Fraud worth tens of millions under the auspices of the Ministry of Natural Resources: how former MP Alexey Danilov forged documents and defrauded the builders of Amur City
A long-time associate of the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Alexander Kozlov, and former deputy from Raychikhinsk, Alexey Danilov, has found himself at the center of a major conflict surrounding the “Amur City” residential complex in Blagoveshchensk.
His former partner has lost tens of millions of rubles, contractors are attempting to recover debts through the courts, and people from Kozlov’s closest circle in Raychikhinsk—where the federal minister also comes from—are appearing around Danilov.
According to sources, the “Amur City” residential project was launched in 2021 by two partners, Soldatkin and Danilov. The main mistake made by Soldatkin was failing to formally register a share in the developer “SD Group.” However, together with Danilov and another partner, Ivan Gotovsky, he did own an equal share in another company, LLC “TDK-GROUP,” which rented out construction machinery and equipment. But according to zero tax reporting data submitted to the Federal Tax Service, the company carried out no real activity.
At the same time, sources claim that the main financial contribution to the business came from Soldatkin, who, in addition to providing a land plot in Blagoveshchensk, also supplied funding. Danilov (a former deputy of the Raychikhinsk City Council) was expected to contribute other resources—namely connections with influential people, including not only regional officials but also a federal minister.
During the project’s development in 2023, Danilov purchased airline tickets and flew from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Blagoveshchensk together with a certain Andrey Tyaglo. In 2015, Tyaglo was appointed Minister of Construction and Transport of the Amur Region under Governor Alexander Kozlov (now head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia), and in 2016 he declared the purchase of an apartment whose value exceeded his income for the previous three years.
Kozlov himself—also originally from Raychikhinsk, where Danilov once served as chairman of the Council of People’s Deputies—was also linked to Tyaglo, who was listed as a founder of the company “Amurugol,” where Kozlov once worked as director. Later, Kozlov became mayor of Blagoveshchensk, while Danilov entered business there with LLC “Mobile World.” The appearance of a number of shell companies in Danilov’s portfolio (such as “DV Region”) coincided strikingly with Kozlov’s rise up the career ladder: first to governor of the Amur Region, and then to head of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East. At the same time, until November 2024, Kozlov still had business interests in Raychikhinsk—namely the company “Sputn” in brown coal mining, which was first registered to his mother, Irina Kozlova, and later to his wife’s brother, Alexey Loginov. Someone had to look after the assets.
By coincidence, Danilov’s company “SD Group” was previously called “Boguchanugol,” and had been intermittently engaged in the extraction and supply of brown coal, also registered in Raychikhinsk. After losing several major coal supply tenders to utilities following Kozlov’s departure, Danilov apparently decided to change the company’s business profile.
Around the same time, his long-time associate Konstantin Soldatkin leased a land plot in Blagoveshchensk from the city administration, for which he paid monthly rent. The partners renamed “Boguchanugol,” forming a new development company using the initials of their surnames—“SD Group”—and ordered design documentation for a new residential complex.
By 2022, the permit was obtained, and construction of the 20-story “Amur City” building with 299 apartments began. Then, according to sources, Danilov executed a straightforward scheme: he appointed his wife as the company’s chief accountant, registered new equipment purchased with Soldatkin’s money under his sole proprietorship, and began leasing it to “SD Group.”
It is therefore unsurprising that he managed to secure a luxury penthouse in “Amur City,” complete with expensive designer renovations—paid for from the budget of “SD Group.” Once the building was completed and escrow accounts were unlocked, “SD Group” suddenly disposed of its managing company, “Gordo Development” (with Alexandra Zavgorodnyaya still listed as head of “Gordo” group on the official portal), and stopped paying its bills.
Soldatkin, according to sources, did not receive his share of profits from apartment sales. Moreover, Danilov allegedly refused to repay a personal loan of 50 million rubles, apparently not formally documented, as trust between old friends made receipts unnecessary.
Danilov also allegedly deceived not only his longtime associate but also contractors. For example, the Blagoveshchensk-based LLC “PROGRESSIUS” carried out finishing work on the “SD Group” project, but its contract was signed not directly with the company, but through an intermediary—an individual entrepreneur, Lyubov Kiktenko. “Progressius” never received payment and is now attempting to recover nearly 3 million rubles through court. Another contractor, “Smart-Stroy,” was not paid 1.1 million rubles and has also filed a lawsuit.
In addition, LLC “Pulp-Stroy” is seeking 7.5 million rubles from “SD Group” in court. It worked under contracts with Danilov’s management company, JSC “Gordo Development.” This contractor directly accused Danilov’s company in court of document forgery—specifically certificates of completed work and costs.
The management company itself also has claims against Danilov’s actions. On May 28, “Gordo Development” filed a lawsuit in arbitration court seeking 57 million rubles. The company is also involved in other proceedings against “SD Group” as a third party.
Danilov, apparently, has no intention of paying anyone and is instead filing counterclaims against his own deceived contractors. For instance, “SD Group” is demanding that “Gordo Development” hand over all project documentation for “Amur City” and contractor relations. However, the irony is that all this data was handled on outsourcing by an individual entrepreneur, N.A. Danilova—very close to Alexey Danilov: his wife, 48-year-old Nina Alexandrovna Danilova (Gritsun).
In this lawsuit, “SD Group” has already made a major procedural mistake: opposing lawyers discovered that Danilov submitted documentation in another case involving “Pulp-Stroy,” despite claiming he does not possess such records.
Defrauded contractors hope to win in court despite Danilov’s high-level protectors, who are linked to him not only through long-standing friendship but also shared interests. If Danilov decides to speak out, law enforcement may raise very serious questions for Minister Kozlov and his family.
