Rivne Oblast, Ukraine.
On the northwestern outskirts of Rivne city, near the Ustya River, a brand-new residential complex had sprung up in just over two months. It was November 1st, and the state government, in collaboration with Alderke Corporation, was hosting an inauguration ceremony for the first group of residents moving in.
At the entrance plaza of the community, a temporary stage had been set up. Rows of guests from various sectors filled the chairs below, while swarms of journalists hovered nearby, capturing every moment.
Klim Zherevyan, the CEO of UFMS (Ukrainian Federation of Manufacturing Systems), wasn't paying much attention to the state governor's speech on stage. Instead, his gaze lingered on the red-and-white, seven-story apartment buildings in the distance. Turning to Sergey Komorov, the visibly fatigued head of Alderke Corporation, who had clearly lost weight over the past few months, Klim remarked, "I've realized something. Our boss must be an idealist."
Sergey, who had barely rested in months, wasn't in the mood for conversation. But hearing Klim's words, he glanced at the rows of pristine new apartment blocks in the distance. Despite his exhaustion, a hint of satisfaction flickered across his face. He replied, "You really think so?"
"What else could it be?" Klim gestured toward the apartments. "Initially, weren't we supposed to build Khrushchyovka-style housing? And now look at this. These apartments are so nice, even I'd like to live here."
"Honestly, I feel the same way."
"So, tell me—how am I wrong? A true capitalist would never spend so much money to build something this extravagant."
Sergey shook his head slightly. "But Klim, have you thought about the fact that not just anyone can move into these apartments?"
"Of course not," Klim responded without surprise. "That's how it should be. If these kinds of apartments were open to just anyone, it wouldn't be fair."
Sergey hesitated, deciding against arguing further. After all, questioning the boss's decisions could easily be misconstrued as disloyalty.
Sergey, for his part, was deeply satisfied with the Ustya Residential Community's first 30 apartment buildings. Completing the project had been grueling—he had barely slept for the past two months and had personally overseen nearly every step of construction. The result, however, was undeniable. The apartments were, as Klim said, almost too luxurious for factory workers.
At the outset, Sergey's initial plan had indeed been to build Khrushchyovka-style housing—those long, narrow, utilitarian apartment blocks introduced during Nikita Khrushchev's era. Such buildings were ubiquitous across cities like Kyiv and Rivne and were synonymous with efficiency and low cost.
But their boss had adamantly rejected the idea.
"We're not building dormitories; we're building homes," he had said.
Sergey's first thought as a shrewd businessman was that this would cost a fortune. It seemed like a wasteful endeavor. But it wasn't his decision to make.
The boss himself finalized the blueprint: six-story apartment buildings, later revised to seven stories, each with one-bedroom units of 50 square meters and two-bedroom units of 70 square meters, all equipped with full kitchens and bathrooms.
When Sergey first saw the plans, he couldn't help but feel his heart ache. The cost would be astronomical. He had even pushed back, trying to convince his boss to reconsider.
The result? A slight compromise: increasing the buildings to seven stories instead of six. Sergey had even attempted to push for eight stories, going so far as to claim that "8" was considered a lucky number. But the boss had rejected it outright, stating that without elevators, eight stories would be impractical—seven was already the limit.
Fine.
The government expedited the project's permits and approvals, taking only two weeks. The only silver lining for Sergey was that the state government practically gave the land away for free. In fact, they had gone so far as to pass a temporary law: any developer willing to construct affordable housing for residents in Rivne Oblast would receive similar incentives.
However, Sergey was well aware that only their boss would be "foolish" enough to invest in this remote, northwest region of Ukraine.
The state had also made an unusual adjustment to the land allocation. Initially, they had provided 250 hectares for the project. But when the proposal reached the boss, his curt response of "You're all 250s!" (a colloquial Ukrainian phrase implying stupidity) had left everyone confused but alarmed. Clearly, he wasn't happy.
In response, the state government convened an emergency meeting overnight, expanding the allocated land to 370 hectares.
"Use what you need; the rest can be turned into parks," they decided.
For two straight months, Sergey had set aside nearly all other responsibilities at Alderke Corporation to focus entirely on the project. Construction began immediately, with over 3,000 workers deployed—some of them engineers and military construction teams discreetly provided by Vasily Borisov, now the commander of the Western Command.
The first 30 apartment buildings broke ground simultaneously.
Construction was relentless, continuing day and night. Sergey practically lived on-site.
From laying the foundations to finishing the buildings, the entire process took less than 20 days. Another two weeks were spent on installing utilities like water, electricity, and heating.
By October, temperatures in Ukraine had already plummeted. To ensure the new apartments were ready for occupancy, the heating systems in all 30 buildings were turned on for a full week to dry the interiors.
Finally, on November 1st, the complex was ready for its first tenants.
Looking back on the past two months, Sergey felt as though he had achieved a miracle.
Still, he couldn't help but feel the sting of the project's cost.
Although Ukraine had stabilized politically under Kuchma and introduced a new currency, the economy remained weak. Officially, the average monthly salary in Ukraine was around $30—a figure that was widely regarded as a joke, as many citizens struggled to make even $10 a month.
Housing costs in any region typically mirrored the average monthly income. By this measure, these apartments were absurdly expensive. The average construction cost per square meter was $45—more than double Sergey's original plan for Khrushchyovka-style housing, which would have cost less than $20 per square meter.
To put things into perspective, the total residential area planned for the Ustya Community was 3.5 million square meters. The $25-per-square-meter difference translated into nearly $90 million in additional costs—an astronomical sum for a country like Ukraine. And this didn't even account for the $43 million allocated for amenities like schools, hospitals, shopping centers, and parks.
If the community's amenities were included, the total investment would exceed $200 million.
On paper, this made their boss seem like a pure idealist.
But Sergey knew better.
The Ustya Community wasn't open to just anyone. Initially, only employees of businesses within the Westeros system in Rivne Oblast could apply. Even as the project expanded, residency would remain selective. This was a clear strategy to exert economic control over the region.
The logic was simple: without approval from the Westeros system, other businesses wouldn't even be able to attract employees, let alone thrive.
For residents, securing a job in the system seemed like the key. But once someone moved in, they would be bound to the system. If they quit or were fired, they would have to vacate their apartment within a month. Even their children would lose access to the community's schools and amenities.
This was a deep form of dependency.
The apartments themselves were luxurious by local standards, with excellent amenities. Once people moved in, they wouldn't want to leave. As the boss had intended, this place would feel more like a home than home itself.
But this comfort came at a cost.
Most workers in the Westeros system earned around $30 a month. Renting a 50-square-meter apartment in the community, even after subsidies, would cost $20—one-third of a couple's combined income. Utilities and other living expenses would consume another $10, leaving very little for savings.
Most of their remaining income would be spent on goods and services provided by businesses within the Westeros system, creating a cycle where wages flowed back to the system.
For families with children, the financial burden would be even heavier, leaving them with barely any disposable income.
In this setup, workers would labor tirelessly to maintain a comfortable but precarious lifestyle, while the Westeros system reaped the benefits of low-cost labor.
Sergey, having realized this, understood that his boss was far from naive.
But upon deeper reflection, Sergey had to admit: wasn't this the fate of most ordinary people? Only a privileged few could escape this cycle, and their escape was often built on the labor and stagnation of the majority.
It was a harsh, unyielding reality.
After the governor's speech, Sergey took his turn at the podium, setting aside his musings to deliver his prepared remarks with a smile.
No matter how he felt about the project's morality, Sergey knew he was no longer part of the system he had just described. As one of the "players," he had already escaped the cycle. Why burden himself with such thoughts?
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, journalists and officials toured the apartments, watching as families moved into their new homes.
Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Vladimir Korkoshko led a separate group on a walk along the newly built riverside promenade. This group consisted of representatives from Inditex, a Spanish multinational known for its Zara retail chain, which was considering opening factories in Rivne.
"Javier," Vladimir said to the balding,
middle-aged vice president leading the delegation, "as you can see, this community went from groundbreaking to occupancy in just two months. That's the kind of efficiency you can expect when you invest in Rivne Oblast. Factories here can be built and operational within three to six months, depending on their size. We'll even help recruit and train workers. You won't find advantages like this anywhere else in Eastern Europe."
Javier Cordero, listening to the translation, responded, "But Vladimir, we've noticed several issues here. For example, Ukraine's weak industrial base means many raw materials would need to be imported."
"We're actively addressing that," Vladimir replied. "Rivne already has several operational garment factories that manage just fine. And even if materials need to be imported, our costs remain highly competitive."
"Still," Javier pressed, "the tax incentives you're offering aren't exactly attractive. Frankly, other oblasts in Ukraine are offering much better deals."
Hearing this, Vladimir smiled. He knew Javier's statement was a bargaining tactic—proof that Inditex was genuinely interested. "Javier, we've already offered the highest tax breaks possible. And unlike other regions, our tax revenue is reinvested into infrastructure, as you've seen. Let me be blunt: whether it's Kyiv or other oblasts—or even Russia—if you take a closer look at their business environments, you might decide against investing at all."
Javier immediately understood the subtext. "Are you saying Rivne doesn't have these issues?"
"I guarantee it," Vladimir said confidently. "If Inditex sets up operations here, you'll be able to focus solely on production without worrying about gangs or bureaucratic interference. That's more than most regions can promise. If you don't believe me, ask yourself this: why else would Simon Westeros invest so heavily here?"
Javier chose not to respond directly but knew Vladimir was right.
By the end of the tour, Javier had already made up his mind. The question now was how many more concessions he could extract from Rivne's government. After all, the Westeros system had already transformed this corner of Ukraine into a rare haven of stability and prosperity—practically a private colony.
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