Damir Fattakhov in AIR: "I am sure that the 'Bugulma 250' project is our Universiade."

      What will allow the Bugulminsky District to become Tatarstan’s investment pearl

      “I am married to Bugulma, and Taliya Ilgizovna married Tatarstan long ago”

      The speech by the head of the Bugulminsky District, Damir Fattakhov, at the “Municipal Hour” at the Agency of Investment Development was not just a talk about the territory. In essence, he presented a project to reboot Bugulma’s image — from “a small town with an oil past” to an investment center of southeast Tatarstan, a magnet for business, talent and tourists. “I address you as friends and partners, because everyone who is ready to study the investment potential of the Bugulminsky District and implement projects with us — are our friends,” noted Damir Fattakhov, who has headed the municipality for four months.

      He recalled his association with Taliya Minullina, head of AIR RT. “When I came to work in Bugulma, my wife said, ‘For a while you will be married to Bugulma.’ And Taliya Ilgizovna confessed that she had ‘long since married Tatarstan.’ We have a very similar value base,” he said with a smile.

      Bugulma — the cradle of Tatneft

      The Bugulminsky District is located at an equal distance from Leninogorsk and Almetyevsk, borders Bavly and Yutazy and adjoins the Samara and Orenburg regions. “It is no coincidence that 75 years ago the company ‘Tatneft’ was registered here, and Bugulma — and specifically Bugulma — rightfully is its cradle. Moreover, we are not isolated; we are part of a large agglomeration in southeast Tatarstan that counts nearly half a million residents. This is how we assess our potential for investors: we are an entry point into the agglomeration and tie our promising projects to that agglomeration,” Fattakhov noted.

      The city sits at the intersection of key transport flows: the federal M5 highway and the R-239 road pass through here, and there is a major railway junction. “Despite being on the periphery [of Tatarstan], this is also a competitive advantage, because proximity to other regions of Russia can help rather than hinder, if this situation is managed correctly,” Taliya Minullina observed.

      The railway junction linking Bugulma with Ulyanovsk, Ufa and other regions is only 60% loaded, which, according to Fattakhov, opens up large opportunities for logistics and industrial development in the district.

      “Make Bugulma a true investment pearl”

      Bugulma has its own airport. “But even among officials in the republic, many don’t know that we have our own airport and the airline ‘UVT Aero,’ which flies direct to Moscow and other cities,” Fattakhov complained. “This is a very serious growth area, because general aviation is developing worldwide, and most likely there will be more such points in Russia. If you take a regional airport as a growth point, you can develop very well,” Taliya Minullina said.

      The district’s economy today is largely tied to the oil industry, but other industrial sectors are also developing here. Foreign companies are investing as well. “There are companies, including Chinese ones, that operate in Bugulma. Despite the fact that the district doesn’t have a single federal site (with tax preferences, editor’s note), investments are still coming in,” emphasized the head of AIR.

      Over the past 3–4 years Bugulma has consistently ranked roughly 16th–19th in the republic by volume of off-budget investment. “Given these competitive advantages and the relatively low base effect in investment today, Damir Ildusovich has every chance to make Bugulma a true investment pearl. His experience working both in the district and at the federal level, considering his connections and professional approach, should inevitably lead to investment success in Bugulma,” Taliya Minullina is convinced.

      “We are implementing projects worth nearly 10 billion rubles”

      The expected gross regional product of the Bugulminsky District in 2025 is about 110 billion rubles, with growth of over 9% compared to last year. “We are implementing projects worth nearly 10 billion rubles, and the largest of them are related to agriculture,” Fattakhov said.

      They include: “Severnaya Niva Tatarstan” — the largest dairy production facility with 560 employees; “Avgust Agro” — an elevator complex worth 4 billion rubles; “Samarsky Broiler” — a poultry farm with a capacity of 2,000 tons of product per year.

      The Sovetsky industrial park, created in 2021, now unites seven residents, including the international company SANYU. One hundred jobs have been created, and the industrial park’s turnover is steadily growing, amounting to around 1.8 billion rubles. A new industrial park focusing on plastic processing is planned to be launched.

      “We are building a system so that young professionals stay to live and work in Bugulma”

      In 2025, the average salary in the Bugulminsky District reached 78,500 rubles. “This is the purchasing power of the population — this is very important for projects, for new facilities that will be located here,” Taliya Minullina noted.

      The district has nearly 100,000 residents, of whom more than 58,000 are economically active. Some 24,000 people work at enterprises. At the same time, Damir Fattakhov pointed out a paradox: official unemployment is only 0.09% (56 people), yet around 500 vacancies remain unfilled, creating a shortage of labor.

      “The reasons for this situation are generally clear: for many years people left Bugulma, on-site branches of universities closed, systematic work on the city’s image was not conducted, little housing was built, and the quality of the urban environment lagged behind neighbors,” he said.

      The solution to this problem is seen in several directions: developing an agglomeration labor market by attracting specialists from neighboring cities, restoring higher education (plans for a branch of KHTI and support from the federal Ministry of Education and Science in creating a student campus), as well as improving the quality of the urban environment and infrastructure.

      Two higher education institutions operate in Bugulma with 979 students who train specialists for the oil and chemical industries, as well as production automation. Around one thousand teenagers and students found jobs this year. “We are building a system so that young specialists stay to live and work in Bugulma,” Fattakhov emphasized.

      Bugulma will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2031

      A new strategic vector — tourism. By 2031, for the city’s 250th anniversary, the authorities want to create Bugulma’s own “Universiade” — a long-term project that will change the appearance of the territory.

      “Once Kazan set its sights on hosting the World Summer Universiade. But it was not the 12 days of the sporting festival that changed our capital, it was the years of preparation: large-scale construction, putting things in order, forming a team of professionals capable of implementing major international projects. I am sure that the ‘Bugulma 250’ project is our Universiade, a project that will change the city for the better and create a new quality of life for people,” said the head of the district.

      That is why in the coming years the focus will be on tourism and the hospitality industry. The potential tourist scenario in Bugulma, according to Fattakhov, looks like this: a family trip for 2–3 days with visits to the Karabash natural park, unique historical locations in small settlements, and participation in a major sports or cultural festival.

      “We already have beautiful nature and a rich history. All that’s left is to add simple and clear things: where to sleep comfortably, where to eat well, how to spend an evening with the family,” he stressed.

      At the same time, the city faces an acute shortage of hotels. And this is not only about large hotels: the center of Bugulma would be perfect for small atmospheric boutique hotels in historical buildings. Many of them, despite lack of ownership care, are well preserved.

      A redevelopment program for historic buildings is being launched, transferring them to investors for a symbolic price. “Whoever first opens a good hotel in Bugulma will surely hit the jackpot,” Fattakhov noted.

      “My recipe for happiness is to see Karabash and enjoy life!”

      Special attention is being paid to the development of the Karabash tourist zone and the Karabash Sea, which, in the head’s opinion, should become the key tourist pearl of southeast Tatarstan.

      “Most residents didn’t even know that there is such a large reservoir in Tatarstan — 8 km of water surface surrounded by the foothills of the Urals. They say, ‘See Paris and die.’ But I have a more interesting recipe for happiness: see Karabash and enjoy life!” Fattakhov said.

      A project to create a year-round resort complex in Karabash is being developed with the support of the president of the republic, Rustam Minnikhanov, together with the Institute of Spatial Planning and the Institute for Urban Development of Tatarstan.

      A year-round resort is planned: in summer — walks and water recreation, in winter — alpine skiing and banyas, and in the off-season — family and gastronomic events.

      The system will include cafes, restaurants, rental services, workshops, service facilities and small hotels with glamping sites.

      At the same time, a Bugulma brand is being developed that will attract tourists from across the country. The Karabash Sea, the “Treasure Map” project launched in 2022, urban navigation, a line of local products and merchandise are being united under a single umbrella brand. An event program is being formed with the brand to ensure a steady flow of guests and revenue for businesses.

      The nearest major event is New Year’s, which is planned to be made a family-friendly and cozy celebration attracting residents from the entire Southeast agglomeration. The head of the district noted successful cooperation with Kazan entrepreneurs during City Day, when participants received excellent revenue and expressed their willingness to continue working with Bugulma.

      “Karabash Sea is a very beautiful place, but…”

      AIR head Taliya Minullina noted that investment projects in Bugulma require careful planning and infrastructure support. “Karabash Sea is a very beautiful place, but, as life shows, you need many investment lots divided into specific projects. The task is to design these lots and bring engineering networks to them, where federal contacts can be very useful, because networks are very expensive. If we pass this on to investors, the projects simply won’t pay off,” she explained.

      According to Taliya Minullina, the experience Damir Fattakhov accumulated in large cities, primarily in Moscow (earlier he worked as deputy head of Rosmolodezh, editor’s note), should yield tangible financial results for Tatarstan. “Your life — from the contrasts of Moscow to Bugulma — should translate into concrete results for the republic,” she told Fattakhov.

      “It is very important to find our own niche”

      Commenting on tourism, Taliya Minullina drew attention to new directions for developing the territory.

      She said that today the country is experiencing a tourism boom: new sanatoriums are opening and domestic leisure destinations are actively developing. For Bugulma, however, it is important to find its own unique niche.

      “Large water is, without a doubt, an advantage. But water exists in many other municipalities and regions of Russia. It is very important to find your own niche that will set the district apart from other territories. There is a very good trend toward active longevity. People want to live longer and will live longer,” she said, congratulating all those involved on the International Day of Older Persons.

      She proposed considering the possibility of creating Russia’s first “Active Longevity” cluster in Bugulma. “A whole system is already forming in Bugulma — from leisure houses for the elderly to producers of dairy products, buckwheat, dietary supplements, and sportswear. All this can be combined into a single concept,” the head of AIR emphasized.

      Minullina also singled out the prospects for developing halal tourism. “When we talk with Arab partners, they ask where we have purely halal territories or resorts. There is nothing like that in Russia yet. Bugulma could occupy this niche and become a unique attraction,” she added.

      “It creates the impression that industry has been left aside”

      Speaking about Bugulma’s industrial potential, Taliya Minullina emphasized that in most discussions of the economy attention is drawn to the fact that more than half of the district’s gross product today comes from industry.

      “Historically there were vodka and distillery plants here, a leather cloth factory, and horse farms. Today the emphasis has shifted to agriculture and tourism, and sometimes it creates the impression that industry has been left aside,” she noted.

      She also pointed to a lack of information about free industrial sites for entrepreneurs. “Unfortunately, we still have not heard information about industrial sites and vacant premises that could be provided for medium and small businesses. After all, that is exactly where production could be started — at first with assembly, and then, gradually, with localization. Everyone is looking for premises because building new ones is expensive. Does Bugulma have such opportunities in terms of renting industrial premises?” she asked.

      Damir Fattakhov confirmed the existence of such opportunities. “Yes, 100%. Last week, at your initiative, we were looking with federal investors for land to lay the foundation for a plant. We examined existing enterprises, including the Bugulma Electromechanical Electric Pump Plant BENZ. It localized about 10% of its large territory, although utilities are available. Such conditions allow production to be rolled out. As a result, the investor rented a plot and will develop production gradually. Today, or rather tomorrow, we will sign an agreement with your support,” he said.

      Fattakhov stated that there are many such enterprises and almost all have a railway spur. In turn, Minullina instructed that all conditions for renting industrial premises be spelled out: prices, terms of rent or purchase, the duration of long-term leases.

      Related

      “Not a stranger to Bugulma”: former head of the Ministry of Youth of the Republic of Tatarstan Fattakhov became the head of the district

      Photo: press service of AIR RT