The moment the columnar portico collapsed was captured on video. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case regarding the partial destruction of the building. Experts and historians attribute the incident to the incompetence of the contracting company. The estate, a federal monument, had been sold into private ownership.
The collapse of the Nikolskoye-Uryupino Estate in the Moscow region, a federal monument, made headlines in criminal news when its columnar portico crumbled before the eyes of construction workers. Restoration work was underway at the time. The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case concerning the partial destruction of the building. Those found guilty face up to three years imprisonment, though they might also be fined.
The video footage of the incident appears more like a demolition than a restoration. The columnar portico, featuring elegant arches that had stood for nearly 200 years, simply collapsed into a pile. A construction worker in the background can be heard shouting, “Get away, it`s falling, it`s falling!”
No one was captured in the frame, and no one was injured; only the federal architectural monument itself suffered damage. The Investigative Committee confirmed its partial destruction. Experts involved in preserving such estates questioned why the workers were filming this horrific collapse in the first place. It`s possible they were documenting everything on video to later prove their innocence in court. Judging by the shouts, the voice off-camera belonged to a worker, not a restorer. Typically, serious restoration companies with good reputations are entrusted with such high-level monuments, especially since the estate was under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture. “What happened is evidence of the complete incompetence of the team working on site,” states Vissarion Alyavdin, director of the Association of Owners of Historic Estates:
“Such an event can occur due to either complete incompetence of restorers or malicious intent. The owner of this estate possesses a rather large land area. Perhaps the person was more interested in the land itself. This is negligence bordering on a crime. I don`t know how one can conduct work in such a manner. The restoration project was approved by the Ministry of Culture in the relevant department. Works should have been carried out strictly based on this restoration project. The chief architect of the project, as well as specialists working on the foundation and roof, are responsible for this. This building is not gigantic; the volume isn`t such that the entire portico would just collapse like that. This is a direct reproach to the Ministry of Culture. You see, this object was always under the Ministry of Culture`s observation. And questions remain as to how it could have been entrusted to an incompetent owner. After all, we have a sufficient number of high-quality restoration companies, and a serious firm should have been allowed to restore the estate.”
Vissarion Alyavdin — Director, Association of Owners of Historic Estates
Now, instead of restorers, forensic investigators are working at the site. All documents pertaining to the object have been requested from the main department of cultural heritage of the Moscow region, and interrogations and a construction-technical expertise are planned. Konstantin Zautrennikov, owner of the legal company “Zautrennikov and Partners,” discussed the potential penalties for those found guilty in this criminal case:
“The maximum penalty under this article is up to three years imprisonment, with fines and compulsory labor also stipulated. A construction-technical expertise is necessary to establish culpability, as I understand from comments, representatives of the developer claim they are not responsible for the collapse of the architectural monument`s load-bearing walls. They assert they followed all norms and building regulations. However, there seems to be doubt, given that a case has been opened. This issue must be investigated by competent builders who will verify the work technology, adherence to all standards, and the actual actions of the construction crew: whether this violation was accidental or a breach of work rules. Ascertaining whether the actions were intentional or unintentional will likely be a priority.”
Konstantin Zautrennikov — Owner, Legal Company “Zautrennikov and Partners”
Throughout its history, the estate has seen numerous owners. In the 1990s, it was owned by the famous pharmaceutical manufacturer Vladimir Bryntsalov, who vowed to restore the estate to a better state than before. However, he did nothing, and his contract was terminated. The estate also survived suspicious fires.
The new owner, following a 2021 auction where the estate was sold for nearly 830 million rubles, is businessman Ara Abramyan, president of the public organization “Union of Armenians of Russia,” according to Rustam Rakhmatullin, coordinator of the Arkhnadzor movement and a Moscow historian:
“Nikolskoye-Uryupino is one of the outstanding estates in the Moscow region, with a preserved 17th-century church that is active and well-maintained. It also has two manor houses, an old one and a `new` one. The `new` one is relative, and it is precisely this one that collapsed. Both manor houses changed hands multiple times in the nineties. Nikolskoye-Uryupino has been unlucky with its owners. The current owner, according to my information, is Ara Abramyan, head of the Union of Armenians of Russia. Nothing has changed for the better for the estate. The estate can be seen in Gubenko`s wonderful lyrical film `And Life, and Tears, and Love.` There, the white house serves as a nursing home, and in the second house across the fence, there`s a pioneer camp. This film fully conveys the impression of the estate when it was still in good condition.”
Rustam Rakhmatullin — Coordinator, Arkhnadzor Movement, Moscow Historian
The new owner acquired the estate with commercial use rights, legally obligating him to preserve and restore the property. At the time of publication, the owner had not responded to calls and inquiries from Business FM. Media reports cite his representatives stating that `scientific restoration` was supposed to be carried out. However, for unknown reasons, piles that ensured the foundation`s stability were dismantled, which likely led to the collapse.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth