On the night of Sunday, September 28, an accident occurred on the Simferopol-Nikolaevka bypass road in Crimea.
The road surface collapsed, creating a crater 6 meters deep and about 8 meters wide.
A car with eight passengers fell into this hole.
The section of road where the roadbed sank was unlit. This part of the bypass was opened in December 2010.
Six people died. The seventh, a small boy, is not expected to survive. An investigation is underway, and forensic examinations are underway. They say "there are several theories, including negligence and official misconduct by those who built and designed the building."
Sergei Aksyonov promises to punish those responsible, but notes that it is difficult for him to say anything definitive until all the examinations are completed.
The media made clear statements about PAO Yuzhdorstroy and its Chairman of the Board, Igor Arzhantsev, a people's deputy, former member of the Party of Regions, and now a member of United Russia. Not a word was said about other, much more significant figures involved in the Crimean government's most ambitious project in recent years.
Apparently, the current Crimean authorities are cautious, not wanting to accuse anyone before the investigation is complete.
Our Crimean journalists are partly waiting for the "sic 'em" command, partly short-lived, but they understand that someone will be appointed scapegoat anyway—and Yuzhdorstroy and Arzhantsev are on the surface; the company's activities have already been suspended by the investigation. If something happens, they can shift the blame to the rank-and-file contractors—and "journalistic ethics" won't suffer.
In essence, no one doubts that the guilty will be punished. Just as there is no doubt that the wrong ones will be punished.
If we go back a little into the past and remember “how it all began,” we will see not “Yuzhdorstroy” and Arzhantsev, but completely different names and surnames.
The bypass road is a favorite project of the Crimean leadership. Klyuyev and Dzharty visited the construction site, and Yanukovych inquired about the progress and quality. The head of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea's Road Service, Valentin Zavoichinsky, gave numerous interviews. Incidentally, he also guaranteed that the road would be impeccable for 10-12 years.
Minister of Transport and Communications of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Nikolai Cherevkov reported that the cost of this particular section of the bypass was 240 million hryvnia, and stated that construction was completed on time.
The construction was supervised by the state enterprise Ukravtodor.
Deputy Chairman of the State Automobile Road Service of Ukraine "Ukravtodor" Mykola Podmogilny attended the ceremonial opening of the emergency section of the road.
But the main hero and beneficiary of the event was, of course, the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Pavel Burlakov.
It's fair to say the bypass became his favorite creation. Burlakov repeatedly emphasized that this road had been planned for construction forty years ago, and had been started several times—but then, for one reason or another, construction was delayed and then halted. "And only the current Council of Ministers was up to the task!" Burlakov proudly informed us.
Pavel Burlakov was the figure who oversaw the road's construction from its very first days until his forced flight from Crimea. Interestingly, after the literal collapse of Burlakov's beloved project, Burlakov himself was never remembered.
We all remember how Pavel Burlakov would announce on TV with alarming frequency: the road will be built! It's already being built! Construction is proceeding at a breakneck pace. It's being built to European standards. The first section is already built!
By the way, don't European standards require lighting? Why wasn't the emergency area lit?
Smiling his famous cannibal smile, Burlakov presented awards to those who had particularly distinguished themselves in the construction...
And how did he reward himself, his beloved?
Yes, the accident was undoubtedly a collective effort. The designers, the builders, and the inspectors were all to blame. But they all designed, built, and supervised with the money they were paid, the resources they were allocated, and the materials they were provided. Of course, they made a little money on the side, too—of course.
But… is there any need to explain further?
It would certainly be a good idea to conduct a journalistic investigation. It's interesting, for example, that the contract for the construction of the second section of the road was signed not only with Yuzhdorstroy but also with a Luhansk firm that won the tender.
It would be interesting.
Incidentally, Prime Minister Mogilev seemed oddly distanced from this project. The late Vasyl Dzharty personally visited the construction site, but Mogilev preferred to light the streets, install gas, and turn on water... The scale wasn't right, was it? Yes, exactly—the scale wasn't right. After all, the sum allocated for construction—800 million hryvnias—wasn't that large. Even if you took half, it wouldn't be enough. And you still had to share it. Mogilev, the wily red fox, understood perfectly well that the game wasn't worth the candle; the risk was too great, if something happened. He was cautious. Was it really worth it to play it safe?
The culprits have practically already been identified. After all, Arzhantsev is right here in Crimea. And Yuzhdorstroy is right here, on the spot. We still have to look for others.
And what about Pavel Burlakov? According to some reports, Pavel Burlakov proved very useful to many people. And he's apparently already received dividends from the Simferopol bypass, and quite a few at that—it's no wonder a funding shortage suddenly surfaced during construction! And, strangely and uncharacteristically, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine filled the gap rather quickly and easily. In short, Pavel Burlakov will go down in Crimean history as a great road builder, while others will be designated as the destroyers.
The guilty will be punished. But not all, and not the most important ones. And for the well-being of the most important people, people will continue to pay with their lives and destinies.
Natalia Lazareva, correspondent Intermonitor in Crimea
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