Vladimir Putin’s JUDO buddy awarded £347million contract to build Crimea bridge and railway
Arkady Rotenberg's company Stroygazmontazh named general contractor for construction of transport link to annexed territory
VLADIMIR Putin has handed his judo buddy a massive £347million contract to build a controversial bridge and railway line in Crimea.
Arkady Rotenberg's company, Stroygazmontazh, was named as the general contractor for the construction of the transport link between Russia and Crimea.
Rotenberg is a close pal of Putin, with the pair regularly practising Judo and spending time together.
The contentious project connecting Russia with the recently annexed region of Ukraine is expected to be finished and fully operational by December 2018.
As well as constructing the railway line, Rotenberg's company has also been given the green light to build the Kerch bridge, which it is planned to run across.
The group won the £236million bridge contract in February 2015 and announced it shortly afterwards.
But the railway line deal is only reported to have been finalised this week and is due to be announced this month, taking the company’s overall windfall to around £347million.
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Rotenberg is a Russian businessman and oligarch, co-owning the Stroygazmontazh group with his brother Boris.
The pair specialise in large construction works, including most of the gas pipelines and electrical power supply lines across Russia.
In 2014, he was listed by Forbes as the world's 621st richest person in the world and he is considered one of Putin’s inner circle.
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