"We welcome spiritual search and enlightenment, but we must not destroy nature."
Residents of Altai villages are protesting the construction of a retreat center associated with followers of millionaire speaker Tony Robbins and the Z-sect.
Residents of the Altai villages of Charyshskoye and Krasny Partizan have been actively opposing the construction of a retreat center and a concrete plant near a local lake for several months. They are concerned about potential changes to the lake's hydrological conditions, which could lead to flooding. The initiative group comprises nearly 300 people who are filing petitions to various authorities and personally opposing the investors who have decided to develop their land. The situation involves representatives of several religious movements, referred to by locals as "sectarians," as well as a business coach and neuropsychologist who specializes in "channeling the energy of big money" and calls himself a billionaire. NeMoskva investigated the situation.
They tried to appease him with cedars
The conflict unfolded in the Charyshsky District of the Altai Krai. In June, residents of the villages of Charyshskoye and Krasny Partizan learned that a tourist complex, "Charyshskaya Sloboda" (retreat center, as investors call it), and a concrete and structural concrete manufacturing facility were planned just a few hundred meters from their homes. The villagers were seriously concerned about the ambitious plans of the companies "Charysh Partners" and "Charysh Development," whose representatives announced their intentions at a public meeting on June 3, according to local activist Andrei Shestakov.
According to him, large-scale operations are planned near Lake Sinenkoye, in a nearby grove known locally as the "birdhouse," and on the mountain. As early as the fall of 2023, residents noticed the clearing of trees and shrubs in the area. Then, in the spring of 2024, representatives of the aforementioned companies began planting cedars and pines on the mountainside near the village. Villagers believe this was an attempt to "appease" them.
"It was simply a publicity stunt, involving schoolchildren, and widely publicized on Telegram channels, claiming they'd built a landscaped playground. But nothing took root," says Shestakov, noting that villagers warned that the seedlings wouldn't thrive on the sunny side due to the difficult soil.
On June 3, at a meeting with village residents, attended by Alexander Yezdin, head of the Charyshsky District, Andrey Nemtsev, the general director of both companies, spoke. He declared that no laws would be violated during construction, and that everything had been approved by the authorities. Locals reacted with disbelief to his words, recalling numerous similar promises from investors who had "run away" after a short time.
"Everyone knows how they bought our airfield. They promised that planes would fly here... They've had their fill of flights. They promised to build a ski resort here, they grew hops here, but then they abandoned it. Whatever they do, it turns out that these are fly-by-night companies, they've abandoned everything, and run away—all for naught. We don't need these kinds of developments," said one of the villagers during the meeting. (NeMoskva has an audio recording of the speeches from the event).
Problems of a project that doesn't exist
At the meeting, villagers stated that uncontrolled tree felling is taking place in the area allocated to companies for development, destroying the habitats of rare animals and plants. According to Andrei Shestakov, endangered species grow there, such as the drooping tulip and snowdrops, and black stork nests have been spotted (they're not mentioned). says and the well-known ornithologist in the Altai region Alexey Ebel), oystercatchers, shelducks.
Initially, the Charysha residents and Red Partisans assumed that the land for development had been sold by local authorities. However, most of the land was donated by local residents. The district head announced this at the meeting.
NeMoskva has learned from its own source that Charysh Partners and Charysh Development are currently developing eight land plots totaling approximately 32 hectares. Six of these plots were previously owned by private individuals. Another plot was leased by the Charyshsky District administration, and the last one by the Altai Krai Ministry of Natural Resources.
The proposed construction area includes two important facilities for the villages: a dam that protects the villages from the Charysh River during floods, and a water intake well.
Many still remember Great Flood of 2014, which affected not only local residents but the entire Altai Krai. "I am responsible for this dam. Just three days ago, the prosecutor's office inspected me with the State Technical Supervision Authority (Gostekhnadzor) to determine how I'm protecting this dam and what I'm doing with it," Alexander Yezdin emphasized at a meeting with the people. He attempted to reassure the assembled crowd, but to no avail—the district head was forced to admit that the authorities had overlooked the situation with the land beneath the dam, which had somehow ended up in private hands.
"God willing, the dam here remains intact. But if it collapses, we'll destroy all these factories and fill the dam. There's no escape. Entrepreneurs also took certain risks. Yes, and we missed the boat somewhere along the way. I'll say it again, we're not gods either," Yezdin defended himself at the meeting.
Villagers are also concerned about how the future facilities will impact the quality of the village's water supply. The anthropogenic load on the groundwater supplying Charysh and Lake Sinenkoye will increase, particularly due to the use of septic tanks at the tourist center.
That's not all the problems. Near the site where the construction is planned, there are two cattle burial grounds. The interviewee explained that many people know about them, including those who previously worked at the local Krasny Partizan state farm. However, they are not documented anywhere, so the authorities do not acknowledge their existence:
"There are at least two cattle burial grounds there. We asked about what they would do with them, but they told us there were no documents for them. We were questioning them because brucellosis and anthrax could be present. But they said there was nothing there."
Furthermore, the lands where investors have already established operations are designated agricultural lands. To build a retreat center there, they must be rezoned for recreational use. This requires approval from the Altai Krai Ministry of Natural Resources. As experience shows, this process can take several years.
The developers don't yet have a completed project to present to officials and villagers. The district head also stated this during the meeting.
Unjustifiably high price
Residents of the Charyshsky District are actively filing complaints with various authorities—the police, the prosecutor's office, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and others. Yevgeniya Borovikova, a deputy of the Altai Legislative Assembly from A Just Russia, also drew attention to the situation on July 21. visited territory, taking the police with them.
"Residents are paying an unreasonably high price for the construction of new facilities. Roads, water, natural resources, endangered plants and animals, and the use of agricultural and industrial land. Moreover, all these problems taken together raise serious doubts about the legality of the construction. I have already sent a parliamentary inquiry to the prosecutor's office asking them to look into the situation. I am also awaiting a response from law enforcement agencies," the politician wrote on her Telegram channel.
On July 31st she said, that construction has been suspended following her appeal to the prosecutor's office. Andrei Shestakov confirmed that the construction site has become quiet for the first time since June.
The prosecutor's office conducted an investigation and found that the investors' activities on these lands were indeed conducted in violation of regulations. The agency opened three administrative cases. (a copy of the document is at the disposal of NeMoskva). One of them is related to the failure to remove so-called "logging debris" after felling trees (which, incidentally, was carried out with the administration's permission). The second concerns drilling a well without the necessary permit and license, and the third concerns the removal of rock from the area, which the companies also do not have the right to do.
"This is frightening local residents. They're stealing rock from the state, property of the Russian Federation. This isn't speculation; it's been established by inspectors from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Workers used this rock to block the springs flowing into Lake Sinenkoye. [Then] they dug a canal and began creating their own pond a few meters from the dam. This means that at any moment during a flood, water will be coming in not only from the Charysh River, but also from groundwater and springs. It will start rising on both sides, and the dam will be eroded," worries Andrei Shestakov.
He also points out that more trees were cut down than permitted, even in the water protection zone, which risks causing waterlogging. Residents have also contacted law enforcement regarding this issue, but the violation has not yet been recorded.
"Troublesome People"
A particular source of concern for residents of Charyshsky and Krasny Partizan is the fact that the construction was initiated by representatives of religious movements. The villagers call them "sectarians."
According to Shestakov, initially the general director of Charysh Partners and Charysh Development, Andrey Nemtsev, did not hide the fact that concerns Vaishnavas—followers of Vishnuism (a branch of Hinduism), also known as Hare Krishnas. However, during the same village meeting, our interviewee notes, he somehow tried to conceal this fact and avoided answering questions, which alarmed the residents. Furthermore, people noticed that after the arrival of investors, "Soradenites"—representatives of the so-called "Soradenie school"—had become more active in the area.
Little is known about her, and the topic has not yet received much coverage in the media. Online movements are floridly indicated:
"Our primary goal is to bring luminosity into the world, awakening the mind of the heart, the call of the blood, restoring their original algorithms, and awakening genetic memory. We pay special attention to the work of the soul and what makes a person human. The desire to work for the common good is important to us. We are creating an educational environment in which honor, conscience, valor, patriotism, and the Motherland will correspond to the revival of the spiritual heritage of the Forefathers in our territories. One of the main tasks is the need to impart knowledge to children based on true spirituality. We are working to create the preconditions for the growth of spirit, soul, and consciousness in a triune form. We propose a transition from the mind to consciousness, from the state to the State."
On the Soradeniya website, you can watch numerous videos from the spiritual leader Garat, learn about his theories, and purchase over 30 books, priced from one to four thousand rubles. The school has only recently gained some notoriety, after plot on one of the state television channels, where it is said that the organization can be considered a sect, since people from their families join it.
In 2023, Soradeniya opened its branch in the Altai Krai, in the village of Tulata, near Charyshsky and Krasny Partizan. The school's followers began building a kind of community there, which they called Fortress of the SpiritIts main feature is the stage. According to adherents, it will be used to "recreate" Cossack singing and music played by our ancestors on balalaikas and gusli.
The community is gradually gaining new followers, who live here and hold various events. According to the founders, it focuses on spiritual development and patriotism. However, it also provides resource support for the "special operation." Overall, its activities resemble those of the Z-patriots. For example, the community's website has a special section where сообщается about trips to Donbass and humanitarian support.
Residents of the Charyshsky District point to a connection between the retreat center and the "Soradentsy" in Tulata, as the construction of the "Fortress of the Spirit" and the activity on the lands near Charysh and Krasny Partizan began around the same time. Villagers also say the two movements hold joint events and meetings. Andrei Shestakov says they are open to all religious movements, but in this case, they don't want to get involved with "shady people."
"We welcome spiritual quests and enlightenment, but we shouldn't destroy nature, including endangered plants and birds, or damage our dam that protects the mighty Charysh River," the activist comments. "Hinduism is a powerful religion, and India is our strategic partner. But we don't understand people who pray to trees and then immediately cut them down. The population is starting to become wary because people are saying, 'Bring your children with your parents.' Agitation is already underway—in the village of Krasny Partizan, brochures about these teachings are being placed in mailboxes. This whole mess is unraveling in the minds of the local residents, and they see nothing good in it."
Locals, concerned about their proximity to the "comrades," are actively discussing them on social media.
"Folk culture is being revived on the stage of the community center, which just happens to be located on the grounds of the village council in Tulata, and not behind the blank walls of a fortress and fences covered with slogans for cover," "We really need to unite, sound the alarm, and appeal to all authorities!" "And how do they live? No farms, no gardens. Shady people are hiding behind songs and aid for soldiers. In a word, shady," wrote residents of Tulata, when representatives of the local St. Nicholas Church drew attention to the fellow residents in their Odnoklassniki group.
"A great motivator to love big money"
According to RusprofileAndrey Nemtsev, CEO of Charysh Partners and Charysh Development, owns only 5% of the authorized capital in these companies. Business partners Svetlana Antonova and Vyacheslav Nemtsov (previously, according to company records, Vyacheslav Golodok). The last character is quite intriguing.
His many credentials can be found in open sources: sexologist, family counselor, parapsychologist, transformational and business coach, serial entrepreneur (whatever that means), investor, co-founder of the turquoise company "Soil" (what that is, I couldn't find out), and so on. He describes himself as a billionaire and neuropsychologist, with a Master's degree in economics and psychology. Andrey Shestakov names him as the project's main investor.
Nemtsov has telegram channel "TurboLife of Vyacheslav and Svetlana Nemtsov" with 513 subscribers, judging by which Nemtsov is involved in many other interesting things - for example, "pumps up "the energy of big money."
In his article "The Entrepreneur's Utopia: How to Live Your Life 100% and Achieve Your Goals with Drive and Harmony?" Nemtsev shares his experience of how, over more than 30 years, he allegedly built 45 businesses, several of which have multi-billion-dollar turnovers. He claims to have developed his methodology by "learning from the world's best experts," such as Tony Robbins (arguably the world's most famous business coach, inspirational speaker, and author of books on "successful success"), Robert Kiyosaki (investor, writer, and author of the bestselling book on financial literacy and investing, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"), and other individuals and authors of various practices, commonly referred to as infogypsies. The article has 172 views and one like.
Nemtsov backs up his expertise with references to his appearances as a guest expert on the Ren TV show "Chapman's Secrets" (which seriously discusses pseudoscientific theories, including those about aliens) and the Channel One talk show "Let Them Talk." As proof, the businessman posted a screenshot from the show; we were unable to locate any episodes featuring him.
It was also impossible to determine how exactly Vyacheslav Nemtsov makes his billions. Even the aforementioned article, contrary to the rules of the genre, is not for sale. There are also no publicly available courses or other services featuring him. However, he is the co-owner and CEO of four Moscow-based companies that sell household goods. HappyMi reported a loss of 2,2 million rubles in 2023, Kaleo posted a net profit of 1,6 million rubles, Partner posted a net profit of 3,7 million rubles, and White Ventures had no financial activity.
The "serial entrepreneur" previously owned four other companies, but three of them have now been liquidated and one has gone bankrupt. Perhaps the billionaire has a bright future ahead of him.
"Our eco-hotel and retreat center project in Charysh, Altai, is a wonderful motivator for us and the entire team to embrace big money and learn how to earn it easily and consistently," писал Vyacheslav Nemtsov: "When earning big money becomes routine and commonplace for our team, we'll look back and realize it's been a great way for everyone to develop and live a vibrant and fulfilling life."
