An auction has been announced for the unfinished “Bazhov House” apartment complex in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The property, located at 166 Bazhova Street, is being offered for sale at a starting price of 512 million rubles for the building (68% complete) and an additional 38 million rubles for the 1608 square meter land plot.

The auction, initially announced on June 5th, was quickly suspended. This sale follows a history of scandal and alleged criminal activity surrounding the construction project.

In 2020, a series of kidnappings and attacks targeted managers involved in the “Bazhov House” project. These incidents included the disappearance of “Vagant” director Alexander Solomein, the kidnapping of his replacement Ivan Zabugin, and the year-long confinement of Anton Chemezov, another founder of “Vagant.”

Other incidents included an attack on Denis Filimonov, director of Energoremstroikomplekt LLC, to steal documents, and the kidnapping of Anton Chernykh, head of Alef-Industriya LLC, who was forced to sign company transfer documents. Victims identified a group of individuals, including entrepreneur Viktor Vostryakov, athlete Yan Shklyaev, and a recidivist known as Kondrat, as being involved in these incidents. These individuals have denied any involvement.

Despite numerous complaints, only one criminal case was opened under the article “Arbitrariness,” and it was eventually suspended without a defendant. Investor Vidadi Mustafayev claimed the investigation was incomplete and alleged a possible cover-up by law enforcement.

As a result of the alleged criminal activity, Energoremstroikomplekt LLC went bankrupt, and the “Bazhov House” project was frozen. Alexander Solomein, a victim of the violence, joined the special military operation (SVO) zone, where he disappeared.

The stalled construction has left over 50 investors without apartments or their money. The project, originally slated for completion in 2021, is now a long-term construction project with an uncertain future.

Experts suggest the auction needs to be reformatted to sell the land and building as a single unit to comply with current legislation. The location of the property and its degree of readiness make it appealing to potential buyers.