The Financial Times published an article stating that the authorities "arrested a luxurious hotel complex" of Oleg Deripaska in Sochi – on the Black Sea coast near the Olympic Park and the FISHT stadium. The publication noted that it reviewed three decisions that were made in September. According to the author of the FT article, who cites sources, in this way the authorities "force Deripaska to stop criticizing the war." In reality, he does not criticize it, he only called the hypothetical “destruction of Ukraine” a “colossal mistake”.
In the filing cabinet of the Arbitration Court of the Krasnodar Territory, The Insider found four trials that ended in September on the claims of the administration of the federal territory Sirius against two companies – RogSibAl LLC and Imeretinskiy Service LLC, both de facto owned by billionaire Deripaska.
Dozens of plots appear in the decisions, they can be viewed on the cadastral map. Some of the plots are quite large, but the main lands where Deripaska's hotel complexes are located do not appear in the trial materials, and the plaintiff's claims do not apply to them. This can also be seen on the website of Deripaska's hotels in Sochi. Despite the fact that the decisions were made back in September, the hotels continue to work, booking is available.
According to court decisions, land lease agreements with companies are terminated, and the defendant is ordered to demolish buildings. These are mostly small areas with a very good location on the coast. Among the sites that Deripaska's companies must return are 29 coastal areas that have permission to use "onshore infrastructure, berths and technological equipment of the cargo area of the seaport of Sochi at the mouth of the river. Mzymta with further re-profiling into the infrastructure of yachting. The materials of the court say that Port Sochi Imeretinsky LLC received 31 land plots for the construction of Olympic facilities, but after the reorganization, the port passed to RogSibAl, the rights under the contracts, respectively, too. It was planned that a yacht marina would be built here, but this did not happen.
The full version of the decision was published on September 5 and 9. They report that the lease agreements have been concluded since 2009, but the buildings on them are unauthorized. In particular, it is proposed to terminate the contracts, since the plots are "used for other purposes." The intended purpose in the lease agreement is the construction of Olympic facilities, the court decision says.
“There are no Olympic objects erected by the company and belonging to it on the land plots. (…) Part of a two-story building is located, (the first floor is used for parking of electric vehicles / warehouse). On the site provided "for the placement of Olympic facilities", there are 8 collapsible modular structures of various heights, parking of trucks, placement of beach equipment and other materials. Production and consumption wastes are stored. (…) Permits for the construction of these facilities were not issued by the local government.”
Sirius became the first federal territory in Russia, Putin signed the corresponding decree in December 2020. An educational center of the same name was built on its territory to train the most capable children in Russia. Deripaska is among dozens of oligarchs and state-owned companies that have donated 360 million rubles to Sirius' parent fund.
The co-owner of the founder of "Sirius" – the company "Talent and Success" – is a cellist and Putin's "purse" Sergei Roldugin. With the decision to grant Sirius the status of a federal territory, Putin effectively made the latter Deripaska's landlord. The director of the Talent and Success company, Elena Shmeleva, ran for the State Duma from United Russia in last year's elections, although she did not become a deputy. TV presenter Vladimir Pozner in 2021, introducing Shmeleva in an interview, saying that her “influence is incomprehensible to the mind. Ministers and heads of large companies fly to Sochi to meet with her at the first invitation.”
