At first, at the behest of her parents, Zadorina prepared for a diplomatic career: in 2011, she graduated from MGIMO’s master’s program with a degree in “ foreign policy and diplomacy in Russia". But, having received her diploma, she immediately entered the “Moscow – Tel Aviv” clothing collection into the competition of the Russian Silhouette Foundation by Tatyana Mikhalkova. Since then, she has become a regular participant in fashion shows. Her Zadorina Group LLC sold evening dresses in the Crocus City Mall and the Vesna store on Arbat. The company's revenue in 2012 amounted to 7.8 million rubles. with a loss of 18,000 rubles, a year later – 12 million rubles. with a net profit of 687,000 rubles, but in 2014 the company was liquidated.
Zadorina began producing sportswear in 2012. Her Equipsport LLC received orders for sewing uniforms from SK Dynamo and one of the founders of the club, the FSB-controlled regional society Dynamo 24, as well as beach and regular volleyball teams. Uniforms and workwear were ordered from Equipsport by Transneft, Vnukovo Airport, Rus-Oil, etc. Many customers and sponsors of fashion companies were business partners of the Shekin family in larger-scale projects. Thus, Zadorina’s most famous designer action is the release of T-shirts with patriotic inscriptions like “Sanctions? Don’t tell my Iskanders” or “Topol is not afraid of sanctions”, among others, were sponsored by a certain PJSC “Concern “Baikal”. He had a chance to become the largest project of the Shekin family.
Chief Supply Officer
FSB Colonel General Mikhail Shekin was appointed head of the 7th FSB service (activity support service) in 2007. Three departments are subordinate to him - financial and economic, logistics support (UMTO) and capital construction. The Shekina Service purchases almost everything for the FSB - from apartments, cars and boats to clothing; it also owns the department’s medical institutions. The service even has its own customs temporary storage warehouses. It was because of the import of contraband into the customs warehouse of military unit 54729 that Shekin’s predecessor, FSB Colonel General Sergei Shishin, lost his position. In 2005, this warehouse received more than 100 wagons with Chinese consumer goods, paid for from the accounts of the FSB UMTO, Kommersant wrote. According to the publication, the final destination of the cargo was the Cherkizovsky market. The scandal led to the resignation of a dozen high-ranking security officials, and Shishin had to move to VTB as a senior vice president. A little later, Shekin became president of the Dynamo volleyball sports club. The founders of the club are the regional organization Dynamo-24 (FSB of Russia), the Moscow Dynamo society, the National Charitable Foundation, the Rosneft sports club and the Dynamo development fund. Since 2004, the president of the All-Russian Volleyball Federation (VFV) was Shekina’s immediate superior, the then director of the FSB, Army General Nikolai Patrushev.
« Gazprom"didn't live up to expectations
“I am not my own enemy, no comments. The project did not take place, we’ll end it here,” a person related to the creation of “Baikal”, which united the children of high-ranking security officials and businessmen who worked with Gazprom contracts, told Vedomosti.
The company was created in December 2014. Zadorina received 30% of it and headed the board of directors. Olga Zolotova had the same amount. Vedomosti was unable to find out who she is. But at the same time, the son of the former head of the Security Service of the President of Russia, and now the head of the Russian Guard, Viktor Zolotov, Roman, joined the board of directors of Baikal.
Another 10% of the company was received by the spouses Victoria and Dmitry Makarov. Makarova is Zadorina’s long-time partner; until February 2017, they owned on parity terms 90% of the Za Group company, which produced clothes designed by Zadorina.
The remaining 30% of Baikal shares belonged to Irkutsk businessmen Evgeny Evstigneev, Sergei Rassokhin and Yana Bogomolova.
Baikal’s only asset was a 90% stake in Stroygazservis (SGS), created in 2009 by Alexey Snegirev, former head of procurement and logistics of Stroygazmontazh (SGM) Arkady Rotenberg. The first company was a subcontractor of the second - one of the largest general contractors of Gazprom.
SGS supplied components to almost all major gas pipeline construction projects: the North European Gas Pipeline (Gryazovets - Vyborg section), Sakhalin - Khabarovsk - Vladivostok, South Stream, Bovanenkovo, etc. Until 2014, the company did not disclose its revenue, so it is difficult to assess how successful Snegirev’s business turned out to be.
Baikal got the GHS through Evstigneev, who bought it from the founder in 2014 and then transferred it to the new company.
In 2015, SGS decided to switch from subcontractors to Gazprom contractors. He submitted applications for three competitions of Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk LLC with a maximum price of 9.4 billion rubles. But it was not possible to obtain contracts. Two competitions for 4 billion rubles. Stroytransneftegaz of Gennady Timchenko won, and the contract was worth 4.9 billion rubles. went to the Sakhalin company Vostok Morneftegaz owned by Leonid Lee.
After this, SGS began to rapidly lose the market - in 2015, its revenue fell 40 times to 8 million rubles, and the loss grew to 25 million rubles. In the summer of 2015, Baikal sold 90% of its shares in SGS. A little later, Zolotova sold her stake in Baikal.
Volleyball development
In the second half of the 2010s, the rapid activity of Ivan Tikhomirov, the same age and namesake of Yulia Tikhomirova, began. At the age of 23, he became the co-founder and general director of a dozen companies involved in development projects for the volleyball Dynamo. Two acquaintances of the Shekin family say that at that time he was the husband of Tikhomirova, who was involved in development projects in the family. In 2007, she founded her own company, Msk Stroy, which was supposed to prepare construction sites.
Tikhomirov’s main partners were 47-year-old counterintelligence officer, FSB colonel and former general director of Dynamo Insurance Company Vyacheslav Rotavchikov and member of the board of directors of Transmashholding Evgeny Smirnov (for more details, see the inset).
Volleyball and locomotives
Little is known about one of the main business partners of Zadorina and Tikhomirova, 79-year-old Evgeniy Smirnov (pictured). The first time his name was mentioned was in 1997. Then Smirnov worked as the general director of the Transsnab company, established by Zheldorbank, Roszheldorsnab of the Ministry of Railways and Transrail Holding, close to the then head of the Ministry of Railways Nikolai Aksenenko. Transsnab mediated the supply of rails and other track superstructure equipment under Ministry of Railways contracts. In 2002, Smirnov became an adviser to the president of Evrazholding (now Evraz) Alexander Abramov. At that time he was the only manufacturer of rails in Russia. In 2005, Smirnov participated in a deal with shares of Transmashholding, the largest Russian manufacturer of locomotives and passenger cars. Judging by the company's reporting, in 2005, 10% of its shares went to Volley Sport-Service LLC. The company was founded by former SC Dynamo player Alexander Yaremenko and former players of the Luch club Stanislav Shevchenko and Andrey Sapega. Smirnov was the general director of Volei Sports Service and therefore joined the board of directors of the machine-building holding, where he remains to this day. Volley Sport Service itself became the property of Volley Sport JSC, created by Shevchenko and Lada Soshenkova, a minority shareholder of the Volleyball Yug company, controlled by Shekin’s daughter Yulia Tikhomirova. In 2007, the Dutch The Breakers Investments B.V. became the owner of 100% of Transmashholding. Its main owners were considered to be Iskandar Makhmudov, Andrei Bokarev, Maxim Liksutov (now deputy mayor of Moscow) and Sergei Glinka. In the same 2007, 25% of the holding’s shares for 9.2 billion rubles. acquired Russian Railways, and in 2010 another 25% plus 1 share was acquired by the French concern Alstom. In 2005, Smirnov also became a co-founder and chairman of the board of the Institute for Problems of Natural Monopolies (IPEM), whose telephone number coincided with the contacts of the TMH trading house (owned by Transmashholding). The main customers of IPEM were Russian Railways and its affiliated structures. Based on their government order, the institute assessed the risks and feasibility of increasing the number of freight carriers, predicted changes in passenger flows and helped with planning the Russian Railways investment program to update the rolling stock fleet. Most of these studies were in one way or another connected with the activities of Transmashholding. In 2016, IPEM’s government order portfolio amounted to 118.5 million rubles. IPEM is also associated with Zadorina. Since 2010, he has owned 18% of the CIS Institute for Security Problems (CIS IPS), the largest beneficiary of which is the general’s daughter. In the Ecoresurs company, which owns the remaining shares of the institute, 53% belongs to Zadorina, 18.5% to Smirnov. Vedomosti was unable to contact Smirnov.
True, Tikhomirov’s business activity died out as unexpectedly as it began. In 2012, he disappeared from all his companies, his shares went to Shekinah’s daughters and former partners. Perhaps this is due to the separation of the couple, two family friends suggest. Just last year, Tikhomirov registered as an individual entrepreneur and opened a car wash in Nekrasovka. Her employee told Vedomosti that Tikhomirov was abroad. The businessman did not answer Vedomosti’s questions sent to him. Yulia Tikhomirova also did not answer questions about Tikhomirov. What projects did the businessman manage to participate in?
VTB took over the arena
On the capital's Vasilisa Kozhina Street near Victory Park on December 23, 2015, there was no crowd. Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, VTB President Andrei Kostin and his first deputy Vasily Titov, Moscow Vice-Mayor Marat Khusnullin and President of Dynamo SC General Shekin came to lay the capsule with a message to descendants in the foundation of the future international volleyball arena with 3,500 seats. The arena, the construction of which was solemnly announced by officials, bankers and generals, was a small part of the Match Point mixed-use complex (MFC), which was to appear on this site. The planned development area is 202,945 sq. m. m, and the cost is almost 19 billion rubles. The 28-story buildings will house offices and apartments.
In fact, the complex on the street. Vasilisa Kozhina - unfinished construction. The project started in 2008. Then Moscow leased 2.5 hectares of land to the Dynamo Sports Complex for the construction of an office and sports complex. The customer and investor of the construction were Volley Grand LLC and the interregional sports public organization(MSOO) “Sports Initiatives”. The general director of the first of them was Tikhomirov, and the founders were Rotavchikov, Smirnov and the owner of the National Republican Bank Dzhulustan Borisov. The second company was founded by Tikhomirov, Smirnov, Borisov, the All-Russian Volleyball Federation (VFV) and several top managers of the Miel group.
The partners collectively invested about 300 million rubles in the project. and attracted a VTB loan for at least 7.6 billion rubles. And after the crisis and problems with financing, investors fell out. Smirnov’s structures began to sue the structures of Rotavchikov and Borisov over settlements with contractors and investments in construction. Tikhomirov chose to withdraw from the project in 2012, and a year later the construction was frozen.
In 2014, the project for the construction of the mixed-use complex was completely transferred to VTB. The bank representative did not talk about the project, and it was not possible to contact Borisov.
If the large-scale construction project in Moscow did not work out, the Tikhomirov structures managed to successfully complete the projects for the construction of hotels and sports complexes in Suzdal, Anapa and Adler. They were helped in this by the UMMC of Iskandar Makhmudov and his partners, the Siberian Business Union (SDS), Renova of Viktor Vekselberg and the Safmar charitable foundation of Mikhail Gutseriev - some of them free of charge.
Thus, in the resort village of Vityazevo near Anapa, since 2004, the Volley Grad sports and educational health center was built by the VFV. The federation itself built only two volleyball courts and a hotel with 64 rooms. In 2009, the federation ceded the lease of the site to Volei Grad, the co-owners of which were the structures of Yulia and Ivan Tikhomirov. They built an indoor training hall there, four cottages with an area of 342 square meters. m each and a presidential villa of 524 sq. m.
The third stage of the sports complex in 2015–2016. financed Gutseriev's Safmar. He transferred donations worth 100 million rubles to the VFW. These funds were used to build two new beach volleyball courts, stands with 1,500 seats and landscaping of the complex. The Safmar Foundation did not answer Vedomosti’s questions about Volya Grad.
Hotel for the FSB
In 2013, an Olympic facility of federal significance was built in Adler - a sports and recreation hotel Sport Inn with 50 rooms with beach volleyball courts. During the Sochi Olympics, the Sport Inn, like several other hotels in Adler, was taken over by the FSB for its needs.
At that time, 51% of the company that owned the hotel “Start” belonged to the MSOO “Sports Initiatives” of Tikhomirov. The SDS had the rest. But Renova donated money for the construction, and its structure, OSZ LLC, was the customer and developer of the hotel. This follows from the proceedings that accompanied the registration of a permit for the construction of the hotel - its “Sports Initiatives” was approved in the Central District Court of Sochi retroactively, in 2016. A representative of Renova did not comment on this project.
At the beginning of 2016, 51% of Start was bought from Sports Initiatives by Oksana Simonova, a former top manager of Miel and the general director of the Msk Stroy company, Yulia Tikhomirova. SDS sold 49% of Start LLC to its lawyer Andrey Zelenkov.
In 2016, UMMC opened a small hotel “Copper Dvor” on the banks of the Kamenka River in Suzdal. As Vedomosti found out, the Tikhomirovs also took part in this project. The hotel was built by the Ecoresurs-invest company, a subsidiary of the Ecoresurs company, founded by the ex-director of the National Charitable Fund (formerly the National Military Fund) Anatoly Zhuravlev. The fund was created in 1999 on the initiative of President Vladimir Putin to attract donations from the largest Russian companies, which were used to build housing for the military, she wrote “ New Newspaper" Tikhomirov in 2010 bought 43.5% of Ecoresurs and, together with Yulia Tikhomirova, received half of Ecoresurs-invest. The second 50% of Ecoresurs-invest went to UMMC. In 2015, UMMC bought out the Tikhomirovs’ share and remained the sole owner of the hotel.
Ecoresurs bought Zadorin from the Tikhomirovs by 2010. In the same year, this company acquired 82% in LLC Institute for Security Problems of the CIS (IPB CIS). Zadorina took the position of deputy director there.
Ex-banker with a hoarder
Businesses have to purchase new cash register equipment ten times more expensive than cost, RBC reported in early March with reference to State Duma deputy Andrei Lugovoy. This happens, according to Lugovoy, because the 8th FSB center has certified the only sample of a fiscal drive for new cash registers, which is produced only by affiliated companies CJSC Atlas-Kart, LLC Rik and CJSC Besant. Their beneficiary is Vladimir Shcherbakov, RBC quotes Lugovoy as saying. It's about about ex-banker Shcherbakov, whose company was, together with the Russian Club of Economists Felix Shamkhalov, a co-founder of the CIS Institute for Security Problems, which in 2010 became the property of the youngest daughter of FSB Colonel General Anastasia Zadorina. Shcherbakov was a co-owner of BVA Bank, which lost its license in 2014. The investigation accused Shcherbakov and the bank’s top managers of siphoning money abroad, believing that with their help, from 2011 to 2014, about 10 billion rubles were transferred abroad under dubious schemes. The schemes were as follows, Kommersant reported: companies close to Shcherbakov and his partners purchased nickel powder and acrylic resin for FSUE Goznak in Singapore, but first supplied them to the countries of the European Union, from where they imported them to Russia at many times inflated prices. Shcherbakov could not be detained.
Safe Mansion
At the beginning of December 2016, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Rashid Nurgaliev arrived at a small mansion on the capital’s Mira Avenue. The purpose of the visit is to participate in a scientific and practical meeting on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the creation of the CIS. IPB CIS was entrusted with hosting the event.
What is IPB CIS? The institute has three directors and four employees. They prepare scientific reports and consultations “on wide range problems of ensuring the security of the CIS,” says the institute’s website. Among customers scientific research Institute - Vnukovo Airport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Security Council. According to the Federal Antimonopoly Service, in 2013 the institute carried out research work worth 4.5 million rubles, in 2014 – 8.6 million rubles. In 2015, its revenue amounted to 9.5 million rubles, the loss was 252,000 rubles.
The main asset of the institute is its headquarters in a historic mansion built in 1901 on Mira Avenue. In 2006, the Institute received a mansion from the Moscow government on preferential rent until 2030. According to the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the rental rate is 1 ruble. for 1 sq. m per year, i.e. renting a mansion in Moscow with an area of 878.7 sq. m can cost 878.7 rubles. in year. True, the capital's benefits were issued under the previous owners of the CIS IPB. In 2006, the institute belonged to the Russian Club of Economists, controlled by the former chairman of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education, Felix Shamkhalov.
This was not Shamkhalov’s only deal with the Shekinah family. In 2007, Tikhomirov bought from the Russian Club of Economists 41% of Kosta LLC, which became part of the huge hunting estate of the Shekin family in the Yaroslavl region.
Hunting with state bankers
Kosta has a long-term lease of 8,400 hectares of hunting land, as indicated on the website of the administration of the Yaroslavl region.
After 2011, Tikhomirov’s share in Kosta passed to Zadorina. And 25% in the LLC was acquired by the Muflon company of VTB President Andrei Kostin and his deputy Vasily Titov. Another 16% went to Olga Zaostrovtseva, the daughter of former deputy director of the FSB Yuri Zaostrovtsev.
Next door to Kosta, in the village of Los on the street. Okhotnichya, 9, there is a huge Experimental forest hunting enterprise of the Federal Security Service of Russia (109,500 hectares leased until 2061). It went to the structures of Tikhomirova and her partners. The transfer of state property took place in several stages. After the corporatization of PJSC Los in 2010, it was auctioned for 40 million rubles. bought “Royal Hunt” of banker Pyotr Aven and owner of NLMK Vladimir Lisin. In 2014, businessmen sold the farm to Taels LLC, among the founders of which Aven had also once been, but by the time of the transaction he had sold the share to partners - Tikhomirova and VTB employee Sergei Erin, who consolidated 47% of the company's shares. Zaostrovtseva received another 6%.
From intelligence officers to hoteliers
Another business partner of Anastasia Zadorina, Maria Romanova, is the wife of a former intelligence officer, ex-adviser to the director of FSUE Rostek, Alexander Romanov. Together with Zadorina, in December 2015, she acquired control of the Luxus company, the Russian representative office of the famous Ecuadorian rose importer. In mid-December, Zadorina sold her stake in the company to her partners. The Romanov spouses in the register of companies of Montenegro are listed as equal owners of DOO Romanoff, which owns the Azimut and Romanov hotels on the Adriatic Sea. Previously, the co-owner of the company was Nadezhda Khoreva, whom Kommersant calls the wife of the former deputy head of the Department of Economic Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Andrei Khorev. Several years ago, both Romanov and Khorev became involved in criminal cases. Khorev was suspected of giving a bribe and trafficking in weapons, but all criminal cases fell apart. Romanov was accused of organizing commercial bribery. According to investigators, he and his accomplices collected additional payments from importers “for expedited processing.” The investigation also discovered that in 2009, the wives of Khorev and Romanov purchased the Azimut Hotel and four plots of land in Montenegro for 6.5 million euros, Kommersant wrote. In 2014, the Sevsky District Court of the Bryansk Region sentenced Romanov to five years in prison and a fine of 117 million rubles.
As a result, Zadorina and Tikhomirova’s structure turned out to be the main co-owners of two recreation centers with hunting grounds with an area of 117,900 hectares. And by the way, with its own Los heliport, owned by the FSB.
At the same time, Tikhomirova invested in pharmaceuticals. In 2010, together with Rotavchikov, they bought 20% of NPK Nanosystem LLC from the pharmaceutical holding Farmeko. Shortly before this, 24% in the latter was bought by the daughter of Transneft President, FSB Major General Nikolai Tokarev, Maya Bolotova. The Nanosystems presentation says that its main goal is the development and commercialization of highly effective drugs for the treatment of cancer, tuberculosis and other socially significant diseases.
In 2013, Nanosystem became one of a dozen companies with which the Ministry of Industry and Trade entered into a contract for preclinical studies of water-compatible nano-sized forms of rifabutin under the federal target program “Development of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Industry until 2020.” Nanosystem received 31 million rubles for research.
But over time, Nanosystem lost ground. The company's revenue decreased from a maximum of 677 million rubles. in 2012 to 164 million rubles. in 2014. There are no later reports in SPARK.
Sweet life
“Too cool for a city cafe,” TimeOut magazine wrote in 2006 about the two-story Lubyansky restaurant, which operated in the FSB residence on Malaya Lubyanka, 7. The establishment, decorated in black and ash tones, belonged to the Quorum-invest company. , close to the Zhuravlev National Military Foundation - the same one from whom Tikhomirov bought the Ecoresurs company. In 2007, Tikhomirov acquired 60% of Quorum-invest, another 10% went to Smirnov.
A year later, when the lease agreement for the building expired, Tikhomirov and his partners sold Quorum-invest. In 2012, the company went bankrupt and was liquidated.
But Shekinah was not left without restaurants.
In 2013, Dynamo Service by Yulia Tikhomirova for 12 million rubles. purchased the Royal Bar restaurant on Leningradskoye Shosse, next to the Dynamo Sports Palace, which opened in 2013. Tikhomirova received a complex with an area of 8,000 square meters. m, which includes a restaurant, a summer terrace, private beach with a swimming pool, volleyball and children's playgrounds, a marina and tents, she told Vodabereg.ru.
Zadorina also got her own restaurant. In 2015, she, together with the famous lawyer and restaurateur Alexander Rappoport, opened “Russia’s first restaurant of Pan-American cuisine,” Latin Quarter. A year later, the partners adjusted the concept of the establishment, turning the restaurant into a Latinos cevicheria. Rappoport declined to comment, referring all questions to Zadorina.
What kind of business do the daughters of the FSB “supply manager” Mikhail Shekin do, and who helps them?
Ekaterina Chesnokova / RIA Novosti
One of the key structures
The service includes seven departments: for counterintelligence support for industrial enterprises (directorate “P”), for counterintelligence support for transport (directorate “T”), for counterintelligence support for the credit and financial system (directorate “K”), for counterintelligence support for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Justice (directorate “M”), organizational and analytical, combating smuggling and drug trafficking (directorate “N”) and administrative service.
Let us dwell on the “M” department, which “grasses” the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Justice. The guys are so secretive that even the address of their office in the center of Moscow is a state secret. Although ordinary sergeants from the Central Administrative District Internal Affairs Directorate showed it to me.
After the execution of innocent people by the head of the Tsaritsyno police department, Evsyukov, almost two dozen generals of the Ministry of Internal Affairs lost their posts. There was also a personnel purge in the “M” department: the immediate police supervisor, the head of the Nikolaev department, lost his post.
But the head of the “M” department, Vladimir Kryuchkov, on the contrary, went for a promotion and became deputy head of the organizational and inspection department. Patrushev’s protégé, Alexey Dorofeev, who previously held the position of head of the FSB Directorate in Karelia, was appointed in his place. The structure has also been changed. Previously, the “M” department was subordinate to Smirnov, now it is directly to the director of the FSB, Bortnikov.
Fortified
At the beginning of the 2000s, under the slogan of fighting crime, corruption and chaos, the FSB sent its career officers to various ministries, departments and even commercial structures to strengthen personnel. What came of this is well known: drug addiction has become a national disaster, it is better not to mention the increase in crime, and in terms of corruption, Russia has dropped to 147th place and ranks on the same line with Kenya, Syria and Bangladesh.
Of course, you can’t list all the “fortified people,” but you can list the most noticeable ones.
Presidential plenipotentiary representative in the Central Federal District Georgy Poltavchenko (served in the KGB of Leningrad), plenipotentiary representative in the Volga region Grigory Rapota (since 1966 in the ranks of the KGB).
The former head of the FSB inspectorate department is now the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Nurgaliev, the head of the internal security department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a native of the KGB Draguntsov, the head of the administrative department is a security officer Maidanov.
The head of the State Drug Control Service is the former head of the FSB Internal Security Service - Ivanov, the head of the Moscow department of this department is the security officer Davydov, the head of the St. Petersburg department is the security officer Shesterikov, the head of the Orenburg department is the security officer Ivanov. And this list goes on and on.
Well, everyone already knows the head of customs - a former KGB officer and Putin’s friend Belyaninov.
In addition, a whole army of comrades working under the guise has settled in local authorities, large enterprises, state corporations, the oil and gas complex (for example, another friend of the prime minister, Mr. Tokarev), the management of state television channels, newspapers, universities and even theaters. And all this, not counting the numerous agents and anonymous people.
The President appointed a new head of this division. He became Sergei Korolev, who headed the Counterintelligence Department of Internal Security. Fontanka.Ru writes about this and is confirmed by two RBC sources in the FSB. Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that he had not seen such a decree
View of the building of the FSB of the Russian Federation on Lubyanka Square. Photo: Nikolay Galkin/TASS
Former leader SEB Yuri Yakovlev retired. Who is the newly appointed Sergei Korolev, and what to expect from the new head of the economic security service? Dmitry Abzalov, President of the Center for Strategic Communications, comments.
President of the Center for Strategic Communications“Korolev is quite a legendary person. He headed the direction related to his own security, and, in fact, oversaw the investigation of basic corruption cases. He specialized in economics for the most part. And, in fact, he accompanied and was the main curator from the FSB in all major areas. Therefore, in principle, it was believed that he would be promoted fairly soon. But previously it was planned that he would go to the “K” department. Under him, firstly, there will be rotation in regional bodies. And secondly, the anti-corruption campaign will be intensified. Now this is especially relevant against the backdrop of two things. The first is the 2016 elections. And here, in order to remove anti-corruption issues from the agenda, quite serious cases are needed. As a matter of fact, this is what the FSB does. The second is 2018. Anti-corruption issues are also extremely important. And accordingly, as I understand it, the process will continue. Moreover, it is quite actively supported by the ONF through government procurement. Therefore, I think it will be activated. And finally, the third point is that, given the difficult economic situation, the anti-corruption investigation will also be quite good. I think that against the backdrop of a difficult socio-economic situation, when requesting an active return Money and against the background, accordingly, of the anti-corruption campaign, which is promising precisely during electoral periods, I think Korolev will strengthen this direction.”
The reshuffle in the FSB took place after two inspections by the department’s Economic Security Service. After the first, in May, the head of the “K” department, Viktor Voronin, who was involved in the banking sector, resigned. One of the reasons was the smuggling case, in which Voronin’s subordinates were involved.
Then the head of the SEB, Yuri Yakovlev, was offered to resign, RBC wrote, citing a source. But Yakovlev refused to retire. Soon after this, employees of the Own Security Directorate again came to check on his subordinates. What to expect from the new head of one of the key areas of the FSB? Opinion of the director of the Center for Political Science Research of the Financial University Pavel Salin.
Director of the Center for Political Science Research, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation“We can simply say that the contents of the folders that are placed on the desks of the top officials of the state by person will change somewhat. But by and large, the situation with corruption will not change. As for the situation within the FSB itself, there may be some redistribution of spheres of influence. Because Mr. Yakovlev, as I understand it, was Mr. Bortnikov’s protégé. Because Mr. Bortnikov came to the post of director of the FSB precisely from the post of head of the Economic Security Service. And he lobbied his protégé Yakovlev for his place. Mr. Korolev, if I understand correctly, is not one hundred percent protégé of Mr. Bortnikov. There is a very complex interweaving of interests here. I think there are two factors that played a significant role. The first is the creation of the National Guard. Because there were different options. That is, in addition to the creation of the National Guard, the merger of the FSB, FSO and the Service was considered foreign intelligence. This option did not work. The second factor is the resignation of the head of the FSO, Mr. Murov. And the third possible factor is that these changes have not yet been observed, but there have been rumors that a serious strengthening of the presidential administration by people from the special services is possible. This hasn’t happened now, maybe it will happen after the Duma elections.”
The structure of the FSB Economic Security Service is not disclosed. According to Kommersant, after the reorganization of the department in 2004, the SEB included six departments. Directorate “P” deals with the industrial sector, Directorate “K” deals with banking, Directorate “T” is responsible for transport, “M” is responsible for the cleanliness of the ranks in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and Directorate “N” is responsible for the fight against drugs. The last section does not have a letter designation and is analytical.
Different testimony in a criminal case and in arbitration does not bother anyone yet, only because law enforcement officers do not combine all processes and decisions on them into one scheme. But lawlessness cannot last indefinitely, and in the event of a fair trial, the documents indicated on the paper with Ushakov’s name will greatly hinder the raiders.
General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation
The criminal case initiated against Ekimov was investigated for six years. Investigator of the Investigative Department of the Department of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Istra District, Petr Zvonkov, closes the case at the stage of signing the indictment. The position of the investigation is that Ekimov’s guilt has been fully proven.
It is impossible to find this criminal case now. All requests for information about where the materials are located are answered by PASMI journalists with a refusal to provide data.
Obviously, the Prosecutor General's Office knows where the case is. An inspection carried out there showed that it was illegally closed. The prosecutor's office insists on resuming the investigation, which is reported to Deputy Prosecutor General Viktor Grin.
“Studying the case in the Prosecutor General’s Office Russian Federation showed that the preliminary investigation into the second episode of Ekimov V.S. the act was terminated by the investigator unreasonably, the resolution in this part, in violation of part 4 of article 7 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, is not motivated and not substantiated on the collected materials of the criminal case,” the document says. – “Taking into account the above, as well as the fact that the investigation of the criminal case based on the appeals of Churin V.V. has taken on a protracted nature, the investigative body has repeatedly made illegal procedural decisions, which were canceled in the order of supervision and departmental control, in order to intensify the investigation, I propose to instruct the prosecutor of the Moscow region to cancel the illegal decision to terminate the investigation dated 04/02/2015, to take measures aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the crime crimes, making a lawful decision.”
The actions specified in the letter have not yet been completed. I would like to print the name of that employee of the prosecutor’s office who, after thousands of appeals from social activists, journalists and deputies, nevertheless saw signs of a violation of the law and reported this to higher management. But the source's name is hidden for his safety. Such a paradox.
PASMI sends a request to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yuri Chaika and the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Viktor Grin with a request to provide data on the deadlines for completing the actions specified in this document.
Biography of the FSB director
Alexander Bortnikov was born in the Urals in 1951. At the age of 15, while still in school, he became a Komsomol member. After receiving secondary education, he entered the Institute of Engineers railway transport in Leningrad. In Gatchina he worked in his specialty.
Then he moved to Moscow, where he began studying at High school KGB named after Dzerzhinsky. Already at this time he chose a career as a security officer. At the same time, he became a member of the CPSU, to which he remained faithful until its dissolution in the early 90s.
In state security agencies
Bortnikov Alexander Vasilyevich in 1975 entered the service of the state security agencies. He started as an operational officer, then got into the leadership structures of the KGB department in the Leningrad region.
Remained working in the same system after the collapse Soviet Union- in the management of the FSB of Russia. By 2003, he took the position of deputy head of the department for the city of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. Still in charge of counterintelligence operations.
In 2003, Alexander Vasilievich Bortnikov was appointed to the post of head of the regional department of the FSB. He worked in this position for only six months. After this, by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he was transferred to the central office.
The following year, Bortnikov became deputy director of the Russian FSB. The Department of Economic Security was directly subordinate to him. He officially headed this structure a few months later. The state apparatus at that time was waging a consistent fight against oligarchs and big businessmen who were beyond the control of the tax authorities, so perhaps the most responsible function fell on Bortnikov’s shoulders.
To combat economic criminals and identify persistent tax evaders to the state treasury, an interdepartmental working group to combat money laundering. Alexander Bortnikov becomes the head of this group.
In the management of a shipping company
In 2008, Bortnikov joined the board of directors of the open joint stock company Sovcomflot. This is a Russian shipping company that is engaged in sea transportation. The annual turnover is about one and a half billion rubles per year. The company employs about 8 thousand people.
The company began its history back in the USSR. IN modern Russia was equipped with new ships. The stake in Sovcomflot is fully owned by the state.
Despite the unstable position in the shipping market, Sovcomflot is included in the list of the largest tanker companies in the world. For example, it ranks first in transportation in northern latitudes.
Alexander Bortnikov makes management decisions on the company’s board of directors. Today it is one of the ten largest in the world in organizing tanker transportation.
Head of the FSB of Russia
May 12, 2008 appointed new director FSB of Russia. Alexander Bortnikov holds this position. In his post, he replaced Nikolai Patrushev, who headed the federal state security agencies for 9 years. The period of his work included the second Chechen campaign, countering terrorist organizations that had become active in Russia.
For Patrushev, resignation from the post of leader Federal service security was not a significant demotion. He headed the Security Council. He still holds this post today.
The biography of Alexander Bortnikov since 2008 is entirely related to his work in the leadership of the FSB. He also headed the National Anti-Terrorism Committee and became a permanent member of the Federal Security Council.
Anti-Terrorism Committee
The need for an anti-terrorist committee, headed by Bortnikov, arose in 2006. Its first leader was Nikolai Patrushev.
The committee’s tasks include preparing specific proposals to counter terrorism, which are approved by the head of state. Development of methods to combat terrorist organizations, coordination of the activities of all government agencies in this direction.
At the same time, the leadership of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee is directly involved in international cooperation.
The chairman of the committee is the current head of the FSB. His deputy is the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Among the main tasks of the committee today is the fight against terrorism in the North Caucasus, as well as the development of a law “On countering terrorism.”
Bortnikov's deputies
Army General Alexander Bortnikov, a title he received in 2006, relies on his deputies in his work as head of the FSB. The head of the federal state security agencies has six of them.
Army General Vladimir Grigorievich Kuleshov holds the post of first deputy. His area of responsibility includes the management of the border service, which is part of the FSB structure.
Army General Sergei Mikhailovich Smirnov is the most experienced among Bortnikov’s deputies. He has been working in the state security system since 1974.
Lieutenant General Evgeny Nikolaevich Zinichev was appointed to this post quite recently - in October 2016. Before that, for a year he headed the regional department of the FSB of Russia in the Kaliningrad region, for several months he served as acting governor of the Yantarny Territory after the transfer of the previous head of the region to the post of plenipotentiary representative of the President of Russia in the Northwestern Federal District.
Colonel General Alexander Nikolaevich Kupryazhkin worked as deputy director of the FSB under Nikolai Patrushev.
Colonel General Igor Gennadyevich Sirotkin heads the apparatus of the National Terrorist Committee.
All of Alexander Bortnikov’s deputies began working in state security agencies back in Soviet time. An exception to the rule is Colonel General of Justice Dmitry Vladimirovich Shalkov. He did not serve in the USSR State Security Committee. He has been working in the FSB system since 1993. He holds the position of Secretary of State.
International sanctions
In 2014, in connection with the annexation of Crimea to Russia and the events in the south-east of Ukraine, sanctions were imposed against Russia by the international community. They concerned both large companies and specific managers.
In July and August, the European Union and the Canadian government imposed sanctions against FSB director Alexander Bortnikov. At the same time, the United States did not include the head of state security agencies among the 35 officials and deputies closest to Vladimir Putin. Therefore, American sanctions did not apply to him.
Thanks to this, Bortnikov was able to take part in the summit on countering extremism, which took place in the United States at the beginning of 2015. The FSB director led the Russian interdepartmental delegation.
Criticism in the media
Bortnikov’s work has been criticized more than once in the opposition and liberal media. In particular, in 2015, Novaya Gazeta published a number of publications alleging that Bortnikov and his associates in the FSB were involved in illegal transactions with land plots in the Moscow region. Specifically in the Odintsovo district.
If you believe the sources that were at the disposal of the editorial office, the Bortnikovs and their associates sold land plots of almost five hectares. They were located under the building that once housed the departmental kindergarten. The plots were located in a prestigious area - on Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway. As a result, each of the participants in the deal, as reporters claimed, received a profit of two and a half million dollars.
According to the publication, it was this deal that was largely the reason why the Russian FSB insisted on closing public access to information contained in Rosreestr. In particular, to data about property owners.
Family of the FSB director
The family of Alexander Vasilyevich Bortnikov consists of a wife and son. Denis was born in 1974, now he is 32 years old. He received higher education in the city on the Neva in the field of economics and finance.
He worked in banking structures, since 2011 he has headed the North-West regional center of VTB.
