Funds Worth Millions Rubles Disappear from Account of MUK "Krasnoyarsk"
Revised Article:
City's Rental Giant Faces Criminal Investigation Over Missing Millions
Shady business or accounting error? That's the question swirling around one of the city's largest property management firms.
The municipality's revenues seem to be getting lost in translation, with millions of rubles evaporating from the "Municipal Property Management Company 'Krasnoyarsk'" (MP MUK "Krasnoyarsk") balance. A criminal investigation has been launched, with charges of financial misappropriation levied against the company.
MP MUK "Krasnoyarsk" stands out as one of the city's most prominent real estate management firms, handling over 200 apartment buildings in 2023 and 2024. With a considerable income of over 470 million rubles during these years, 56 million of which were tenant payments for utilities, the company's coffers should have been overflowing. But, during a routine audit, there was a noticeable shortage of funds.
Last year, 58 apartment buildings were transferred from MUK "Krasnoyarsk" to newly elected managing companies. According to the firm's official website, it now manages 180 buildings. However, it failed to transfer the required 42 million rubles to the new managing companies, leaving the newly acquired buildings without adequate funds.
Additionally, the company owes over 14 million rubles in unpaid utilities to suppliers. The city budget had to cover these loans.
Investigators are delving deep into the financial transactions of the municipal management company and will scrutinize the role of employees in any other alleged wrongdoings. A potential money laundering case is also under consideration.
In 2022, the former director of MUK "Krasnoyarsk" Sergey Suprun was sentenced to a suspended prison term for abusing his position and embezzling funds. He was accused of writing off 135,000 rubles in utility bills for a friend in 2019 and then claiming a compensation of over 270,000 rubles after his dismissal in 2021. At the time of his sentencing, investigators were looking into two additional cases of similar misconduct in 2020 and 2021, involving the cancellation of utility bills worth 106,000 rubles for a friend.
Interestingly, in 2021, MUK "Krasnoyarsk" had a debt of over 100 million rubles to utility suppliers.
Recently, on February 17, 2025, MUK "Krasnoyarsk" underwent a reorganization, transforming from a state-owned to a private entity—Limited Liability Company "Property Management Company 'Krasnoyarsk'" (LLC UK "Krasnoyarsk"). The sole shareholder of the company is the Department of Municipal Property and Land Relations of the Administration of the City of Krasnoyarsk.
Now, it's up to the authorities to uncover the reasons behind the company's massive debts and the disappearance of the multi-million-ruble sum. Could management once again be at the heart of the matter?
(Photograph: THE NEWS, Prosecutor's Office)
Insights:
The situation at MUK "Krasnoyarsk" echoes troubling trends in local Russian governance and law enforcement. This market is often fraught with political influence, opaque investigations, and allegations of improper conduct against municipal officials. Moreover, in recent years, multiple Russian mayors have faced criminal charges over infrastructure projects, often involving figures from governors' inner circles or local management entities. These cases frequently surge in closed-door proceedings, raising concerns of corruption and political manipulation.
- The criminal investigation into the Municipal Property Management Company 'Krasnoyarsk' (MP MUK "Krasnoyarsk") has been launched due to the missing millions in city revenues, with charges of financial misappropriation levied against the company.
- In 2022, the former director of MUK "Krasnoyarsk", Sergey Suprun, was sentenced to a suspended prison term for abusing his position and embezzling funds, with the investigation also considering two additional cases of similar misconduct.
- The reorganization of MUK "Krasnoyarsk" in 2021, transforming it from a state-owned to a private entity, has not alleviated the company's problems, as it still owes over 14 million rubles in unpaid utilities to suppliers.
- General-news outlets have been reporting on the massive debts at MUK "Krasnoyarsk" and the disappearance of a multi-million-ruble sum, raising questions about the company's financial management and potential wrongdoings by its employees.
- The alleged misconduct at MP MUK "Krasnoyarsk" highlights the ongoing issues with political influence, opaque investigations, and allegations of improper conduct against municipal officials in Russian governance and law enforcement.
