Andrei Kolesnikov about how Vladimir Putin met with entrepreneur Ruslan Baysarov

On January 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with entrepreneur Ruslan Baysarov, who told him about Komsomol construction projects, past and future. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov I also listened.

When the president receives businessmen, moreover, immediately after the lull of the New Year holidays, this cannot go unnoticed.

Ruslan Baysarov reminded Vladimir Putin (as if he could forget) what the company that he, Ruslan, heads, is. There are apparently many such companies, but Bamtonnelstroy-Most sounds the most impeccable.

— In 1975 (Ruslan Baysarov was then seven years old.— A.K.) By order of the Ministry of Transport Construction, Bamtonnelstroy was formed for the construction of all tunnels on the Baikal-Amur Mainline, including the Severomuisky tunnel, the most complex tunnel in the world and the longest in Russia, the businessman said.

At this time, Vladimir Putin was looking at a photo album prepared for the meeting. In principle, everything was written there and so.

— 15 km? – Vladimir Putin read.

“15 km 300 m,” Ruslan Baysarov nodded.

Was it worth nodding if in fact he refuted the president’s words?

— This is the most difficult tunnel in the world to excavate. “A very heavy object,” Ruslan Baysarov shook his head.

One might get the impression that the company, under his leadership, went through this entire tunnel. But no, the tunnel, as you know, took 26 years to build and was completed in 2003.

But still, Ruslan Baysarov did not hide his pride in his company:

— Over its half-century history, our company has built over 3 thousand unique infrastructure facilities throughout the country, including 200 km of tunnels, 45 km of which are Severomuysky. Severomuysky is 15.3 km, and the adit and vertical adits are only 45 km in total, can you imagine? This is the most difficult… – he shook his head and looked up: such was the excess of feelings. – I repeat!..

Here it seemed to Ruslan Baysarov that it was obvious that Vladimir Putin was leafing through the photo album too quickly:

— Vladimir Vladimirovich, I will ask you to stay on page 16! — he asked. “We have completed the construction of the first two cross-border bridges between Russia and China!” These are Blagoveshchensk-Heihe, road, and Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang railway. After completion of the facility, the total investment in new production facilities in the Jewish Autonomous Region reaches 730 billion rubles. That is, we completed the bridge, and investors went! This is the Jewish Autonomous Okrug.

Yes, they remembered that. Further.

— Together with the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Eastern Development, the leadership of the Amur Region and Russian Railways, we have begun the design and construction of a new railway bridge between Russia and China – Jalinda-Mohe. Based on the results of completion, we are planning a promising export cargo flow of up to 20 million tons from Sakha (Yakutia) and the Amur region without affecting the Eastern range.

In fact, the facts deserved to dwell on the pages that captured them. The bridges were just wow.

— 13 months ahead of the contract deadline, we completed the construction of a bridge across the Zeya River in the Amur Region with a total length of 10 km, 2 km of which is the bridge part. Thanks to the decisions you made (it finally became clear thanks to whom all this actually happened. Usually at such meetings this becomes clear much earlier.— A.K.) we started building ahead of schedule. Do you remember, you gave the command to Siluanov (Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov.— “Kommersant”) move funding “to the left”?

Vladimir Putin made it clear that nothing can be ruled out.

— We immediately purchased inert materials and metal structures and started building! – Ruslan Baysarov was inspired. – That is, the price red tape did not affect us in any way, we managed to enter the construction site… In 2021, an emergency situation was introduced, you remember, for the entire country (now Ruslan Baysarov did not mention that, thanks to to whom it was administered ahead of schedule.— A.K.). The rise of water up to 8 m was visible! We overcame these difficulties without sacrifice and successfully completed this project.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin was leafing through the album, and Ruslan Baysarov could barely keep up with him:

— On the M-12 highway, we completed the construction of the only cable-stayed bridge at the site. Here, for the first time in history, our bridge specialists used sliding formwork when constructing pylons!

— In the Vladimir region? – clarified the president, who, perhaps, did not believe his eyes, that is, what was written.

– Yes, absolutely right, you were just opening this bridge! – here Ruslan Baysarov directly recalled what happened to the prime minister in October 2009. – Eight months ahead of the contract period! Nearby, not far from there, we completed the construction, also eight months ahead of the contract deadline, of a bridge across the Sura.

— This is a beautiful, powerful bridge! — it was no longer clear what exactly Vladimir Putin approved.

– Yes, very beautiful! — Mr. Baysarov agreed. “We completed it!”

If Vladimir Putin still approved the bridge in the Vladimir region, then it was a little strange that Ruslan Baysarov in 2024 reports on the completion, and ahead of schedule, of the construction of the bridge that happened 14 years ago.

On the other hand, these walls, and everything happened in the president’s office in the Kremlin, and they didn’t see anything like that.

But, most likely, they were talking about the bridge over the Sura. And it was best for Ruslan Baysarov not to clarify anything, because everyone here seems to be a little confused in Ruslan Baysarov’s bridges. Only one thing was clear about them: that they were being delivered eight months ahead of the contract period.

Ruslan Baysarov coped with this task: he moved on to the next step.

“We have started construction of the metro in the Krasnoyarsk Territory,” Ruslan Baysarov began talking about the future. “At the peak of construction, 9 thousand specialists will be involved. Mostly all are Siberians. Some of them are even our employees who built our tunnels. This, of course, will bring great development, investment, jobs, taxes to the region.

– The name is “Valentina”, right? — meanwhile, Vladimir Putin read something else in the photo album.

– Yes! – Mr. Baysarov confirmed. – Tunneling shields, as is customary, are called by women’s names! We called the second one “Ekaterina” because she is from there, a concrete worker and Hero of Socialist Labor (we are talking about Ekaterina Skryukova.— A.K.). And “Valentina”!

He didn’t say why, but the speaker of the Federation Council could, given her penetrating power, probably say something about it.

— After the completion of the construction of the second Baikal tunnel, our specialists, under the leadership of Russian Railways, moved to the city of Chegdomyn, 940 km from Khabarovsk, to build the second Dusse-Alinsky tunnel using the drill-and-blast method, the mining method, in permafrost conditions. Vladimir Vladimirovich, you took part in the demolition of the second Baikal tunnel. We will have a breakdown of the second Dusse-Alinsky tunnel. Please take part,” Ruslan Baysarov invited Vladimir Putin to the permafrost.

“Thank you,” the president seemed to refuse.

“On your instructions, we have begun the construction of protective structures in the Amur region in three settlements,” said Mr. Baysarov.

“Large structures,” the president nodded.

– Yes, up to 7 m. You know this problem, there every year…

“Of course,” Vladimir Putin interrupted him.

— We continue the construction of two, road and railway, bridge crossings in Kaliningrad. “You remember them too,” Ruslan Baysarov said affirmatively, just in case.

“Yes, there through Pregolya,” Mr. Putin truly remembered.

“We have an infrastructure social program,” added Ruslan Baysarov. “At the request of the Governor of Kamchatka (Vladimir Solodov.— “Kommersant”) we have begun construction of a public center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. You know this place too.

It seemed that if anyone asked him, he would immediately go build.

— Governor of the Khabarovsk Territory (Mikhail Degtyarev.— “Kommersant”) turned to us,” Mr. Baysarov confirmed these bold assumptions. “Together with Gazprombank, we began construction of the largest art museum in the Far East. About 17 thousand unique works of art will be stored there, dating back to 1902.

– Since 1902? – Mr. Putin seemed surprised.

“Their beginning, yes, they collected them there,” confirmed the entrepreneur.

In fact, he obviously wanted to say that the collection began in 1902, and the works of art themselves are much older, otherwise there would have been nothing to get excited about, but no, he didn’t say.

Or he didn’t even want to say it.

— When do you plan to finish? — the president suddenly became interested.

It seemed like he wanted to look at the collection.

“We plan to complete it in 2027,” said Ruslan Baysarov.

And Vladimir Putin, of course, will still have such an opportunity. After all, it is unlikely that he will miss her.

“The governor gave us the best possible land right on the embankment, next to the temple, in a very beautiful place, with a view,” Ruslan Baysarov smiled. “These paintings will be exhibited there.” The project is very beautiful!..

And he even shook his head, which obviously meant: “You can’t even imagine…”

It is strange, however, that the president did not see this project in the photo album.

— And in conclusion, I want to tell you briefly about the eight key facilities that we completed construction simultaneously in six years! – exclaimed Ruslan Baysarov. – They are all familiar to you!

What then, as they say, should you tell if you know each other so well? And it is necessary.

“Yes,” the president agreed.

And he did listen.

And I will not engage in violence towards, as Andrei Vasiliev said, towards our little reader.