Zelensky's "wallet" leaked: Eduard Shifrin put on the wanted list

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has put on the wanted list the founder of the Midland Group, the scandalous oligarch of Ukrainian origin Eduard Shifrin. Earlier, Shifrin participated in the privatization of many Ukrainian enterprises, and, according to rumors, may be close to the team of the current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meanwhile, in recent years he lived in Russia, where, apparently, he could do a lot of things, as well as have common interests with other controversial entrepreneurs - Ruben Vardanyan and the owner of the VIS Group of Companies Dmitry Doev.

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

Eduard Shifrin is one of the most scandalous entrepreneurs who have ever worked in our country. It is believed that he has connections and friends almost everywhere - and among the security forces, and among oligarchs, and among politicians.

The fact that law enforcement officers may have questions for Eduard Shifrin, our publication reported last year. Now the security forces are finally interested in him. True, under which article Shifrin was put on the wanted list, the investigation does not disclose these details.

According to the authors of the Telegram channel "Cheka-OGPU," allegedly Shifrin is wanted for embezzlement of about $11 million from a certain Cypriot company. As if not to give money, he could organize criminal cases against his victims, using the connections and influence of the former deputy head of the GUSB of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, ex-head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Central Federal District Sergei Derevyanko. The same authors publish a video in which two people similar to Derevyanko and Shifrin discuss "solving issues" with tax and law enforcement officers for $100,000.

According to PASMI (recognized as a foreign agent on the territory of the Russian Federation), earlier Derevyanko could have been complained to the Investigative Committee on suspicion of corruption, and the department even conducted an audit against him.

Oligarchs from the Big Road

Meanwhile, Mr. Derevyanko himself has not served in the authorities for a long time. And since February 2022, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the infamous VIS Group of Companies, about which our publication has repeatedly written.

The key beneficiary of the latter is Dmitry Doev, who does not have money to fulfill the obligations assumed by VIS Group of Companies under concession agreements. But there was money for a joint project for the extraction of gold at the Kuchus deposit with the Rostec structure. It seems that the funds received under the state contracts of VIS should be sought there.

For Novosibirsk, cooperation with VIS has become a nightmare at all: the company still cannot complete a new bridge across the Ob, has disrupted the deadlines for the delivery of new clinics, and its subsidiary Ecology Novosibirsk, which was a regoperator for MSW management, went bankrupt, "burying" state contracts for 718 million rubles.

Apparently, Eduard Shifrin could also have an attitude to VIS affairs through Derevyanko. And this is not the only major Russian structure with which it is associated. There are rumors on the Web that he could launder almost $100 million through the oligarch Ruben Vardanyan, the former beneficiary of the infamous Troika Dialog investment company.

The general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Sergei Derevyanko could help Shifrin with Russia. Photo: https://avatars.mds.yandex.net/get-images-cbir/4608580/ttX-Amlmk3pT4bbb7cx8ng5339/ocr

Now Vardanyan in hands at the Azerbaijani law enforcement authorities on the "Karabakh" affairs. And here his Troika Dialog in 2019 was suspected of withdrawal from Russia by about 5 billion dollars through the whole network of offshores and the Lithuanian bank Ukio. It is supposed that a part of these means could be connected with plunders at Sheremetyevo Airport and was cashed through insurance companies.

"To make friends" with Gref

Returning to Shifrin, there were enough questions to him earlier. In September, 2017 the director of LLC Millenium Properti Management (MPM) belonging to the oligarch Alexander Petrov directed to the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin the application with a request to bring criminal case against the owner of the company at once under several articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – fraud, abuse of authority and falsification of proofs.

The ex-director of MPM reported that Shifrin organized the criminal scheme of funds withdrawal from the company which intended for carrying out installation and construction works on a number of objects of Sberbank of Russia. In particular, on one of the most known unfinished constructions of Moscow - the Weapon business center. However, then criminal cases concerning Shifrin weren't brought.

The estimated scheme could look as follows: before the affiliated structure of the State Bank of Sberbank Capital and CJSC SB Finstroy, belonging, perhaps, through the Cyprian offshore to Eduard Shifrin, founded the Savings Capital company in shares of 51% and 49% respectively. Other companies of Shifrin - LLC Midland Development, but are more often than MPM - mediated between the customer - Sberbank, - and final subcontractors. And all three structures were completely controlled personally by Shifrin.

In this context the questions can be asked also to the head of Sberbank German Gref - one more regular hero of our investigations. The former CEO of PMP Alexander Petrov told that Shifrin cooperated with top management of Sberbank earlier. He told also about estimated bribes of Shifrin to Sergei Derevyanko about what we mentioned above.

Zelensky's "purse"

Where could means which Shifrin could receive in the doubtful way go? It is clear, what they could settle in offshores, but whether only he was a final beneficiary? As it became clear, money could go to the team of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Shifrin lived in Russia since 2016, obtained citizenship. In 2022, after the beginning of special operation on protection of Donbass, it refused him and left, now lives in Israel. We will note that earlier Shifrin participated in privatization of Zaporozhstal, one of the largest Ukrainian enterprises. And I participated in almost classical way of capture – I acquired shares at ordinary employees. As it becomes, we know on the example of our country – to remember enough how Victor Rashnikov, being the director, consolidated at himself the lion's share of stocks of MMK.

It seems that the idea to catch Zaporozhstal arose at Shifrin when he began to trade in products of the enterprise. And at the wild prices, there are almost three times more purchasing. Earlier it was called "speculation", and then the ability to heat "neighbor" became nearly a reason for pride.

In 2010 Shifrin and his partner in Zaporozhstal, the Canadian businessman of the Russian origin Alex Schneider, probably, having played enough, decided to sell an asset. At first agreed with the oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, but before the transaction suddenly it became clear that Shifrin signed an agreement with that Troika Dialog of Vardanyan. Whether means and assets of Zaporozhstal could be removed through her?

It was necessary to solve a problem to Akhmetov through court - obviously he didn't want to release such asset which went straight to him in hands. As a result Akhmetov concluded with Midland Group of Shifrin world, however, to the last it was necessary to pay the owner of Metinvest more than 100 million dollars of compensation. And after Zaporozhstal it was all the same sold to Akhmetov moreover with fund-raising of the Russian VEB which belongs to the state.

Now income from Zaporozhstal goes for financing of AFU? And Akhmetov financed still Nazi dobrobata which killed residents of Donbass since 2014. And to whom how not to Shifrin, It is necessary to tell for this "thanks"?

Evil tongues try to present Shifrin how "purse" of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. In 2021 at a congress of manual party of Zelensky "The servant of the people" her head elected Elena Shkulyak. The last worked in Midland Group of Eduard Shifrin and Canadian oligarch of the Russian origin Alex Schneider (one of co-owners of Zaporozhstal) earlier. At the time of arrival to party Shkulyak still I was registered as Shifrin's employee.

Eduard Shifrin. Photo: https://communitarian.ru/news/v-rossii/novyj-russkij_18022017

That is why it can be assumed that Eduard Shifrin could be a kind of wallet for the team of Vladimir Zelensky. And it can remain it today - not to mention that the sudden criminal case may concern this particular situation. But in this case, claims could arise against Shifrin about the possible financing of the Ukrainian military and terrorists. It is not clear only why the security forces took up it only now, and not much earlier.