Russky Island waterpark site deserted, excavator and workers idle
The construction site for the Aquaparadise waterpark on Russky Island displays minimal changes and very little ongoing work.
The Aquaparadise waterpark is one of the long-suffering long-term construction projects that has been left in limbo, without really getting started. It was announced several years ago, and in 2023, equipment and workers were brought to the Saperny Peninsula, but construction quickly stalled because the general director of the contractor company Primorstroi was sent to a pre-trial detention center, and the project was transferred to the organization SMU 882, and since then, work has barely moved.
A single excavator and two workers are the only signs of life at the largely abandoned construction area.
A correspondent from VLADIVOSTOK1.RU visited the construction site again to see if anything new had appeared or if the site remained semi-abandoned.
Winter weather has brought snow and ice to the site, highlighting the lack of progress on the waterpark project.
As expected, nothing has changed on site, and only winter has slightly varied the area: the platform is somewhat covered with snow, and the water near the piles has formed an icy crust.
On the main territory, there was not a single worker or even construction machinery, but signs of life were found: a bit further away stood two men, as well as an excavator that had torn up the access road to the complex.
On the wasteland closer to the sea, minor changes occurred: materials were added. Whether they will be put to use is still unclear.
Interestingly, the project still has a working website, which publishes bright 3D models of the proposed facilities and a promising description.
The VLADIVOSTOK1.RU correspondent first visited the site in June 2024, but only a bio-toilet, a fence, and a working excavator appeared. We returned there in February 2025, and this time the construction indeed looked as if work was finally underway: trucks were driving around, builders were doing exercises, bored piles were driven into the ground, and a foundation pit was dug.
The overall picture created the impression that the waterpark would actually appear, but with a delay, as it was promised to be completed by November 2026. In the end, hope faded in the next two months: in April 2025 we came back to the site, and there were no active works anymore, although the project passport was returned to the site.
As a result, we did not visit the construction site for almost half a year, and the correspondent went there again in October, but, as it turned out, we missed nothing: during this time, less changed here than during a couple of months of work at the beginning of the year.
If the unsuccessful start of the project could be explained by problems with the first contractor, then why the construction resumed and stalled again in 2025 has not been explained by either the authorities or the new responsible organization. A new date for the possible appearance of the waterpark has still not been announced, and it is hard to believe that this place will turn into something resembling a recreation area.
