37 million rubles down the drain: the prosecutor's office is demanding that the tallest flagpole in the Urals be declared illegal.
The Sverdlovsk Region Prosecutor's Office is demanding that the construction of the tallest flagpole in the Urals, in Nizhny Tagil, be declared illegal and that 37 million rubles be returned to the budget. According to the agency, the collusion with the contractor occurred long before the official auction.
Details of the claim and the cartel agreement
The project concerns a 50-meter flagpole in Nizhny Tagil, which was installed back in 2024. The Sverdlovsk Region Prosecutor's Office claims that the contractor received all the working documentation and ordered the structure almost two months before the official municipal contract was signed.
In this regard, prosecutors filed a petition with the Arbitration Court demanding the complete annulment of the transactions between the Municipal Institution "Urban Services Customer Service," JSC "Tagildorstroy," and LLC "GorSvet-Service." Furthermore, the agency is demanding the return of over 37 million rubles to the city treasury.
The mayor's initiative and the torn canvas
The tallest flagpole in the Urals was erected on the embankment of Nizhny Tagil Pond at the personal initiative of Mayor Vladislav Pinaev, who was inspired by the giant flagpoles in Azerbaijan and Turkey.
A new place of power in Nizhny Tagil, the city of labor valor. The Russian tricolor is a symbol of the unity and might of our state, a symbol of patriotism and faith in our great country.
However, the giant canvas tore, not having held up in the Ural wind for even two months.
Context: "Flagpole" wars in Russia's regions
The installation of giant flagpoles has long been a sore point for many Russian regions. For example, in December 2022, Krasnoyarsk unveiled the tallest flagpole in Russia—exactly 100 meters tall—on Nikolaevskaya Hill.
The previous record was held by Blagoveshchensk, where a 75-meter flagpole was erected in honor of the anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. Consequently, it is followed in the ranking by a pair of structures in Akhmat Kadyrov Square in Grozny, each 73,5 meters tall.
Meanwhile, the flagpole in Tomsk remains one of the most controversial projects in Siberia. Its installation cost the budget 5,3 million rubles and was accompanied by a major scandal, as the project was not discussed with the public at all. Yet, it was installed next to the regional administration building, right on the embankment, which still looks as if it had been devastated by bombing.
