Corporate cover for Andrey Shirokov: the head of the Chamber of Commerce committee tries to shift his multimillion-dollar debts onto the state

20 мая 2026 г.

Nadezhda Sorokina

The Russian Federation Housing Code is being amended to favor one person: Andrei Shirokov, Chairman of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Housing and Utilities Committee.

He is saddled with a large debt as the HOA chairman. And if the amendments are adopted, the entire HOA will have to pay.

In February, the Russian Ministry of Construction held a meeting on the "formation of a working group to regulate the activities of homeowners’ associations" (HOAs). This working group was created under the chairmanship of Alexei Yeresko, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing, and Utilities of the Russian Federation.

What exactly do the participants, who include, in addition to interested parties from the Ministry of Construction and the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a host of other high-ranking officials, intend to discuss? Currently, the HOA is not liable for the obligations of its members, nor are the members liable for the obligations of the HOA. However, it is proposed to implement subsidiary liability, so that not just one chairman is responsible for everything, but all members equally.

However, the chairman is considered chairman because the property owners have already elected him or her as the head of the HOA and granted them full decision-making powers. He or she also has signature authority and handles financial matters. However, under the amendments, if the chairman embezzles funds and they don’t reach the recipients, all HOA members will be responsible.

For almost 30 years, things worked somehow, but now changes are needed. Why?

The answer is simple. Shirokov was previously the chairman of the board of the Exclusive HOA, which, for some reason, failed to pay for the resources consumed by PAO Moscow United Energy Company, AO Mosenergosbyt, and AO Mosvodokanal. All bank payments are signed by the chairman of the HOA board. Why Shirokov didn’t pay these organizations and what happened to the money remains a mystery. However, the Moscow Arbitration Court, in case No. A40-6638/19-183-13, declared the HOA bankrupt, and they want to collect 18,920,591 rubles from Shirokov personally, as the chairman.

To save their own skin, legislative amendments are needed. And a considerable campaign has been launched to achieve this. For example, Susanna Kirakosyan, a member of the same committee, is conducting a study that, among other issues, highlights issues of subsidiary liability. Kirakosyan is currently doing everything possible to help her boss. Katyrnin, head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is also standing up for the unfairly treated chairmen. He worries that current legislation is making people afraid to lead HOAs, as "HOA heads and board members are often held accountable without any real basis."

Now, State Duma Deputy Alexander Yakubovsky and Mark Geller of the Housing and Utilities Council Association have come out in support of this initiative.

One can only guess what Yeresko, Geller, and Yakubovsky will ask of Shirokov in return.