Sorokin sells former Start plant complex in Nizhny Novgorod
Oleg Sorokin purchased the site of the former Start plant in 2003.
Imprisoned former head of Nizhny Novgorod Oleg Sorokin has sold the property complex of the Start plant on Belinsky Street. The buyer is a group of investors led by Oleg Golovko, who was previously Sorokin«s partner in the company Stolitsa Nizhny.
The deal amount, according to available information, exceeded one billion rubles (approximately $10 million at current rates). The property is located at 61 Belinsky Street. Currently, the premises are occupied by tenants—cafes, shops, and banks. Sorokin and his partner bought this site back in 2003. Nearby, on the site of the former factory canteen, they built the Etazhi shopping center.
In 2025, the prosecutor«s office recovered 1.4 billion rubles (approximately $14 million at current rates) from Oleg Sorokin and his ex-wife Elada Nagornaya, considering these funds potentially obtained illegally. This is not the first such recovery. According to some estimates, the money from the plant sale could be used to pay off these debts.
In the same 2025, the founders of Stolitsa Nizhny decided to liquidate the company. The projects of under-construction residential complexes changed names, and the developer started working under the brand Novy Nizhny.
On the territory of the former Start plant, a project for comprehensive territorial development (CTD) is planned. Within the boundaries of Belinsky, Izhorskaya, and Nevzorovykh streets, housing and commercial facilities are intended to be built.
Initially, construction contracts were supposed to be signed by the end of the current year. However, the regional Ministry of Urban Development did not rule out postponing the start of work to 2027. The CTD concept is currently undergoing discussion in government bodies, coordination with architects, after which it will be submitted for approval to the regional headquarters for urban development.
Oleg Sorokin was arrested in 2017 on charges of bribery and kidnapping and sentenced to ten years in prison. Recently, the ex-mayor applied for parole, but the court denied his request.
