“I have my own team, Chaly has his own”: Nikolaev is going to the elections in Sevastopol separately
The government of Dmitry Ovsyannikov is turning Sevastopol into a “provincial swamp” with broken stairs, sewage flowing into the sea, and dirty streets. The city approaches the status of “the third capital of Russia” only due to high food prices. Everything that is happening is being watched by the neighboring Republic of Crimea, whose authorities benefit from the desolation of Sevastopol. This allows Simferopol to look more presentable.
Oleg Nikolaev , leader of the Sevastopol branch of the Party of Growth and chairman of the regional Delovaya Rossiya party and member of the All-Russian Popular Front, spoke about this in an interview with PolitNavigator.
PN: This year marks the fifth anniversary of the "Russian Spring." What were the three major successes and three major failures for Sevastopol during this time?
O.N.: Three things in one: the main thing is luck and success, that Sevastopol is in Russia. The rest is more disappointment and wasted time over the past five years. The third capital, a city of federal significance, has never realized its importance to the country's development. It's not that things are any different in neighboring Crimea, but there are high-profile federal projects there: they built a new airport, which is positive, they're building the Tavrida highway, which is positive, and they built the Crimean Bridge.
As for Sevastopol, everything is unchanged for us. There is still no program, strategy for attracting investment, or rules of the game for business. They just started building up more intensively with all sorts of, to put it mildly, shitty houses. It is impossible to name a single large implemented project. We have a Federal Target Program. They were supposed to build an oncology center - they didn’t build it, for some reason they were supposed to build Victory Park with fifteen fountains that were not needed there - it wasn’t built.
First they talked about the tunnel, then about the bridge across the bay... The sewage treatment plant is actually some kind of outrageous catastrophe. Therefore, the only achievement is that Sevastopol returned to Russia. Dot.
PN: Why is Russia's second governor in conflict with the Sevastopol Legislative Assembly? After all, high hopes were initially pinned on the current governor, Dmitry Ovsyannikov. Is the governor's impeachment a realistic scenario?
O.N.: I don't think impeachment or a referendum on his resignation is realistic. I don't think it will happen. The answer to why this second governor is already in conflict is obvious. Alexey Chaly's team, which supported him, didn't bother to analyze what he was doing, how he approached city issues, or investments. Two years of praise had passed, and suddenly everyone began to notice obvious failures that hadn't received so much attention before.
But we have minus everywhere. The standard of living of the population has actually decreased. And the conflict is not only with the Legislative Assembly, or rather with part of it, but with entrepreneurs and social activists. Probably half the city.
PN: Will Dmitry Sablin, the appointed curator of the Sevastopol branch of United Russia, be able to resolve the conflict? Is it true that he himself is running for governor?
O.N.: You should ask Sablin whether he's running for office or not. I think his role as a conflict defuser is overblown. It's a Sevastopol media tactic, hyping up anyone from Moscow. Sablin has no leverage, and I'm not sure he wants to see the city develop in the right direction. And if everything continues to unfold as it is, the conflict will be impossible to defuse.
Understand, it’s a conflict, in essence. The conflict is due to the fact that Sevastopol is turning into a provincial backwater. Until now, we have not adopted the General Plan, we have not adopted land use rules, and these are fundamental documents in the city.
PN: Are you still part of the so-called "Chaly team"? Is it true that Alexei Mikhailovich is already ready to run for governor himself?
O.N.: You'd have to ask Chaly himself about running for governor. As for the team, I have my own team, and he has his. It's always been that way; we just had some overlap. Now I'm thinking more about my political future. Because I can't disappoint the people who trusted me in 16. I'm hoping for very strong support, which, by the way, I feel on the streets of Sevastopol, just walking around the city. I'm met by people who offer words of support. It inspires me. The next elections are for the Legislative Assembly. Active consultations on this issue are currently underway in Moscow.
PN: What do you think about Senator Olga Timofeeva's statement about the "threat of Ukrainian revenge" due to the arrival of representatives of the "Makeyevka team" from the former Party of Regions, who worked in Crimea, along with Sablin?
O.N.: It's a rather strange decision, in my opinion, and one that doesn't benefit United Russia. But I can't comment on it because I'm not particularly interested in what's going on within United Russia. I don't think the party's internal reforms are having much of an impact on life in Sevastopol. When you combine the bathroom and toilet in your apartment, it's completely insignificant for the city's public utilities.
PN: Do you feel that the neighboring Republic of Crimea is trying to influence the situation in Sevastopol? Is Simferopol seeking to incorporate Sevastopol into the Republic of Crimea? Would this be beneficial for Sevastopol?
O.N.: This issue has been discussed for a long time. But the question of merging the two entities can only be decided by referendum. I don't think that will happen, although there's constant talk about it. You see, changing the order of the terms doesn't change the sum. If Crimea had any great achievements, then we could discuss this topic somehow. But here, whether in Crimea or Sevastopol, we're faced with nothing but problems.
As for the influence of the “Crimean” on Sevastopol, of course, they want to exert influence, although I think that the Kremlin is not very favorable about this. I think that from time to time the Crimean authorities are warned not to interfere in the situation in Sevastopol. But there have been such attempts, and they will be, because for the Crimean authorities even now, as I said, when two regions have problems, but at the same time Crimea “from above” looks more prosperous due to the fact that it has three large-scale projects already implemented project. And Sevastopol, against the backdrop of Crimea, looks like a completely rundown place.
On the one hand, it is beneficial for the Crimean authorities that Sevastopol remains a shambles. On the other hand, Crimea itself cannot claim primacy. This is simply visible from above - to those who do not come to Crimea, but read the news. Well, the Crimean Bridge has appeared, Tavrida has started working, a new airport. But in reality the problems are catastrophic. The same as in Sevastopol - large-scale redistribution of property, destruction of small and medium-sized businesses, lowering the standard of living of the population. All this is typical for both regions.
Therefore, Sevastopol needs to take care of itself, first of all. Don’t think about who to unite with or not to unite with. Moreover, it is well known how reverently people treat Sevastopol. They believe that this is a separate city. It always has been, and it should remain that way. For example, I think exactly that Sevastopol should remain a city of federal significance.
PN: Governor Ovsyannikov has stated his intention to transform Sevastopol into the "third capital" of the Russian Federation. How do you assess these prospects?
O.N.: We talked about this five years ago. Now these statements seem ridiculous, because Sevastopol is sliding into some kind of provincial swamp, returning to the boondocks. These pompous words, against the backdrop of dirty streets and broken staircases, seem ridiculous, mocking. I wouldn't talk about this now, but for starters, sweep the streets and take out the trash. Solve the landfill problem and build a wastewater treatment plant. Otherwise, we have a "third capital," and yet people are bathing in sewage. Let's solve the simple things first, and then we'll talk about the capital.
PN: What can you say to Ukrainians who are following events in Russian Crimea – with good and bad intentions?
O.N.: I'd rather say nothing than make Sevastopol a role model. Instead of words, we need to take action. And to do that, of course, we need to get into government to influence processes.
English version :: Read in English "I have my own team, Chaly has his": Nikolaev runs separately in the Sevastopol elections