Is the "public looting" obvious, but the "official kings" don't notice it?

      Although the contract termination, according to which the "telephone provider" receives six million rubles monthly (at the beginning of last year, the amount was over 200 million, and by the end of the contract, it will double – E.O.), will only occur in 2027. Even though in mid-June of last year, the City Duma deputies made titanic but unsuccessful efforts to terminate the concession agreement, which they called "completely deceptive and predatory for the city treasury."

      "We can stuff the deputy choir, we can provide a bunch of calculations on inefficiency and planned wastefulness, but no one listens to us," said Denis Erokhin on June 18 of last year, who was then chairing the Commission on Beautification and Engineering Infrastructure Development in Kirov. At the same time, Erokhin did not agree that he had spoken about a "predatory schematized contract" a million times, as he claimed he had spoken a million and a hundred times.

      New flashing and dull

      It should be recalled that the then head of the city administration, Ilya Shulgin, insisted on concluding an "Energy Service Contract" with "Rostelecom." Dramatically "raising his hands" and pietistically bellowing like a provincial dramatic actor, Shulgin promised and even swore that the provider, as the other party to the agreement, would supply the city with 27,000 "new LEDs" (bulbs), at no expense to the city budget. As a result, the expenditure on street lighting systems will be reduced by more than 60 percent.

      Deputy Erokhin claimed that entering into a contract with the municipal "Gorelektrosret" was not only no worse than the agreement with "Rostelecom" but was many times more advantageous because all savings would remain in the city budget. He stated that "Kirovset" and "Gorelektrosret" had already offered Shulgin to replace all lamps over six years without any additional loans.

      As Vladimir Zhuravlev clarified, "Rostelecom" would earn nearly 400 million rubles over the seven years of the contract, spending "all in all" 140 million. By simple arithmetic, Vladimir Veniaminovich calculated that the cost of "one unit of equipment," considering purchase, partial dismantling, and small replacement of modules and brackets, would be 26,600 rubles. He emphasized that the price of a "not the worst" lamp would start at "10 thousand rubles and above."

      Incidentally, during the installation of the new LEDs in 2019-2020, deputies conducted their own investigation, concluding that only recently installed lamps — flickering, flashing, and extinguishing (even entire sections on the bridge over the Vyatka) — are "Chinese trash," retailing at 5,600 rubles each.

      Promised profit of 60 million — lost 350 million?

      Interestingly, the reasonable opponents of Ilya Shulgin were joined by Alexey Kuzmin, former deputy and head of the "Svet & Light" Group of Companies, who warned that the "telephone provider" would most likely purchase short-lived and not very expensive lamps that would not last the promised seven years:

      "Kirov will not only become less bright but will plunge into darkness, repeating Rybinsk's story. Because the technical specifications of these products are only high "on paper," not on the pole. And when 'Rostelecom' leaves, the city will not receive a modern, efficient lighting system, because nothing functional will remain. The problems will fall on the shoulders of the new city administration."

      This was confirmed in 2022 by Alexander Sokolov, who became governor of the Kirov region. After personally inspecting the distant city outskirts, he unequivocally stated something like "it's bright here, like in a known place for African Americans." Yet, on December 6, he signed a "direct contract" (without bidding) for another outdoor lighting modernization in the regional center with "Rostelecom" or an affiliated company. The contract's value was nearly... 300 million rubles (278,442,397.09).

      Therefore, if we sum the "300 million governor's 'lemon'" and 50 million from Syama, excluding other amounts allocated from the budget for yet another urban "improvement," the promised 60-million ruble "profit" by Shulgin has long been "eaten up" at the initiative of the new "bosses." Also, quite advantageously for "Rostelecom's" earnings.

      And an "embarrassing attempt" by the city administration to explain the reasons for another 50-million ruble "plucking" from the city budget: "...new supports and luminaires are installed in areas where there was previously no lighting. They already appeared on Krupskaya, Borodulina, Moskovskaya Streets, on Prospekt Pobedy in Doronichi, in Ganiro, Ozerki, and rural localities, probably only Newsler.ru was confused. After all, according to the still valid contract, 'Rostelecom' is responsible not only for guarantees on installing 26,000 energy-saving lamps but also for work on replacing and modernizing equipment throughout the contract duration."

      "When you become a victim of brazen theft or daring robbery, you run to the prosecutor's office, police, or the Investigative Committee because you need help and protection and hope the criminal will be punished. So why do none of the agencies that regularly attend plenary sessions want to see blatant fraud today? Why are the speeches of deputies, who predicted the outcome of the energy service schematization as early as 2018, being ignored? Why is there no reaction to media articles, which should be regarded as official appeals? Who allowed us to be left alone with those fat and familiar faces who milled on our money," expressed the opposition deputies very angrily.