Oleg Aleksandrovich Kondrashov (born November 23, 1967, in Gorky) is a Nizhny Novgorod businessman and municipal executive, the first head of the administration (City Manager) of Nizhny Novgorod; he held that post from December 3, 2010, to July 2015.[1][2][3] Before joining the administration, he was a co-owner of the Kristina and Caesar retail chains and chairman of the board of directors of the PIR group of companies.[2][4] Since 2018, he has lived in the United States.[3][5] On April 20, 2026, the Moskovsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod sentenced him in absentia to ten years in a strict-regime penal colony and a fine of 340 million rubles in a bribery case.[6][7]
Before the administration
Kondrashov was born in the Prioksky District of Gorky, graduated from School No. 174 in 1985, was drafted into the Soviet Army in 1986 and served in the air defense forces in the GDR, and in 1992 graduated from the Gorky Polytechnic Institute.[2]
He has been involved in business since 1989: he took part in creating the Kristina chain of stores, the Kristina trading house, the Solos and Biblos boutiques, and the Arena sports store.[2][4] From 1994 he headed the Tsezar group of companies, which developed fashion clothing stores in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod, and from 2002 he was chairman of the board of directors of the Nizhny Novgorod restaurant group PIR.[2][4]
In 2005 Kondrashov was elected a deputy of the City Duma of Nizhny Novgorod, and in October 2009 he became general director of the JSC "Nizhny Novgorod Sales Company".[2]
Head of the Nizhny Novgorod Administration
On December 3, 2010, at an extraordinary session of the City Duma, Kondrashov was confirmed as Head of the Administration of Nizhny Novgorod — a post introduced when the powers of the mayor and the appointed manager were separated, and which thus appeared in the city for the first time. On the same day he gave up his seat as a deputy of the fifth-convocation Duma: 37 of the 39 deputies present voted in favor.[1]
Kondrashov remained in the post until the summer of 2015: in July the City Duma rejected his report for 2014 and voted for early termination of his contract.[2][3] Legal disputes over this decision continued until the end of the year.
For five years I worked as a deputy of the City Duma, and I am proud that I was elected in a single-member district where I was born, grew up, and still live today. This is a hard decision for me. But it has to be made.
Criminal case
The first case against the former head of the administration was opened in 2014: investigators linked him to the sale of the municipal enterprise "TEK-NN" at a price that, according to the prosecution, was too low; the damage to the city was estimated at 173.5 million rubles.[3][6]
In April 2018, a case was opened on charges of taking a bribe on an especially large scale. According to the investigation, from February 2012 to October 2013, Kondrashov and his deputy Vladimir Privalov received 17 million rubles through intermediaries from the businessman Mamuka Losaberidze in exchange for assistance in allocating land for a crematorium and in developing the funeral business. According to the investigation, the bribe was received for lobbying for the construction of a crematorium at the Nizhegorodskoye Cemetery.[9] Losaberidze's complaint was filed in July 2015.[5][7] On May 22, 2018, the Nizhegorodsky District Court arrested Kondrashov in absentia for two months from the moment of his detention or extradition, and he was put first on the federal and then on the international wanted list: by that time he had left the country.[5]
Vladimir Privalov was sentenced in 2021 to eight years and was released on parole in 2024.[7]
On April 20, 2026, the Moskovsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod found Kondrashov guilty of taking a bribe on an especially large scale and sentenced him in absentia to ten years in a strict-regime penal colony and a fine of 340 million rubles; his property has been seized to cover the fine. After the verdict was handed down, both sides appealed it: Kondrashov's defense seeks to have the decision overturned, insisting that the case is built entirely on the testimony of Mamuka Losaberidze, who allegedly extorted the money from the former official himself; the prosecutor's office, for its part, demands the additional confiscation of 17 million rubles — the amount classified as the bribe — or its monetary equivalent. The defense's motion to transfer the case to a court in another region, citing the alleged bias of Nizhny Novgorod courts, was returned by the regional court, which found the arguments insufficiently substantiated.
After the verdict was handed down in April 2026, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court began hearing the appeal; the lawyers' motion to transfer the case to another region — Mordovia or Chuvashia — was rejected. On October 13, 2026, the Appeals Panel of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld the verdict: the ten-year prison sentence with a fine of 340 million rubles was left in force; the question of recovering 17 million rubles — the amount of the bribe — was sent back for a new hearing to the Moskovsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod with a different panel of judges, and the appellate instance excluded from the case file the interrogation records of several key witnesses, which, according to the defense, the court of first instance had used against the defendant improperly; the term of the sentence was ordered to be counted from the moment Kondrashov is handed over to Russian law enforcement authorities in the event of extradition. The restriction on holding positions in state and municipal institutions was removed from the additional punishment; the appeals filed by Kondrashov's lawyers were denied.[11][10][9][8][6][7]
After his departure
Since 2018, Kondrashov has lived with his family in the United States, in the Miami area.[3][7] The sentence was handed down in absentia; his extradition to the Russian side did not take place.[6]
From an interview with Vedomosti, 2005
Oleg Kondrashov spoke about his first business ventures, his move to Moscow, and the restaurant business in an interview with the newspaper Vedomosti — Nizhny Novgorod in June 2005; the conversation was conducted by Pavel Milyaev. Excerpts from that publication are given below.[4]
— How did you earn your first money?
— After coming back from the army in 1988, I went into the second year at the Polytechnic Institute. I was ashamed to ask my parents for money, so I decided to earn it myself. And then a chance came along. We went on a trip to Brest and bought up lots of souvenirs and gifts, which we managed to sell in Nizhny and make our first money. The next time we took big bags. We mostly sold the goods in student dormitories.
Then we bought our first kiosk on Bolshaya Pokrovka — "Kristina," which grew into a chain of kiosks and then into the Kristina trading house.
"Kristina" was the first in the city to open a 24-hour kiosk, the first to bring in Polish lemonades and German canned beer, the first to set up branded Marlboro stalls, and it organized the first "supermarket" in the Detsky Mir store on Gorky Street.
In the early 1990s, the Kristina trading house had 56 retail outlets and the branded stores Solos, Biblos, and Arena.
Leaving for Moscow
— Why did you decide to move to Moscow?
— My friends, Muscovites who by then had already become established businessmen, told me: "If you're such a star and your business in Nizhny is so well set up, then come to the capital and put our assets in order."
At that time they were engaged in lines of business that were incomprehensible to me then — they imported computers into Russia in bulk, took out loans in rubles, converted them into foreign currency, and made a profit on inflation. By then they had already accumulated a large number of gas stations, stores, stalls, and transport companies. At 22 I moved to the capital. I started out as a hired manager, gradually becoming a co-owner in various business projects.
Working in Moscow
— How did the Cesar chain of fashion clothing stores in Moscow and Saint Petersburg come about?
— It all began with a passion for Italy and Italian fashion. At the very beginning of the 1990s, I brought back designer items from business trips, not only for myself but also for my friends and partners. And in 1993 we opened the first Cesar in the Radisson Slavyanskaya. There were times when a line formed outside our store before opening. By 2000, the Cesar corporation already had 24 boutiques in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod. It was a very successful and very beautiful business. We had big plans, but the Moscow market had already become saturated in those years, and expanding the chain required far more funds. We needed to move up to the level of multi-brand shopping centers. And since we were developing the sports and fashion lines at the same time, we simply didn't have enough time to attract additional financial resources and build a new structure. So in 2002 it was decided to downsize the chain. By 2005 only five stores remained (two in Moscow, one in Saint Petersburg, two in Nizhny Novgorod).
— Wasn't that painful?
— "Painful" is an understatement; for me it was stress. After such renown, I was forced to close the chain. At that time, my Nizhny Novgorod partners in the PIR group of companies helped keep me in good spirits. It was then that our restaurant projects began to develop, requiring time, energy, and new ideas from me.
— Do you have restaurants in Moscow?
— No. And frankly, I'm afraid to open them in the capital. We don't consider ourselves professionals in this field. In Moscow, you survive only if you're either very nimble and skilled, or very toothy and rich. There you have to build expensive, prestigious restaurants. Opening a restaurant there isn't easy, but it's interesting. So now, when I've gained some experience, two ideas are under discussion, one of which is an Italian restaurant with a gourmet food store and delicatessen.
What's good about Nizhny
— The Moscow market has an order of magnitude more money than Nizhny. Why do you nevertheless keep developing Nizhny Novgorod projects instead of concentrating on the capital?
— Now I'm grateful to fate that I didn't put all my eggs in one basket, as my Moscow partners advised me. "Why bother with pennies in Nizhny Novgorod when effort in Moscow brings in completely different money," they said. But I decided not to give up my Nizhny Novgorod projects. After all, it can't be that everything is good in Moscow and everything is bad in Nizhny. In the late 1990s, Moscow resembled an overfed pig lying on its side and grunting. Meanwhile, in Nizhny the restaurant market was only beginning to develop. We bet on Nizhny Novgorod and won.
— Your business is spread across different cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod), and you are also involved in several projects of different types at once (retail, catering, manufacturing). Do you hate to abandon them? Or is it deliberate diversification?
— I can't leave the business projects I started with. All entrepreneurs of the old school treat their businesses like children. You raised them, and it's hard to part with them. In my view, that's understandable, but wrong. An entrepreneur should strive to build a business that can later be sold at a profit; otherwise there will be no growth.
On the other hand, I intuitively strive for diversification of the business. Right now catering is on the rise, and we are already ready for it. In the coming years the health and entertainment industries will develop. And we are already preparing for that.
Development of the PIR Group of Companies
— "We opened the Sport Bar in 1997 for ourselves, for our friends, athletes, and fans. "Pirushka u Gansa" was conceived as an experiment. When we were in Munich, we saw the unique festive atmosphere of the beer festival and decided to share those impressions with Nizhny Novgorod residents. The financial results of this establishment exceeded all our expectations. After the Sport Bar and Pirushka, we began opening establishments not for the soul but for business, calculating and weighing everything carefully. The restaurant niche in Nizhny was unoccupied and competition was minimal. I think there is room left to develop this segment for about five more years. We need to hurry and take the best locations."
— Who are the main founders of PIR? What is the structure of the company?
— In effect, every restaurant is a separate company. The main shareholders of all the companies that make up PIR are me and my two partners, Yuri Tarastsov and Viktor Kosov, with whom I have worked since 1989. In all projects we hold controlling stakes, though we sometimes partner with other entrepreneurs. For example, we built the pub "English Embassy" together with Sergey Ivanushkin, head of the investment company AVK.
We consider 2002 the year the PIR group was formed — that was when the chain's third restaurant, "Papasha Billy," opened.
— Which establishments does PIR own? Do you plan to open new ones?
— The PIR group of companies in Nizhny Novgorod owns five restaurants (the Sport Bar, the beer hall "Pirushka u Gansa," the cafe "Papasha Billy," the chaikhana "Tyubeteyka," and the pub "English Embassy") and two establishments opened under franchise agreements with the company Rosinter (Rostic's and Moka-Loko). This year the restaurant "Plakuchaya Iva" (Weeping Willow), the "Casablanca" coffee shop chain, and an "Italian Restaurant" are being prepared to open. We do not write long-term budget plans, trying instead to develop flexibly, according to the situation.
— Since 2003, PIR has held the franchise for Rosinter's restaurants IL-Patio and Planet Sushi. They still have not opened. Why?
— Developing franchise projects turned out to be harder than we thought. The franchisor's main requirement is maintaining Moscow-level prices. In our own establishments we do the same thing — the same service, the same products, the same equipment, but at lower prices. For now, consumers do not always understand that they are also paying for the brand. And the franchisor demands strict compliance with the contract.
Another headache for us is the lack of premises in the city that meet the franchisor's requirements. Both IL-Patio and Planet Sushi must be located on the ground floor of buildings, in high-traffic spots, next to a properly equipped parking lot, and so on. The opening of IL-Patio and Planet Sushi is a matter of time, and it will be resolved this very year.
— You negotiated to buy the franchises for Sbarro and Stardog's. Why were you unable to reach an agreement?
— The terms of our contract with Rosinter for IL-Patio do not allow us to develop the Sbarro chain, since these brands are direct competitors.
The situation with the company Markon, which is developing the Stardog's chain, is entirely different. Negotiations continue, but so far we have not been able to agree on a fundamental issue — franchise exclusivity. We do not believe the Stardog's brand is well enough known for several entrepreneurs to successfully develop it in Nizhny Novgorod at the same time.
— But Markon has already stated that it found a partner in Nizhny, hasn't it?
— That is a question for Markon, not for us.
— Recently Grillmaster was closed in the city, and last year "Kroshka-Kartoshka" — both franchises. What is the reason?
— These brands ran into different problems. At Grillmaster, the problems were in managing the establishment. The franchisee should have understood that Nizhny Novgorod is not Moscow. Opening a Grillmaster in the center of Sormovo was, in my opinion, risky. And under strict franchise terms, without experience managing a restaurant business, without marketing and advertising investment, a risky project becomes unprofitable. As a result, Grillmaster closed, and most of its potential customers never even had the chance to visit it. Personally, for example, I never heard anything about this establishment's operation.
In the case of "Kroshka-Kartoshka," on the contrary, it was the franchisor who came out the loser. This is the simplest and cheapest fast food. We spent $300,000 opening Rostic's in the Shokolad shopping center, while the "Kroshka-Kartoshka" project cost an order of magnitude less. With simple technologies and cheap equipment, the entrepreneur decided it was more profitable to open his own chain, copying the brand's main features, freeing himself from having to buy a license and pay royalties on turnover. Unfortunately, this is a typical situation in the regions: given the imperfect legal system, it is more profitable for small entrepreneurs to copy brands and technologies than to fall into the bondage of franchise payments.
Links
According to the charges, the intermediaries in passing on the bribe were, besides Privalov, the entrepreneurs Yuri Grishin and Sergey Muravlev; all of them were subsequently convicted and sentenced to terms of seven to eight years' imprisonment.[10]
Sources
- Open Nizhny — The Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court, having considered the appeal, adjusted Kondrashov's sentence: the restriction on holding managerial positions was removed from the final ruling
- TASS — On October 13, 2026, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld the ten-year sentence in a strict-regime penal colony for Kondrashov, having considered the appeals of both sides. From the addi
- nn.dk.ru — On October 13, 2026, the Appellate Panel of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld the sentence against Kondrashov: ten years of imprisonment with a fine of 340 million rub
- Govorit Nizhny — The bribe, according to the investigation, was received for lobbying the construction of a crematorium at the Nizhegorodskoye cemetery. (archive)
- Otkryty Nizhny — After the sentence was handed down in April 2026, both sides appealed it: Kondrashov's defense is seeking to have the decision overturned, insisting that the case is built entirely on
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Oleg Kondrashov resigned early from his position as a deputy of the fifth-convocation City Duma of Nizhny Novgorod, December 3, 2010 (archive)
- global52.ru — Kondrashov Oleg Aleksandrovich: biographical note
- V gorode N — Masters of the City: where the former mayors of Nizhny Novgorod live and what they do, March 30, 2026 (archive)
- Vedomosti — Nizhny Novgorod, No. 105 (1386), June 10, 2005 — Pavel Milyayev. Interview with Oleg Kondrashov (given below in the article)
- Kommersant (Volga Region) — Former Nizhny Novgorod City Manager Oleg Kondrashov arrested in absentia, May 22, 2018 (archive)
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — Sentence handed down on former Nizhny Novgorod City Manager Oleg Kondrashov, April 23, 2026 (archive)
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — Nizhny Novgorod residents reminded of what ex-City Manager Oleg Kondrashov is accused of, April 28, 2026 (archive)