Did it shoot in Moscow – will it echo in Kirov?

      It is highly likely that, thanks to "warm relations" initially established between the two regional governors—Kursk and Kirov (Starovoit took over the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation in May 2024)—our region received somewhat more than the planned federal funding for road repair and construction. At the same time, subsidy reporting on the utilization of federal funds was clearly not in demand by the "main road ministry," although the billions spent on roads often did not comply with GOST quality standards, delivery deadlines, or urgent needs.

      A stark example of this can be seen in the "utilization of the billion rubles" for roads received back in 2022 through the efforts of then-Regional Government Head Alexander Churin. The final point in the process of "using the road billion" was put in early June of this year by the Control and Accounts Chamber, which announced that an audit of the program's implementation revealed "serious violations."

      Specifically (from the KAS report), inaccuracies in the allocation and use of subsidies—such as "incorrect selection of objects" (meaning: work was done, but not where it was supposed to be), violations in procurement (overpricing), and acceptance of work (delivery deadlines), as well as numerous errors in documentation, were noted. This caused the "deterioration" of... the quality and transparency of road projects.

      Furthermore, 22 officials across 13 municipal entities were subjected to disciplinary and other forms of responsibility. So, the "final KAS report" was aptly dubbed a "pimple on the backside" by the Ministry of Transport, implying that "neither looking at oneself nor showing to friends is possible":

      "Each of the 'offenses' listed in the report essentially amounts to a whole or a dozen criminal cases of 'dividing up a billion rubles,' rather than mere administrative or disciplinary violations. Moreover, one can say that the leadership of this 'initiative' was not a petty bureaucrat putting a signature on every paper, but probably 'conductors' of much higher status and echelon of power. That’s why no one asked why each or at least one of the 22 clerks-thieves isn’t behind bars. But what is very interesting is: where did the 'road billion' go? And why doesn't the Ministry of Transport of Russia ask the same question?"

      It is worth recalling that during Igor Vasilyev's tenure, the utilization of the "road billion" was also called the "road of life." Because 500 million rubles were allocated for the repair and construction of roads as "key points for the development of agriculture": "These were 'growth points' and 'transport corridors' for the successful development of business and reducing the length of roads to the place of product realization," clarified a source from the Ministry of Transport.

      It should be noted that the most officially recognized "costly embezzlement" was the acquisition of a computed tomography scanner for the Perinatal Center in Kirov by Maria Gaidar. It was bought for 92 million rubles, despite a market value of 20 million. Gennady Falin, a pensioner who worked as a guard and sewed sheets of technical specifications, was convicted of causing damage to the regional budget under the article "abuse of authority."

      By the way, it is worth remembering that the Kirov region failed to implement the federal program "Safe Quality Roads," which officials were regularly reminded of by deputies from both Dumas and local non-governmental media until spring 2024. Since then, the section of road from Surikova and Nekrasova streets to Komsomolskoye has not been commissioned. An obstacle was a two-story building at Chelyuskintsev, 9, and a land plot under the facility, where a roundabout and parking should have been built. Meanwhile, regional leadership has been responsible since 2023 for returning nearly three billion rubles of subsidies allocated for the implementation of the national project "Safe and Quality Roads" back to the federal treasury, a fact that the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation completely "forgot."

      A new "scapegoat"?

      It is interesting that the death of Roman Starovoit could, according to "the gray house," also impact the Kirov Ministry of Education, headed by Natalya Bastrikova since mid-May. A native of the Kursk region, she was allegedly linked by long-standing "close relations" with the former governor of Kursk Oblast, Starovoit, which allowed Natalya Aleksandrovna to become the "main Vyatka educator."

      However, regional Ministry of Education staff believe that Olga Rysyeva, who resigned from her position and was demoted to deputy Bastrikova, remains the spiritual and technical leader of the department:

      "So, with Starovoit's departure, it can be assumed that the current regional leadership has a new 'scapegoat' who will be responsible for the non-fulfillment of the national project 'Education,' summer children's recreation, and sluggish preparations for the new school year."