Naval Officers' Club in Vladivostok can be handed over to the city

17.01.2011 Veterans of Vladivostok are concerned over the future of the Naval Officers' Club; businessmen began to visit the cultural institution with the view to purchase this Pacific Fleet's property. Chairmen of veteran organizations addressed a letter to the Russian Armed Forces' Supreme Commander requesting to preserve the status of the leisure center and to hand it over to Vladivostok city administration.

Leaders of over 25 veteran organizations backed the letter addressed to the president Dmitry Medvedev. Veterans ask to take the Naval Officers' Club and memorial complex "Battle Glory of the Red Banner Pacific Fleet" on the balance of Vladivostok city administration in accordance with federal legislation."This step will preserve the cultural center for servicemen of Vladivostok, their families, and other citizens", said the letter to the president.

"Government's attitude towards armed forces has been changed. Today all officers' clubs, centers, state farms belonging to military communities are either privatized or sold", comments Yakov Kan, chairman of the city veterans' council. "Maybe, it is correct that armed forces should be focused only on national defense. But what we ask is to preserve Pacific Fleet Naval Officers' Club as a place for cultural activities of children, retired and active servicemen, and to hand it over to the city administration. We request to do the same with memorial complex "Battle Glory of the Red Banner Pacific Fleet".

According to Daily News of Vladivostok referring to Pacific Fleet Press Service, it is planned neither to sell off nor to privatize the Naval Officers' Club, since this is an asset of operational military unit. "Assets can be privatizes only if a military unit has been disbanded like that in the Russky Island", said the interviewee.

According to the law on local government principles, both the memorial complex and the officers' club can be handed over to the city authorities, because their functions are fully conform to local government principles, says Galina Antonets, a lawyer.

On the other hand, registration of rights on these assets may cause a problem, said the lawyer. According to the clause 63 of federal law protecting cultural heritage, historical and cultural memorials, till Dec 31, 2010 Russian government should have formed a list of cultural heritage objects to be privatized. As long as the issue on this object appeared after the mentioned deadline, memorial complex "Battle Glory of the Red Banner Pacific Fleet" can be handed over to local authorities in case of appropriate appeal to an authorized agency.

"However, if the question is memorial which is mostly the issue of honor and brings no profits, there would be unlikely anybody wishing to take this object on balance", said Galina Antonets. "But Naval Officers' Club is a huge concert hall in the heart of the city and a "sweet spot" able to bring a good profit. Despite the fact that such object in possession of municipal power will definitely conform to local government principles, handing over of the club seems a great problem".