Frozen construction site of Vladivostok school shows decay
Construction of a school for 1,275 students on Patrokl in Vladivostok has essentially fallen into disrepair, despite authorities« statements about their intention to complete the facility with the original contractor and open it in the 2026/2027 school year. Recent observations of the site by a VLADIVOSTOK1.RU photojournalist show the building has deteriorated so much over the winter that it might be simpler to demolish it all and start over.
The journalist last visited the site in the fall and found a clear picture: the contractor, the Alliance group of companies, had essentially left the construction site, and magpies had occupied the territory instead of foremen. By the end of January, the situation had only worsened: construction materials previously stored on site were worn out over the winter. Beaten down by snow and wind, they now look like shapeless bags.
The building itself looks battered—the consequences of strong winds and precipitation are visible to the naked eye. No one has fixed the damage from bad weather or from vandals who visited the long-unfinished school in the fall: the fence is still collapsed, insulation is scattered across the grounds, windows are missing glass, and broken tiles lie at the end of the building.
Nevertheless, on January 30, the press service of the presidential administration told a lawyer from Vladivostok and author of the «Far Eastern Lawyer»s Diary« channel that the Patrokl school is 60.27% ready for commissioning.
Poor work organization, a shortage of workers, and disrupted funding were cited as reasons for the delay. The document emphasized that construction is currently halted as the issues are being resolved in court.
The original contract between Alliance and the directorate for construction of facilities of the Vladivostok urban district was signed in 2021 for 1.88 billion rubles (approximately $21 million at current rates), with work planned for completion by December 20, 2024.
Despite the fact that over years of inactivity the cost of the beleaguered long-term construction project has risen to 4.3 billion rubles (approx. $49 million), with another 1.4 billion rubles (approx. $16 million) needed for completion, authorities do not intend to terminate the contract with the contractor.
«Currently, a legal mechanism is being developed to avoid contract termination and complete construction of the facility with the current contractor,» the presidential administration«s official response stated.
To speed up the process, the project is planned to be implemented in two stages. The first stage will involve building five academic buildings, a checkpoint, a sports complex, installing utilities, and landscaping the territory. The main school building is planned for the second stage. According to officials« calculations, this will allow the first students to be admitted in the 2026/2027 school year.
While the school remains unfinished, children from the Patrokl neighborhood are taken to other institutions by school buses; some students attend school No. 5 on their parents« initiative. The authorities have also purchased premises at 17 Sochinskaya Street for a 90-place kindergarten, which they plan to open by September 1.
We are collecting all news about the long-unfinished school in a large special report on our website.
