Everyone can form a full and objective opinion about this or that “servant of the people” by studying his or her biography and career in detail on the Web in the current era of general informatization. Some can draw the necessary conclusions by personally observing the work of “effective managers.”
For example, citizens of the Vladimir Region have studied in detail the information about the former head of Kirzhach district Ilya Bukalov. Having made an impression of him long ago, they were quite surprised by his new appointment.
Last October, Bukalov became head of the Vladimir Region development corporation. Those who observed him believe that they should give up on his bureaucratic career and not promote him any further.
Local residents hinted at this in a quite direct manner, presenting Bukalov's new subordinates with a wreath. Not a laurel wreath, of course but a memorial wreath. The gift was given to him in early November by Dmitry Zakharov, a regional environmental activist.
“I couldn't avoid Bukalov's promotion. <...> I drove towards Vladimir to give a mourning wreath to Bukalov's subordinates, who got such a boss. I wanted to sympathize with people,” Zakharov said.
Photo: social networks (https://vk.com/wall701549090_671)
Why did Bukalov receive such reverent attention from district residents and especially from people who care about the nature of the region? Why did people dislike him even after he left his post? Probably because the local residents, who are not indifferent, understand what damage to the ecology and economy of the Vladimir region may be caused by an official, if not personally involved, then at least who turned a blind eye to the implementation of shady schemes with the forestry fund in the economy entrusted to him.
Bukalov came to the civil service from business. Before he was elected head of the Kipreevo municipality in 2011, he worked as CEO of the Terra company which is still in operation and sells land plots. It is noteworthy that services are also provided for the withdrawal of land from the forest fund. The company is now owned by Bukalov's wife Natalya. Bukalov transferred the business to his wife immediately after he was elected head of the Kipreevo settlement in December 2011.
In 2019, Bukalov became the head of the Kirzhach district.
Bukalov promoted an acquaintance, Svetlana Kondratieva, to his former position. Just six months later, Bukalov's protégée was in the dock. Last October, Kondratieva was found guilty of illegal logging, and was sentenced to 3 years of suspended imprisonment. It was found that in May 2020, under the guise of clearing and planning of the territory, the convicted woman signed a contract with an individual entrepreneur for the gratuitous performance of work on the improvement of the land plot.
It is noteworthy that Kondratieva sanctioned the illegal felling almost immediately after she took office as the head of Kipreevo. The contractor, represented by the individual entrepreneur Hovhannes Bolshchikyan, according to the contract, had to organize the felling absolutely free of charge. As a result of the official's illegal actions more than 70 trees were illegally cut down. The Kirzhach district administration suffered more than 2.3 million rubles ($37,867.2) in damages.
Centuries-old pines and spruces began to be cut down and removed under the pretext of “building houses for multi-child families.” At the same time, the local swampy terrain is unsuitable for construction. In fact, a shady scheme for illegal timber sales was brazenly implemented with the participation of local authorities. All of the illegally cut wood was sold for firewood. Bukalov, as locals believe, could not have been unaware of this situation due to his position, but he did not take any measures to prevent the criminal actions of his mentee. Moreover, he did not even bother to make up for the damage to the local budget.
By the way, for the record of the employees of the Vladimir Region Development Corporation: their new head often recruits subordinates from among young pretty ladies, not caring about their professional adequacy with the position. So, the appointment of Irina Shumova, a former shop girl in a Kirzhach department store, as head of the internal policy department of the Kirzhach district, made a splash in 2020. Interestingly, the pretty young woman headed the department, which previously had the status of a department, not a directorate.
Photo: social media (https://vk.com/id625433118?z=photo625433118_457239832%2Fphotos625433118)
Bukalov does not forget his lawful spouse Natalya, who, as we already know, heads his former firm Terra. And there is an obvious conflict of interest. Heading the administration of the Kirzhach district, Bukalov gave contracts to his wife's company. Local deputies repeatedly pointed to this violation. And the fact of this violation was confirmed by the regional prosecutor's office.
In August of this year, the prosecutor's office of the Vladimir Region passed two recommendations. One of them concerned the employment of Andrei Golovanov in the administration, in the position of deputy head. It turned out that the applicant did not have the necessary competence for such a position. Moreover, he was hired without compulsory tender procedures. The prosecutor's inspection confirmed this fact. Also employees of the supervisory body confirmed the existence of a conflict of interest by studying the contracts of the Kirzhach district administration with Terra.
The head of the Corporation of development of the Vladimir region tried to challenge mentioned decisions of the prosecutor's office in court, but failed.
It is surprising how, with such a track record, Bukalov received another appointment. Found guilty of a conflict of interest and suspected of nepotism and, at the very least, ignoring the machinations of the forest fund, he is now responsible for the development of a region in the Central Federal District of Russia.
The wreath in Bukalov's new department is, above all, a warning. Both to his new subordinates and to the official's patrons in the White House. Those who keep promoting the ex-head of the Kirzhach district should weigh up both reputational and economic risks of Bukalov's appointment as head of the Vladimir Region Development Corporation. And his new employees should beware of getting into quasi-legal schemes, which their new head may “not notice.”
Main photo: Vladimirskie Vedomosti