Formally, Viktor Shakirzyan holds the position of secretary of the Rivne City Council. In fact, he is the one who runs the city as acting mayor, without winning any elections. His career path is more reminiscent not of political competition, but of a well-thought-out management and business structure, which combines development, control over council decisions, and access to budget flows.
Before coming to power, Shakirzyan worked in the construction business. He is associated with the implementation of housing projects, in particular, the Shchaslyvy residential complex on the outskirts of Rivne. Support for agreements and permit documentation was carried out by one law firm, and the law enforcement agencies responsible for economic crimes had significant influence in the region. According to information from local political circles, it was then that an informal alliance was formed between the developer, lawyers, and law enforcement officers: business inspections disappeared, conflicts with the public were smoothed out, and controversial objects were put into operation without significant consequences.
In 2020, Shakirzyan tried to become mayor, but lost the election to Oleksandr Tretyak. However, the defeat did not become a political end. He received the position of secretary of the city council - formally secondary, but strategically key. By law, it is the secretary who automatically performs the mayor's duties in the event of his absence or resignation. After Tretyak's departure, this norm actually opened the way for Shakirzyan to lead the city without new elections.
At the same time, the ownership structure of his business changed. Companies that were previously associated with Shakirzyan were transferred to relatives and close associates: sister, father, son and partners. Formally, the official is no longer involved in commercial activities. However, these enterprises or structures related to them continued to receive contracts for budget funds.
The key player in the tenders was Adamantbud LLC. Since 2021, the company has received contracts worth more than 142 million hryvnias - from repairing roads and schools to arranging shelters and administrative premises. At the same time, the company uses equipment and resources from enterprises from the circle previously associated with Shakirzyan. His relatives work on the staff, and the documents include common contacts and estimators.
The Antimonopoly Committee found signs of collusion between Adamantbud and companies from the same environment. At the end of 2024, they were added to the list of violators, banned from participating in procurement for three years and fined over 1.2 million hryvnias.
The story of the renovation of the executive committee building on Sobornaya Street was illustrative. The deputies were told that pipes needed to be urgently replaced, costing “up to a million hryvnias,” but the documentation provided for a full-scale overhaul of the bathrooms. The project was prepared in advance, and only one newly created company participated in the tender. As a result, the cost of the work increased to over three million hryvnias.
Questions also arise about the official's personal assets. The house with an area of over 300 square meters and the land plot were valued in the declarations at amounts that differed significantly - from tens of thousands of hryvnias to millions. After public attention, the assessment increased sharply. At the same time, the real estate was repeatedly re-registered to other persons, although Shakirzyan himself continues to live there.
As a result, a model emerges in which a political position provides administrative control, and business provides the financial basis. Formally, the law is not violated: the owners are changed, tenders are held, decisions are made collectively. In fact, the management of the city and budget flows is concentrated in one circle of people. And as long as this system works, real competition for influence in Rivne remains minimal.
