Casinos instead of berths: Yalta port was given to gambling business

The construction fence around the Yalta seaport has become a signal that a large-scale transformation is being prepared on the site of the passenger terminal. Despite the resistance of local residents, the territory is planned to be given to a gambling business associated with structures close to the Kremlin.

This was reported by the National Resistance Center.

A construction fence has recently been erected around the Yalta seaport, signaling the start of a project that has long caused outrage among local residents. It is about rebuilding the territory of the passenger terminal into a large play area, which involves structures associated with Vladimir Putin's entourage, including businessman Arkady Rotenberg.

According to the plans of the Russian authorities, a complex of casinos, hotels, spas, and entertainment infrastructure is to be created on the site of the port. At the same time, residents have repeatedly opposed such changes, insisting on the resumption of full-fledged operation of the seaport and passenger transportation.

The idea of creating a gambling zone in the occupied Crimea appeared back in 2019, when it was planned to be located in the village of Katsyvely. The investor was the Infrastructure Projects Management Company, which is associated with Rothenberg 's business interests through participation in previous infrastructure projects.

In July 2024, the Russian parliament passed a law that allowed the gambling zone to be moved directly to the Yalta seaport. After that, the facility was put up for sale and became the property of the Moscow-based Black Sea Development company.

As noted by the CNS, this situation was another example of the redistribution of strategic assets in the occupied territory, when objects of public importance are transferred to the control of business structures close to the Kremlin elites, despite the resistance of the local community.

In addition, chaotic construction in the temporarily occupied Yalta has threatened the city's historical monuments and cultural heritage. In particular, we are talking about the territory of Polikurovsky Hill, the protected zone of Anton Chekhov's White Dacha and other objects.

Анна Бальчінос