05.07.2010
On 17.06.2010 Oil Company Rosneft (Russia) and Chevron Corporation (U.S.) signed an agreement to develop oil fields in the Black Sea shelf. Both companies will be jointly engaged in search, exploration and development. In the presence of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the document was signed by heads of both companies – Sergei Bogdanchikov and John Watson. This is a joint development of the Western Black Sea license area, which includes the "Val Shatskogo" deposit. It is planned to drill two exploration wells on the site. One of them is called "Severochernomorskaya", located 200 km from Novorossiysk. The second well, called "Maria", is situated north of Tuapse. Resources of the license area amount to 858 million tons of oil, risk-based estimate – 180 million tons. In general, prospective resources of the section are tentatively estimated at 4.6 billion barrels of oil.
It would seem that great work for the benefit of stakeholders has been done. But then, why is it that for decades the government, with foam at the mouth, assured the residents of the city of Tuapse and all Russian citizens that there were no oil fields in Tuapse area? As for the oil slicks on the ground surface and oil lenses on the sea near Tuapse, it was allegedly a leak of oil from a pipe. The truth that deep-well pumps worked around the clock in the Tuapse oil depot was not advertised. In this case, it is not clear that what they pumped – oil leak from the pipeline, or crude oil from wells outside of State control for “development” of shadow economy – or perhaps both of those?
It is not by accident that Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin “diligently” safeguards the interests of those Tuapse city enterprises which are involved in the transportation, storage and processing of oil. If we look from the standpoint of the state, Levitin appears to be a “patriot of the homeland”. But this is not the case. Levitin covered that which the public was not supposed to know. Levitin could not have been unaware of the presence of oil in the region of Tuapse. For a long time the citizens were deliberately misinformed and fooled on this topic. In order to accomplish this, controlled media (including a number of websites on the Internet) were employed – knowing their role, they wrote about anything but the information about the oil field in Tuapse. But it is the implementation of the YACONTO Integrated Program that would have lead to large-scale investigation of anti-state crime, which is contrary to the interests of the “public elite” and their “monopoly business partners”. Therefore, everything is being done to prevent the implementation of the promising Program.
The Minister’s chair lets Levitin fulfill the demands of those who arranged this “chair” for him. In order to prove his worth to his “benefactors”, this rustler pays back his “debt” diligently, at the same time never forgetting about his personal benefit. Levitin, his “partners” and their “benefactors” do not care about what happens to Russia. The grave consequences of their actions for once Great and potent Power are described in other sections of www.yaconto.com as well.
Prior to his lobbied appointment as Russian Minister of Transport in spring 2004, Igor Levitin was the Deputy Chief of “Severstaltrans” JSC, which was a shareholder of several companies, and in particular, an owner of 69.4% interest in the Tuapse Trade Port (TTP). In “Severstaltrans”, as of 1996, Levitin was in charge of transport machinery, rail transportation and operation of seaports. A few months after Levitin’s “triumphal entry” in the Russian government where he obtained a new “patrimony” which can be used in the interests of his benefactors, “Severstaltrans” sold its stake in TTP to “Novolipetsk Steel” (NLMK). Is it possible to believe that Levitin, a shareholder of several companies, knew nothing about the presence of an oil lens in the TTP water area and about its illegal extraction by some commercial structures? This is a dark mystery – but eventually all secrets become revealed.
If we see a puppet’s strings, we can eventually figure out where they lead to. It is not by accident that Levitin was given an “overseer” role in the Russian Ministry of Transport to serve those who lobbied his Minister’s “appointment” in 2004 and prolongation of his term in 2008. And it is no accident either that this “puppet” was surrounded by smart deputies and departmental heads, who typically enjoyed special trust of the “higher echelons of power” or even were relatives of the latter. It is through them that “tricks” with huge budget funds were carried out; nobody was held responsible for inefficient and inappropriate use of those funds. This “nomenklatura elite” can hardly expect anything but another promotion on the next occasion of personnel rotation. The administrative elite lives to such rules and concepts, where the principle of “personal loyalty” completely replaces organizational skills and competencies that are generally not considered and disregarded. And this all happens in a country that proclaimed its choice in favor of democracy and market economy. Levitin’s activity has an “other side of the coin” which is quite well-known, despite being carefully concealed from the public both by himself and by his accomplices and his patrons. This person’s cynical behavior during public communications with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is truly disgusting.
Now, why is this person being so actively protected by the Russian Government? Is there no worthier candidate than Igor Levitin? Cannot this “priceless employee” be replaced by anyone in the country? If the Russian Ministry of Transport was headed by Sergey Shishkarev, who currently serves as Chairman of the Transport Committee of the Russian State Duma, we would see a really smart, energetic and motivated potential minister. In addition, he has no reason to solicit the help of deceptive Levitin. Shishkarev is fully capable of conducting a reform of the Russian Ministry of Transport according to today’s realities and demands. But in this case, many employees of the said Ministry would have had to leave their comfortable, profitable places – or, perhaps, even move “up the river” after a confiscation of illegally obtained property.
Page 26 of the Letter of YACONTO LLC to Russian President Vladimir Putin (out. №80116-1 of 16.01.2008) contains following compromising information: “The materials of the “offsite session” of the Commission on 21.03.2007 contain data hidden from the investigation: data on the presence of an oil lens in the waters of TTSP, from which 1.5 million tons of oil has been collected; where does the oil come from, who obtains it, at what price the oil is sold and where is it sent - is silenced.” … “Oil which was being “collected” from the lens for more than 30 years and pumped by 16 pumps located on the territory of “RN-Tuapsenefteprodukt” LLC is state property and subject to control – but has never been accounted. Instead, it should be officially extracted by Oil Company “Rosneft” JSC, processed by “RN - Tuapse Oil Refinery” LLC and then sold, bringing revenue to the state, shareholders, the city of Tuapse and the Tuapse region, ensuring their common socio-economic development.”
It is an interesting fact that the members of the Commission of the Federation Councilfor national maritime policy were so reluctant to organize an official inspection of the evidence of large-scale theft of natural resources from the state, presented to it on the offsite meeting in Tuapse on 21.03.2007. This event, which resembled a “show” rather than an offsite meeting, resulted in a decision not to support the nongovernmental YACONTO Integrated Program (for the construction of a “Commercial Black Sea port YACONTO” and a Tuapse Naval Base with their joint production, transport and social infrastructure in Tuapse region), so important for socio-economic development of the region and fully funded by foreign investors.
The so-called “offsite meeting” of the Commission, chaired by Vyacheslav Popov, covered shadow activities of the administrative elite and their monopoly business partners and was held with gross violations of the Law, as explained in the Letter of YACONTO LLC to the Chairman of the Federation Council Sergey Mironov (out. №1-70416 of 16.04.2007). “Senator” Popov compromised himself while being in the position of Commander of the Northern Fleet of Russia, when his inadequate actions led to a loss of the K-141 “Kursk” nuclear submarine with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on 12.08.2000. Now, it is a telling fact that he is ready to buck to the “privileged caste” today, serving their interests in a most servile way.
Participation of potential foreign investors and strategic partners in the implementation of the YACONTO Integrated Program was planned in accordance with the YACONTO List of Projects of 04.11.2006, which did not include a creation of the Tuapse Naval Base (TNB), initially specified in the YACONTO List of Projects of 09.05.2005. This made negotiations on financing of the YACONTO Integrated Program between YACONTO LLC and the representatives of the world’s leading companies much easier. There was a mutual understanding that the economic efficiency of commercial projects (as per the List) can only be reached in case of implementation of its social component, an integral part of the whole Program.
Cunning and hypocritical social climbers and adventurers of all kinds and ranks in the structures of state authority and administration quickly understood the value of the unique YACONTO Integrated Program. After having smeared the Program in dirt, the cunning rogues shamelessly presented same ideas to the supreme leadership of the country under the guise of “their own developments”. This scum received praise, gratitude and reward for their “diligence and hard work”. In spring 2006, Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly announced Russia’s participation in the conduction of international XXII Winter Olympic Games “SOCHI-2014”, but it is sufficient to take a look at the YACONTO List of Projects dated 09.05.2005 and its documents and materials to understand that YACONTO Integrated Program was the basis for this “political project”.
Relocation of the railroad between Tuapse and Adler cities 3 – 11 kilometers further inland from the Black Sea coast via the construction of a new segment with tunnels and bridges will free up valuable coastal land for the development of resort, wellness & recreation and sports & tourism business on the Black Sea. Construction of a modern multi-lane toll highway (with completely affordable prices) parallel to the new railroad from the town of Goryachi Klyuch to the border with Georgia would allow withdrawing more than 90% of the transit transport from the Tuapse – Sochi M27 federal highway, thus freeing up the coastal road exclusively for the needs of tourists, vacationers and sportsmen (including cycling).
Construction of a comfortable modern monorail instead of the old dismantled railway line on the Black Sea coast will also help attract more tourists to the resorts of Krasnodar Territory. This road, with frequent stops, must go all the way along the coast from the border with Georgia to the city of Gelendzhik and serve as a public vehicle both for tourists and for residents of the region, allowing them to move freely along the coast without obstacles for a reasonable price. The monorail will also facilitate an excursion route along the coast for the tourists.
Resort industry is also dependent on the development of transport infrastructure. That’s why the construction of a new railway segment and a highway is a crucial part of the YACONTO Integrated Program. Besides, the major “YACONTO Port” would not be able to operate at full capacity without a modern railroad and a highway. Construction of sustainable power facilities (water, wind and sun energy), on top of gas, is also a critically important element of the Program. Prices on services of the spa & wellness business, influx of tourists and, therefore, the development of the resort in general depend on the cost of electricity greatly. More detailed information can be found in the Explanatory Note of YACONTO of 09.05.2008 and the Addendum of 03.02.2009.
Analysis of the reasons for active opposition to the implementation of the YACONTO Integrated Program only confirms its uniqueness. That’s why those who have access to the supreme leadership of the country, and therefore can misinform and deceive them, try to discredit, block, dismember and then seize the Program which is demanded by the economies of the region, territory and the country as a whole. However, so far their plans fail. They are not capable of anything but telling tales to the supreme leadership of the country and angrily slinging mud at YACONTO LLC through corrupt media and Internet websites. One must have organizational skills and faith in what he’s doing in order to successfully implement a good cause, while people like Levitin, Chub (ex-Governor of Rostov region) only care about personal gain and lucre.
What’s unique about the Program is the conjunction of all its integral parts which are components for the solution of a whole array of socio-economic problems of the region. However, the colossal army of bureaucrats generally serves only the interests of the “ruling elite” and their monopoly business partners. As a result, the country is now reaping “bitter fruit” of the lawlessness of corrupt officials. But this is just the beginning – there’s more to come, and that’s when no “Silicon Valley” will save the Russian economy from collapse.
Neglect and hypocritical attitude of the “administrative elite” to the citizens of their own country can be seen with naked eye. As a result of the bureaucratic havoc, more than 800 thousand scientists and highly skilled professionals, who are in great demand in the West, left the country. At the same time, the supreme leadership of the state keeps inviting foreign scientists and seriously expects them to receive the invitation. How should we understand this? Articles “Future from the past” (of 15.06.2010) and “About economic forums and reforms in Russia” (of 23.06.2010) published on www.yaconto.ru (in Russian) give a brief interpretation of what’s going on in Russia. Hence, as long as people like Igor Levitin, Viktor Khristenko, Sergey Kiriyenko, Anatoly Chubais, Vladimir Chub, Alexander Stepanov and a whole array of other “rustlers” stay in power or close to it – Russia’s development is doomed to failure.
It’s not simply a matter of the important economic reforms they failed in Russia, but also a matter of what they gained from those reforms. The supreme leadership of Russia should instruct the according agencies to publish all real – not dummy – data about the fortunes of public officials, regardless of their ranks and categories, as well as the fortunes of their relatives and trustees, who often own those assets fictitiously. In order to accomplish that, law enforcement agencies and special services should be actively involved in the gathering of information, as it happens in the civilized countries with developed economies. Officials found incapable of providing strong proof of the nature of their “inheritance” or “fortune obtained by hard work”, are to be fired instantly and have criminal proceedings instituted against them, with consecutive confiscation of illegally seized and obtained property.
Today the supreme leadership of Russia is doing everything possible to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). But already in 2008, before the world’s financial and economic crisis, “Russia’s ruling elite” and their hypocritical sycophants openly claimed in the mass-media that Russia does not need to become a WTO member and will perfectly survive on its own. Big politics is no place for such short-sighted and reckless words. Besides, this verbiage has occurred during an unprecedented rise in oil prices on world markets. Therefore, “do not spit in the well – you might need to drink from it”
No civilized state can be isolated from the world economy and develop normally. The rules set by WTO should be strictly observed by all its participants. And the fact that some countries who want to join the WTO do not like its set of rules, only testifies to the inconsistency of their economies with international standards and requirements. Russia, whose economy is in a poor condition caused by “reformers” of the 1990-s and their “successors”, is still one of such countries. WTO is not simply a civilized consumer market for goods and services on a global scale; it is also a barometer of socio-economic development of its member states, which seek to guarantee the stability, predictability and progress of mankind.
Official mass media try to scare the Russian folk with the standards of living in the U.S. Then why aren’t the U.S. Citizens as eager to relocate to Russia as Russian Citizens are to U.S.? And if someone across the ocean dreams of a “paradise living” in Russia, he’s either misinformed, or wants a thrill, or is outright mad – there are no other variants so far. When you see how shops in the U.S. throw food which is expired by one day in the trash – in sealed hermetic packages and still suitable for consumption – you are shocked by the contrast with Russia. Even supermarkets and hypermarkets in Moscow are occasionally found cheating with the expiration dates. We are not even speaking about the quality of some food. What should we expect in other regions of Russia?
Who should the Russian nation be thankful for the “bliss” it received after 20 years of reforms and experiments? Is Russia going to join the WTO wish such “heritage”? However, it may sound strange, but Russia’s entry into the WTO would be beneficial for many parties, including Russia itself, which would have to comply with all international rules of commerce, which is the engine of every economy. Since the majority of Russian citizens live in poverty and have nothing to lose, they will be the first to benefit from Russia’s entry into WTO, while the “ruling elite” and their monopoly business partners will lose, that’s why they want preferences.
Major western businesses and funds do not want to see rustlers, who strangled the economy of their own country by destroying its industry, agriculture and science, as their equal partners. Those rustlers will forever remain as “underlings”, regardless of their bold ambitions for becoming the “masters of the world’s economy”. Illusory luck will accompany them only for a while.
Sergey P. Yakunin, President of YACONTO LLC
(This article, prepared by YACONTO LLC on 05-07-2010, has not lost relevance and urgency to date).