What’s next? The project of oligarchs near Prague of Russian fears
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Opatov station. At the penultimate station of line C of the Prague metro in the middle of the South Town, a sightseeing bus ride begins in the direction of Popovičky and Nebřenice. New roads, business zones, special villas and Průhonice companies from Andrej Babiš’s funds take turns along the road lined with the D1 motorway. After 40 minutes there is a stop at the sign Popovičky, Nebřenice. Perform.
A few tens of meters from the stops you can see the construction site with houses shortly before completion. Their future inhabitants will probably be deprived of the adventure bus ride from Užák. They will probably not ride the crowded “sock”, as one of the inhabitants of nearby Popovičky remarked.
Welcome to Oaks Prague, a village for the most affluent classes. It is created for the money of Russian oligarchs Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov, co-owners of the steel colossus Evraz.
At least in this part of the project there is not much construction activity. Some of the houses are almost finished, the craftsmen working inside. But here and there a green or orange reflective jacket appears outside.
One of the workers responds to the greeting with a clear Ukrainian accent. When he wonders if he knows whose construction he is working on, he shakes his head. “Then I won’t do it here anymore,” he replies when he finds out about the Russian billionaires.
What about money from the Russians
After a while, a group of other workers appears on the way around the project. They are also from Ukraine and they are also surprised to hear the names of the owners.
Well, let the Russians pay us. We will then buy weapons against them.
“Well, let the Russians pay us. We will then buy weapons for them against it, “says one of the employees with a smile.
Most of the people from the construction site that could be met were Ukrainians. One from Moldova, one from the Czech Republic. The composition is similar to all other buildings in the Czech Republic. All the Ukrainians addressed are shaking their heads in disbelief at the information about Russian investors.
The project is being built by the development company Arendon, managed by Czech managers. Investors from the highest levels of Russian business are not proud.
“The investor of the Oaks Prague project is an investment house that is behind international investments in real estate and private capital. It is based in the European Union and is subject to its rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, controls and client information requirements and governance rules, ”says the developer.
Indeed, some of the richest Russians, Abramov and Frolov, are not even visible at first glance in the structures around the project. As SZ Byzny has already expanded, it hides behind a tangle of companies ranging from Cyprus to Great Britain to the British Virgin Islands.
The developer brought a number of well-known architectural offices such as Chapman Taylor or Meier Partners into the project from around the world. However, as is often the case with development projects, the reality is a little different than on “scented” visualizations. Especially when you come across details of the type of sidewalk that ends abruptly in the field.
“It is said that they invited world architects there. If this is the result of their work, please please, ”says one of Popovičky’s residents.
Although one part of the project is already being done on the interiors, it is clear that Oaks Prague is slipping. “To move in in 2021,” reports an advertisement on a tall wooden fence surrounding part of the construction site.
Golf luxury
However, what is already done is the adjacent golf course. The 18-hole course covers 140 hectares and boasts the prestigious international PGA National license. There is already a completed golf club near the main part of the course. Unlike a building surrounded by a fence, it is even possible to enter. “Sorry, we’re closed,” says the man inside fixing the fluorescent lamp. However, this is probably just a detail, because the club contains well-assembled goods such as T-shirts and hats with PGA logos, which golfers can buy. Nearby, there are already well-arranged electric carts waiting for them outside, making it easier to move around the large playground.
The closest seat to Oaks Prague is Nebřenice. They read less than ten buildings together. Oaks Prague is to have 480 apartments, terraced houses and villas upon completion. It is therefore clear that the Oaks, after their completion, roll over the village in terms of size. Moreover, socially, they are visibly different worlds. At the house, which is very close to the project, there are chickens running around the garden, there are two wolfhounds and two not quite friendly wolves.
An older man is chopping wood at another house. “Don’t even tell me about it. Who knows what this will actually be in the end, “he answers the question of how he perceives the neighboring building of the millionaire village. “But I don’t bother with that anymore, because I won’t be here for the same length of time,” he adds, and I go home with the wood.
Nebřenice falls under Popovičky, which, however, is separated from the luxury project by a forest, a golf park and a large quarry. Nevertheless, the locals are not completely cut off from Nebřenice. Through the grove around the quarry you can get directly to the path crossing the golf course, where there is a local chateau in the park. It is also part of Oaks Prague.
Popovičky contractually demanded that they have a secure passage in all directions along the surrounding roads. The location around the chateau has traditionally been used by locals for walks, and there are still municipal festivities in the open air.
Although Alexandr Abramov and Alexandr Frolov are not yet on any sanctions lists, there are now concerns in Popovičky about what will happen to the project. The village has several agreements with the development company Arendon, which are important for the municipality.
“The first is financial contributions to the municipality of Popovičky in the amount of approximately 20 million crowns, which are tied to the individual completed stages of construction,” describes the mayor of Popovičky Jaroslav Richter. “Then there is the non-financial performance, which consists mainly in the supply of drinking water from Želivka sources to the municipalities of Popovičky and Chomutovice. The village has only its own sources of drinking water and in the summer months there may be a decrease in groundwater levels and the associated outage in drinking water supplies, “adds the village representative.
The mayor makes no secret of the fact that the whole matter is not just about money and infrastructure for the municipality. “On a personal level, I have a clear view of the situation in Ukraine and how to deal with property that could serve this unacceptable aggression. We share the same view across the council. We will want Arendon to make a clear statement on the whole matter. We want to know how they perceive the situation, how they will deal with it in the future, also with regard to the development of the project and whether they will meet their obligations to the municipality, “says Richter. However, he adds with one breath that the Czech managers of Arendon have so far treated the municipalities correctly and have always kept what they promised.
Regardless of the political fate of the project, there are also concerns in Popovičky about the extent to which the millionaire’s village will be integrated into the life of the village.
Good atmosphere
“There is a good atmosphere in Popovičky, people stick together a lot, something is still happening. But there it will be a world for itself, “says one of the locals during a short break while planting an apple tree.
I realized that these people would never take the bus.
“I am afraid it will be a closed society in Oaks. Originally, I thought that thanks to the project, at least the buses to Prague would be strengthened. But then I realized that these people would never take the bus, “says another resident, who managed to catch a walk around the golf course.
Mayor Richter also carefully supported the chances of incorporating Oaks Prague into Popovičky. “Crucial for us is the overall completion of the project, its viability and subsequently the integration of new citizens of Nebřenice into our community. We know from experience that life in a ‘village’ has its own specifics and the natural adaptation of newcomers can take years. In addition, Nebřenice is located outside the built-up area of Popovičky and Chomutovice and has a minimum of original inhabitants, ”he describes the situation in the micro-region. “I do not dare to estimate at all what type of people will immigrate and will have the will to integrate among the ‘old settlers’,” added a representative of the local town hall.
While on the one hand in Popovičky, the fate of the project of two leading Russian billionaires is a cause for concern, in the meantime the help of refugees from the war in Ukraine is already being addressed in the village. According to the town hall, the local town hall has already accommodated around twenty people. Maybe from here Ukrainian women and children will go for walks in the nice forests and parks around the golf course of the Russian oligarchs.