What Happened in Rostov Ten Years Ago?
An operating airport, a TSUM department store in the Moskovskaya Hotel, a city without paid parking, and the friendship between the Dibrova and Tovstik families. No, this is not a dream. This is the news from Rostov ten years ago. Following a popular trend, 161.RU examined what news concerned the city«s residents ten years ago.
Something Eternal. Utility Problems
Winter ten years ago was snowy. As now, snow removal did not satisfy residents. The authorities reported on round-the-clock work on the city streets and even threatened businessmen for uncleared commercial areas. However, the residents themselves did not see the results of this work and complained about uncleared snowdrifts. Even employees of the traffic police were dissatisfied with the snow removal.
As now, ten years ago in the Rostov region, there were major accidents in water supply systems, due to which thousands of people were left without water in the frost. Accidents on heating networks also persisted. In Rostov in 2016, dozens of houses were left without heat due to them.
Also ten years ago, the Rostov authorities spoke about large-scale reconstruction and construction of a new storm sewer system. Then, they began the procedure to take the general storm collector into municipal ownership. But they have not been able to radically solve the problem to this day.
Death of a Schoolgirl in a Downpour
On 30 June 2016, a heavy downpour fell in Rostov. The storm sewers could not cope with the water flows. A 14-year-old schoolgirl on Budyonnovsky Prospekt was dragged by the water flow under a parked car. The girl died. This tragedy caused widespread resonance and led to heated discussions about the state of the city«s storm sewer.
Soon after the tragedy, Sergey Gorbany lost his post as city mayor. He himself justified that he was unable to bring the drains into order after 24 years of inaction by his predecessors. By law, no one was held accountable for the schoolgirl«s death.
Preparation for the FIFA World Cup and Savvidi in Rostov
In 2016, the city was fully preparing for the FIFA World Cup. The organizing committee was headed by the then governor Vasily Golubev. The symbols of Rostov for the 2018 World Cup became a stele, a cathedral, and a troika of horses. The authorities promised to repair dilapidated houses, recruit volunteers, and prepare Rostov restaurants to receive tourists. The Rostov-Arena stadium was still under construction, but its 3D visualization was already ready.
There was still a year left until the opening of Platov Airport. At that time, they were just choosing a name for it. From the old Rostov airport, one could fly directly to Europe and Asia. Except that bad weather sometimes made its adjustments.
In 2016, the holding of oligarch Ivan Savvidi became the general sponsor of FC Rostov.
«The company and its chairman of the board of directors Ivan Savvidi have repeatedly supported the club in difficult situations. We are glad that we have reached an agreement on cooperation. For our club, this is certainly a step forward,» said Oleg Lopatin, general director of FC Rostov.
Ivan Savvidi stated that the minimum task for the club at that period was qualification for the Europa League. However, the coach of Rostov had a different opinion.
«No one has set or voiced any tasks for the team. We are moving from match to match. With our financial problems, how can any serious tasks be set at all?» said then head coach of Rostov Kurban Berdyev.
FC Rostov eventually reached the Europa League, where they ended their run in the round of 16, which became the team«s highest tournament achievement.
Plane Crash in Rostov
In March 2016, a Fly Dubai Boeing-737-800 aircraft crashed in Rostov. It crashed while landing. There were 61 people on board, including four children. All of them died.
The aircraft landed in poor visibility conditions. Upon touching the ground, the liner exploded. The aircraft debris was scattered across the runway. Upon impact, a fire broke out. It was extinguished by several hundred rescuers.
Governor of Rostov Region Vasily Golubev expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
«Today is a sad day. People died as a result of an aviation disaster, many of them are our fellow countrymen. This loss cannot be compensated for anything. The entire Don land mourns,» said Golubev then.
International experts investigated the causes of the aviation disaster in Rostov. Later, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) named the pilots« actions as the cause of the Boeing crash.
Among those killed in the aviation disaster were deputy of the legislative assembly, chief physician of the regional hospital Igor Pakus, president of the NPF Rostvertol Elvira Belyakova, surgeon of the regional clinical hospital Oleg Chistyakov, chairman of the territorial election commission Elena Chernova.
Much Was Wanted, Little Was Achieved. What Was Planned in Rostov?
Ten years ago, Rostov did not have a Ferris wheel in Revolution Park or a Green Theater. At that time, they only talked about plans to build and reconstruct them. The Agrokom Group, controlled by Ivan Savvidi, took on the project. The Ferris wheel appeared in the same year, and the Green Theater was reconstructed a year later.
Ivan Savvidi also had another project at that time, unrealized to this day — a cable car.
«We are considering the possibility of creating two lines. One will go from Theater Square to the industrial zone, the second — through Zeleny Island, past the stadium to Bataysk,» the businessman suggested then.
The Rostov authorities have periodically remembered the cable car all these ten years, but conditions for its construction still do not exist.
But some of the plans remained only plans. For example, in 2016, they planned to turn the Rostov cinema into a concert complex. In those years, this required several tens of millions of rubles. The Rostov did not become a concert complex. Apparently, investors could not be found for the project.
They wanted to make a «second TSUM» from the dilapidated building of the Moskovskaya Hotel. It was already in decline then. It was assumed that the owner — entrepreneur Tatyana Shishkina — would organize the dismantling of the building and then recreate its facades. But the project stalled for at least ten years. Shishkina said that restoring the building was difficult, including due to its status as a cultural heritage site. Not long ago, the entrepreneur sold it.
In 2016, they wanted to open a museum named after Alexander Kaidanovsky — a famous actor and native of the city. It was supposed to operate based on the audiovisual arts center on 16th Line. Since then, the idea of opening the museum has not been discussed.
As now, an important topic remained the fate of the Paramonov Warehouses. In 2016, the bathing area there was closed. Rostov politician Sergey Chuev called the Paramonov Warehouses a «bums» den« and stated that closing the bathing area would only benefit the city. But Rostov activists rose to defend the bathing area. Unknown persons painted the warehouse walls with inscriptions: «Be cursed, thieves of the spring! Return the spring, Golubev, Gorbany! God is with us, back off from the spring!» But this did not help save the bathing pool.
In 2016, the idea of organizing paid parking was actively discussed in Rostov. Then, a petition appeared against them. Its authors believed that paid parking would not solve the problem of narrow streets in the city center. But the drivers« outrage did not influence the authorities» decision to introduce paid parking spaces.
Signatures were also collected for a petition against the installation of a monument to The Beatles. It was assumed that a private investor could place it. The petition against the monument stated that the British band had no relation to the Don region and was generally to blame for the collapse of the USSR.
What Else Did Residents of Rostov Region Ask For?
2016 was perhaps one of the richest years for petitions. Residents of the region asked Vladimir Putin to stop the construction of the Bagayevsky Hydro Unit. Rostov residents and activists were dissatisfied that such a large-scale project was not discussed with them.
«The dam will completely destroy all valuable Don fish along with the Bagayevsky Fish Hatchery, flood several settlements, and, most importantly, one of the most beautiful sections of the river with protected islands and sandy beaches will turn into a reed-overgrown swamp with a fairway,» they wrote in the petition.
The authorities countered that the hydro unit would solve water supply problems and pointed to the beneficial transport component of the construction. In 2026, the construction of the hydro unit continues. Its full launch is planned for next year.
Another petition was related to Rostov pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko. Rostov resident Valentina Vartsaba demanded that the Russian government take emergency measures to return Yaroshenko, who was convicted in the USA. But the pilot returned to Russia only in 2022, after his exchange for American Trevor Reed.
The Case of Stanislav Svetlichny
In June 2016, FSB officers detained in Rostov the president of JSC Eurasia and former Minister of Fuel and Energy of Russia Stanislav Svetlichny. He was charged with embezzlement of bank loans amounting to 1.125 billion rubles (approximately $19 million at current rates), issued for the «Clean Don» project. Svetlichny was held in a Rostov pre-trial detention center.
In 2020, Svetlichny was sentenced to 12 years for fraud. In 2023, he was declared bankrupt due to the inability to repay a debt of 6.8 billion rubles (approximately $110 million at current rates) to creditors. In 2024, JSC Eurasia was also declared bankrupt.
Nemtsov, International Relations, and Courts
In Rostov ten years ago, the Consulate General of Romania was still operating. The political situation at that time allowed talk of constructing a new building for the country«s representation in Rostov. However, this did not come to fruition, and in 2024 the consulate in Rostov ceased operations altogether.
In 2016, a high-profile story unfolded due to a rally in memory of the slain politician Boris Nemtsov. The action then took place in Stroitely Park. At least 200 people and about two dozen police officers in uniform participated in the event. Rally participants discussed the progress of the investigation into Nemtsov«s murder and city problems. They invited the then city mayor Sergey Gorbany to the rally, but he did not accept the invitation.
Ten years ago, everyone followed one of the most high-profile criminal cases — the case of the «Amazon Gang.» The criminal materials were considered by the Rostov Regional Court. Stavropol resident Inessa Tarverdieva, her daughter Victoria, their relatives — former Don traffic police officer Sergey Sinelnik and his wife Anastasia — were accused of banditry, murders, illegal arms trafficking, and attempted murder.
Another high-profile criminal case of that year was the case of Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko. She was accused of killing VGTRK journalists. In 2016, the then president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko sent a support group for Savchenko to Rostov Region. However, the delegation was not allowed into the courtroom. The Ukrainian servicewoman was sentenced to 22 years in prison in the court of Donetsk, Rostov Region. In the same 2016, she was exchanged and returned to her homeland.
Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych also gave testimony in Rostov. He was interrogated via video conference by the Svyatoshinsky Court of Kyiv. Yanukovych was a witness in the «Maidan case» about the riots in Kyiv in February 2014, which resulted in about 100 deaths.
At the same time, Yanukovych participated in a large press conference in Rostov, where, for example, he stated that Donbas should remain part of Ukraine.
«The separation of Donbas from Ukraine is an emotional impulse of people who reacted negatively to the riots in Kyiv. I am for Donbas to be part of Ukraine, for the territorial integrity of the country to be preserved,» said Yanukovych.
Rostov Celebrities 10 Years Ago: Dibrovas Befriend Tovstiks, and Lopyreva Draws Inspiration from Dumplings
The lives of Rostov celebrities were also rapidly developing. In 2016, Rostov resident Polina Dibrova assisted in childbirth for her then-friend Elena Tovstik.
«Lena! Roma! Congratulations! Beautiful Alice! I didn«t think I»d be in this costume on the other side,» Dibrova wrote in her blog then, not knowing that ten years later she would face a high-profile divorce from Dmitry Dibrov and build a new family with her friend«s husband — Roman Tovstik.
And Victoria Lopyreva in 2016 held a festival in Dubai inspired by Rostov dumplings. The goal of the event was to introduce foreigners to Russian cuisine.
«Often with friends we celebrated Old New Year in Dubai, and I taught everyone to make dumplings with wishes, like in Rostov-on-Don, where I«m from. At some point, there were so many people wanting to try Russian cuisine that we decided to hold a big festival and introduce local residents to our culture,» Lopyreva said then.
In Rostov in 2016, rapper Basta (Vasily Vakulenko) was in a lawsuit with his stage colleague Decl (Kirill Tolmatsky). Tolmatsky filed a lawsuit against the Rostov resident. The reason was Basta«s statement about Decl — »curly asshole.« In 2016, the court sided with Tolmatsky and obligated the Rostov performer to pay him 50,000 rubles in compensation. In 2019, Tolmatsky died. Another four years after that, Basta admitted that he regretted the quarrel with Decl and that he never reconciled with him after the trial.
What Rostov celebrities were like ten years ago, 161.RU told in a separate article.
