalta comes and destroys everything he does not like.
Tags: Mriya Resort & Spa, Alupka, Herman Gref, construction, seizure of lands, rope road, Crimea, sea shore, Sberbank of Russia
