In Occupied Yalta, Residents Are Outraged By A Project Linked To A Friend Of Putin's

31.10.2026, 15:42
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"Casino on the Bones" runs counter to the "traditional values" promoted by the Kremlin.

Residents of occupied Yalta recorded a video message to Putin asking him to stop the construction of a casino on the grounds of the city’s seaport. The project is linked to a longtime friend of the Russian dictator, businessman Arkady Rotenberg.

This is reported by “Crimea.Realities”.

The protest was led primarily by pro-Russian activists. They are outraged that a gambling business will be established at a site where people were executed during the Civil War.

Among those opposing the project is a businesswoman from Russia Nadezhda Obukhova, who moved to Yalta in 2015 and ran for a seat on the city council controlled by the occupying forces, as well as the head of the Yalta branch of the organization “Russian Community of Crimea,” Irina Alekseeva.

The authors of the petition are outraged that a gambling business will be established at a site where people were executed during the Civil War. In their view, the casino contradicts the “traditional values” preached by the Kremlin and will bring gambling addiction and crime to the city. They are asking that the port be returned to state ownership and that an independent expert review of the project be conducted.

The activists chose to appeal to Putin for a reason: the occupying authorities emphasize that the gambling zone is being created specifically at his behest. The so-called acting head of the Yalta occupation administration Svetlana Shevchenko reiterated this in response to the complaints, but did not say whether the plans would be changed.

Back in 2025, the port was purchased for 1.4 billion rubles by the Moscow-based company “Black Sea Development,” which is linked to Rotenberg. There were no other bids at the auction. The passenger terminal and thousands of square meters of real estate on the Southern Coast of Crimea were transferred to the new owner.

In early October, demolition of the historic maritime terminal building began there, and by 2029, the company promises to build a casino, hotels, and an entertainment center. Rotenberg himself has not publicly commented on his involvement.

The Kremlin has so far remained silent in response to appeals from Yalta residents—just as it has with most previous complaints from Crimeans.

Arkady Rotenberg is one of Putin’s closest friends; the two practiced judo together in their youth. His company, Stroygazmontazh, built the Crimean Bridge, and the businessman himself is subject to Western sanctions.

Recently, new assets have been coming under the control of entities linked to Rotenberg. In September, The Moscow Times reported that the Russian Industrial Company had acquired the former Russian coal enterprises of Rinat Akhmetov—the Obukhovskaya Mine Administration and Donskoy Anthracite in the Rostov Region. Their combined reserves are estimated at 97.3 million metric tons of anthracite.

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