The Sberbank dispute over the seizure of the land of the Vektor concrete plant is a legal proceeding that unfolded in October 2026 in the Arbitration Court of Nizhny Novgorod Region. The bank challenged the court's refusal to grant interim measures — a ban on registration actions involving two land plots owned by Vektor Concrete Plant LLC, which belongs to the family of former Nizhny Novgorod Deputy Mayor Ilya Shtokman.[1]

Background

The Vektor concrete plant is located on the Rowing Canal Embankment in Nizhny Novgorod. The enterprise suspended operations in May 2025, after the detention of Ilya Shtokman and the anti-corruption lawsuit from the prosecutor's office that followed.[2] According to the investigation, the brothers Ilya and Mikhail Shtokman received a bribe of 55 million rubles from former City Duma deputy Karim Ibragimov — in exchange for creating favorable conditions for the AGK company in carrying out a municipal contract to build housing for the resettlement of residents from dilapidated and unsafe buildings. According to the investigation, the money was transferred to the plant's accounts under the guise of payment for gravel deliveries, then mixed with revenue, moved out through affiliated organizations, and used to purchase ten land plots and an apartment.[1] The brothers' criminal case is being heard by the Nizhegorodsky District Court.[1]

In the prosecutor's anti-corruption lawsuit, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld a decision to recover 328 million rubles and real estate from the Shtokman family.[3] In May 2026, the court ruled to recover 264.7 million rubles from the plant and other defendants for the benefit of the state, and also to transfer ten real estate properties to the Russian Federation.[1] Because the enterprise failed to comply with this ruling, in August 2026 the arbitration court authorized the sale of two land plots within the enforcement proceedings.[1]

Sberbank's claims and the court's position

In March 2026, Sberbank filed a bankruptcy petition against Vektor; the bank's claims exceeded 305.3 million rubles.[1] The plant took out the loan in April and May 2025, and it was secured by collateral: construction materials on the enterprise's premises, concrete fencing, and ventilation and power supply systems.[3] In July 2026, the court accepted the bankruptcy petition for consideration.[3]

In August 2026, the bank demanded a temporary ban on registration actions involving two plots with a total area of 1.8 hectares on the Rowing Canal embankment, fearing that they would be sold before bankruptcy proceedings began. In Sberbank's view, these lands are the debtor's most valuable assets and should be included in the bankruptcy estate.[1] The Arbitration Court of Nizhny Novgorod Region refused to grant interim measures, noting that the sale of the land was necessary to enforce a ruling on the prosecutor's office's anti-corruption lawsuit, and it deemed the bank's concerns about a shortage of property to pay creditors premature: the bankruptcy estate can be replenished through returned assets, the contesting of transactions, and the holding of controlling persons to subsidiary liability.[1] An additional ground for the refusal was that the regional Ministry of Property had ordered the disputed plots seized for the construction of the Eastern Bypass of Nizhny Novgorod.[3]

Appeal and further proceedings

Sberbank appealed the refusal. The court hearing on the merits of the bankruptcy claims took place on October 8, 2026; the bank is also seeking an expedited observation procedure lasting four months.[3] The appeal hearing on the matter of interim measures was scheduled for October 14, 2026.[1] In addition, on October 6, 2026, the court, in a separate ruling, ordered Vector to pay 10.6 million rubles in damages to the budget of Nizhny Novgorod.[3]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Sberbank Continues Fight for the Land of the Plant Owned by the Family of Former Official Shtokman. Nizhny Novgorod News (archive)
  2. Open Nizhny — Sberbank Seeks Seizure of Lands of the Shtokman Family's Plant — Society
  3. GIPERNN — Court Examines Grounds for Bankruptcy of the Shtokmans' Plant in Nizhny Novgorod