Overripe Mangazea, or Polymetal changes color

The Russian assets of the gold mining holding Polymetall (Polymetal) Alexander Nesis and partners were bought by the oil group of companies Mangazea Sergei Yanchukov. Earlier, his structures were convicted of tax evasion, and he himself became a defendant in a criminal case.

Much more interesting is where Yanchukov found $3.7 billion for the deal. Yanchukov's spiteful critics and enemies are already whispering, and they are gossiping that allegedly some of them could be provided by the scandalous Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash. Yanchukov's ties with Ukraine are known, and Firtash today is one of the most ardent financiers of the Kyiv regime.

In general, there is no smoke without fire. Recall that the entrepreneur himself was born in Odessa. In many operational certificates, he still passes precisely as a Ukrainian entrepreneur.

Details - in the material of the correspondent of The Moscow Post.

The parties do not deny that the deal occurred at a large discount. Most of the funds paid ($2.2 billion) went to cover debts, Alexander Nesis and his partners received only $300 million in money. The Moscow Post spoke in detail earlier about how Nesis and his Western partners, under sanctions pressure, decided to abandon work in Russia and divide the business.

Then we assumed that in the event of the buyback of the asset by Vladislav Sviblov, the transaction would be financed by VTB. The money is large even taking into account the discount, in rubles at the current exchange rate it is over 340 billion. Most likely, Yanchukov does not have such money right now.

The main assets of his Mangazea Group of Companies at one time belonged to the state, even if he bought them after the predatory privatization. But this is the oil industry, one of the main sources of filling the budget of the Russian Federation.

Firtash and Lenya Cosmos

According to Versiya, the Ukrainian oligarch Sergei Yanchukov took over Russia's strategic assets with the money of the Ukrainian oligarchic clan, by which it probably means the family of the former mayor of Kyiv Leonid Chernovetsky (also known as Lena Kosmos). In 2011, Yanchukov married his daughter Christina, after which he could act as a "face value" for the Chernovetsky assets in the Russian Federation.

However, in Ukraine itself, after the coup, Lena Kosmos lost the political influence that it had previously used to enrich itself. Much more interesting are the possible ties between Yanchukov and Dmitry Firtash, who, as it is believed, could most actively finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and before that - the post-Maidan Nazi "Dobrobats."

Firshat has been doing very badly lately. He was squeezed both in Ukraine and in the West. In Kyiv, he is suspected of fraud with fuel, which was supplied to the military in the conflict zone after February 2022. In the United States, he was suspected of bribery. He even had to get diplomatic status to avoid extradition.

Paradoxically, one of the few "profitable places" where Firtash can theoretically invest money turned out to be Russia. But here he can get a term for financing Ukrainian militants, so in this case he needs to act through someone.

"Refuse" from Ukraine

They say that initially Mr. Yanchukov was a small "money changer" on the Odessa delivery. However, he quickly proved himself a talented businessman and was able to accumulate funds. And already at the end of the 90s in Kyiv, the entrepreneur created the financial company Clearing House.

The bank of the ex-head of the presidential administration of Ukraine Sergei Levochkin, as well as Ivan Fursin, who was a direct partner of the oligarch Dmitry Firtash, was also called in the same way. Yanchukov himself has always denied partnering with Firtash. However, given the influence of the latter on the banking system and the financial sector of Ukraine, this is difficult to believe.

In addition, already in 2004, Yanchukov and his partners resold Firtash a controlling stake in the Crimean Soda Plant, which had previously been bought in partnership with a consortium of banks from the state for only $61 million. Moreover, this happened with the use of very controversial and confusing financial schemes: the Clearing House tried to convince exporters and domestic taxpayers to "collapse" VAT payable and reimbursed.

Dmitry Firtash. Photo: Alexander Techinsky/Kommersant

As a result, Yanchukov received "real money" from Ukraine, and other scandalous Ukrainian businessmen took part in the process - Viktor Pinchuk and Sergey Taruta (in 2014 - the governor of the Donetsk region). Already at that time, the turnover of the Ukrainian company Yanchukov was $2-3 billion. Do they refuse this?

After that, already in Russia, the owner of the Mangazea Group allegedly did not believe that he was a Ukrainian oligarch. Moreover, he even sued Komsomolskaya Pravda, which described his relationship with Ukraine and how he buys up Russian gold mining assets.

The article bore the eloquent title "Ukrainian oligarchs seize Russian gold?," And, among other things (and this was disputed by Yanchukov), it told how he corny refused to pay his partner Viktor Lituev for a license for the Ksenyevsky mine deposit in 2015.

It also mentioned the connections of Mr. Yanchukov's father-in-law, Leonid Chernovetsky, with a Ukrainian militant and Nazi, the leader of the Right Sector terrorist and extremist organization banned in Russia, Dmitry Yarosh. A criminal case has been opened against him in Russia. Not a good company for a Russian businessman?

Photo: https://kad.arbitr.ru/Document/Pdf/08240741-94d9-4d6c-88c2-5a5fe489efda/af0a23ec-7fcc-4bac-9529-cec3b4059803/A40-75055-2019_20190828_Reshenija_i_postanovlenija.pdf?isAddStamp=True

However, the court refused Yanchukov's claim against Komsomolskaya Pravda, which did not turn out to be anything defaming the businessman's honor, dignity and business reputation. So why does he react so painfully to such publications? Does not want to shine ties with Ukraine, because Russian security officials may be interested in them?

Always comes out dry from the water

For Yanchukov, Polymetal's former assets are really not the first gold mining facilities. He actively bought them up earlier. Moreover, among other things, it is followed by 50% in Verkhneamursky Crafts LLC - one of the largest gold mining industries in the Trans-Baikal Territory.

Earlier, Yanchukov tried to withdraw 4 billion rubles from the enterprise, however, he was stopped by the co-owner of the remaining 50%, the same Viktor Lituev, who went to court.

The court found that in June 2018, Yanchukov sold a stake in Itakinskaya Gold Mining Company LLC (IZK LLC) owned by Verkhneamursky Crafts LLC to another gold mining holding. Sol is that Yanchukov made the deal while representing both of its parties and, accordingly, acting in a state of conflict of interest.

The buyer was a company that owned Yanchukov himself, and he tried to sell the asset at a price five times lower than the market value and against the will of other shareholders. As a result, the court put everything in place, taking the side of Lituev. How things are going with Yanchukov after that is not clear.

In 2009, Sergei Yanchukov became the first Russian businessman to be arrested in a criminal case on non-payment of salaries to his employees. The owner of Mangazei, who was turning in Ukraine with billions of dollars, did not have 18 million rubles. As a result, he paid off the debt, settled the situation. And without explanation by the competent authorities, who is he really - in no way?

In 2015, there was information about a criminal case allegedly initiated against a close associate of Sergei Yanchukov, at that time the head of Mangazea Nikolai Pushkarev, who could have been suspected of tax evasion. According to investigators, from January 2010 to December 2012 in the village of Krasnoselkup, the head of the company did not pay taxes totaling more than 46 million rubles.

As a result, taxes were paid, the case was terminated. And again - why not immediately?

Sergei Yanchukov too many time has come off clear. Photo: https://nedradv.ru / _ files/db.biznes-gazeta.ru/images/snimok_ekrana_2020-02-28_v_16_02_53_png __ 1582894995 __ 18635 __ vid663593e.png

In 2016 the name of the oligarch was connected with scandal concerning Red Arrow stadium in the North-Eastern Administrative District of Moscow. Yanchukov's company received stadium for rent and decided to arrange re-planning. Inhabitants understood that they can soon be unseated for sports, it caused big scandal. According to in Networks, documents on the basis of which the oligarch received control over the site were allegedly forged.

And it is not the complete list of doubtful affairs of Sergei Yanchukov.

If those who has to look narrowly at Yanchukov will make it more attentive, then quite perhaps they will find many "skeltet" in his case. Including with the Ukrainian flag.