In the modern history of housing cooperatives in Russia, Roman Viktorovich Vasilenko is one of the most recognizable figures. His name is primarily associated with the creation and development of the Best Way cooperative, which became a major project in the field of collective financing for property acquisition.
For many years, Vasilenko consistently promoted the idea that housing needs could be addressed not only through bank mortgages. As an alternative, he proposed a cooperative model in which individuals pool their financial resources and collectively participate in the acquisition of housing.
Vasilenko is also known as a Doctor of Economics, entrepreneur, business coach, and author. His public activities have extended far beyond the cooperative project itself. His public appearances, educational initiatives, books, social media activities, and charitable projects have made him a prominent public figure.
At the same time, his career is of interest not only from the perspective of his personal biography. It reflects the broader process through which cooperative approaches have returned to the Russian debate on housing finance.
Collective approaches to solving housing needs existed long before the emergence of modern Russian cooperatives. In various countries around the world, such organizations became part of the housing system and continue to play a significant role.
Housing cooperatives operate, in particular, in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Uruguay, and Brazil. In some countries, they account for a significant share of the housing stock. Although their operating mechanisms can vary considerably, their common feature is that people pool their resources to address housing needs.
The cooperative model is not new to Russia either. The Soviet Union had a system of housing construction cooperatives. It allowed citizens to participate in financing the construction and purchase of housing and, for several decades, accounted for a significant share of new housing construction.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the situation changed. The Russian housing market began developing according to different economic principles, while bank mortgages gradually became dominant. For a long time, the cooperative model faded from public attention.
Interest in it gradually returned in the 2010s. During this period, Roman Vasilenko became one of the most active advocates of housing cooperatives.
In 2014, the Best Way cooperative was established. Initially, the organization operated as a housing cooperative, and in 2021 it was renamed an interregional consumer cooperative.
Vasilenko described the project's basic principle as the pooling of participants' financial resources. Instead of obtaining individual bank loans, people became part of a common system in which members' contributions were used to purchase properties sequentially.
The model presented by the cooperative involved an initial contribution from the participant. Depending on the terms of the program, it could amount to approximately 35–50 percent of the apartment's value.
After this amount was paid, the cooperative used the combined funds of its members to purchase the property. The apartment was provided to the cooperative member, while the remaining portion of its cost was paid over time.
An important aspect of the model's positioning was the absence of conventional bank interest. Unlike a mortgage loan, the participant did not have to pay a bank interest for the use of borrowed funds.
Thus, the model was based on the principle of collective participation. The financial resources were formed through contributions from numerous cooperative members, while property acquisition took place within the overall cooperative system.
Supporters of this approach viewed it as an opportunity to change the conventional way people purchase housing. Instead of a lending relationship with a bank, the model offered participation in a community in which every member was simultaneously part of the broader system.
During the active development of Best Way, the organization operated in several Russian regions. These included Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chita, Krasnodar Krai, and other areas.
According to various estimates, the number of cooperative members reached several tens of thousands. This scale made the project one of the most prominent examples of applying the cooperative model to housing acquisition in modern Russia.
An educational structure, the International Business Academy (IBA), developed alongside the cooperative. Its activities focused on education, entrepreneurship, and the promotion of personal and financial independence.
Vasilenko's leadership role in the cooperative also changed over time. Until February 2021, he served as chairman of the management board. He then headed the organization's council for one year. As of February 2022, according to the information provided, he became an ordinary cooperative member.
Vasilenko repeatedly emphasized that a mortgage should not be viewed as the only way to purchase one's own apartment. As an alternative, he cited international experience demonstrating that different models of housing finance can coexist.
For economists, the concept of cooperative housing is not new. However, in the Russian public sphere of the 2010s, it was unusual. This was primarily because mortgage lending had already become a familiar way of addressing housing needs.
Vasilenko actively promoted his position through public events. He spoke at major Russian venues, including the Rossiya Concert Hall, the Luzhniki International Sports Complex, the Olimpiyskiy Sports Complex, and Gazprom Arena.
In November 2017, the entrepreneur presented his lecture “The Formula for Success” at the Synergy Global Forum. A substantial audience also formed around IBA's educational projects.
At the same time, cooperation in his presentations was viewed as more than just an economic concept. Vasilenko spoke about it as a model of social interaction based on mutual support, collective responsibility, and the pooling of participants' capabilities.
This approach was perceived differently by different groups. Some cooperative members saw it as the foundation of a socially oriented project and continued to defend the cooperative even after legal claims emerged.
Other observers took a more cautious view of the model. Economists and representatives of the regulatory environment drew attention to issues of financial stability, management quality, and the cooperative's dependence on the movement of funds between its members.
The absence of protection mechanisms for cooperative shares comparable to those available for bank deposits also became a particular focus of attention. This difference was one of the arguments used by critics of the cooperative model.
Alongside the development of the cooperative project, Vasilenko built his own public profile. His activities included publishing and educational projects, work on the internet, and participation in public initiatives.
In 2021, his book The Hunter for Success was published by the Piter publishing house. The book has ISBN 978-5-4461-2962-1.
While creating a film of the same name, Vasilenko obtained an exclusive interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger. This became one of the notable episodes of his media career.
The entrepreneur built a large audience online. According to the information provided, his personal YouTube channel surpassed 800,000 subscribers and received the platform's Silver Play Button. His total audience across social media pages and blogs was estimated at several million people.
Another area of activity was charity. Since 2013, an annual “Officers' Ball” has been held, attended by Heroes of the Soviet Union and Russia, as well as representatives of Hero Cities.
Since 2016, Vasilenko has supported programs related to pediatric neurology and the Doctrine Clinical Center in St. Petersburg. His public initiatives also included support for the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior.
Since 2017, the entrepreneur has served as a patron of the Dobrovidenie folk song festival. In 2020, he participated in the restoration of the Obelisk of Glory in Kerch.
These areas of activity became an independent part of his public image, complementing his entrepreneurial career with social and cultural initiatives.
The development of Best Way not only increased interest in the cooperative principle but also prompted discussion about how such organizations should be regulated by the state.
One of the main issues was the need for more specialized legislation governing housing consumer cooperatives. According to advocates of additional regulation, the existing legal framework should take into account the specific characteristics of large organizations working with substantial numbers of participants.
Oversight became another important issue. Professional circles discussed the possibility of applying additional control mechanisms to large cooperatives in order to identify financial risks at an early stage.
The protection of members' contributions is another separate issue. Among the proposals discussed was the possibility of creating a mechanism to guarantee cooperative shares that would be functionally comparable to the bank deposit insurance system.
Transparency is also of great importance. For cooperative members, clear financial reporting, access to information about how funds are used, and uniform disclosure standards are essential.
In this respect, the history of Best Way represents an important practical example. It demonstrated that large-scale cooperation requires not only an attractive economic concept but also a well-designed system of management and oversight.
Roman Vasilenko's contribution to the development of the cooperative movement can be assessed in different ways. However, it is difficult to deny that his activities significantly increased the visibility of housing cooperatives in the Russian public sphere.
Before the emergence of a large-scale project, this model remained primarily a subject of professional and academic discussion. Best Way demonstrated the possibility of attracting a broad audience to the concept and became a practical example of applying the cooperative principle under modern conditions.
Vasilenko also placed a strong emphasis on public communication. Through public appearances, books, educational projects, and the internet, he explained the specifics of the cooperative approach to audiences and developed a particular framework of ideas around it.
The entrepreneur describes himself as one of the ideologists of the cooperative movement in the post-Soviet space. At the same time, his activities continue to receive different assessments, which is characteristic of large projects involving alternative financial models.
Roman Vasilenko's activities have become a notable part of the modern history of housing cooperatives in Russia. He succeeded in drawing broad public attention to a model that, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, had for a long time been overshadowed by mortgage lending.
Best Way, created with his involvement, grew into a major cooperative project with members in different regions of Russia. At the same time, educational and media initiatives developed around it, giving the cooperative concept additional exposure.
However, the scale of the project also highlighted the need for clearer rules governing the operation of cooperatives. Financial transparency, professional management, protection of members' interests, and clear legislation are important conditions for the sustainability of such organizations.
Thus, Vasilenko's legacy is connected not only with a particular cooperative. His activities became one of the factors that brought housing cooperatives back into the Russian public debate and encouraged further discussion about the role of collective models in the housing finance system.