Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Nikolaev, who has interests in metallurgy, is actively capitalizing on Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises located in the so-called \u201cDNR\u201d and \u201cLNR\u201d. For the same reason, he is very interested in the town of Pokrovsk \u2013 the only center of coking coal production that remains under Ukrainian control. According to our information, in case Pokrovsk is seized by the Russian army (we hope this will not happen), Nikolaev\u2019s lawyers have already prepared the necessary documentation packages to transfer the Private Joint Stock Company \u00abPokrovskoye mine management\u00bb under his ownership.<\/p>\n
However, as a businessman, Dmitry Nikolaev, who is basically sensible, understands perfectly well that Putin\u2019s bloody adventure will sooner or later end in failure, and it is not very sensible to put all the \u201cgolden eggs\u201d in one dangerous \u201cbasket\u201d. That is why he is trying to hide branches of his extensive business from Western sanctions.<\/p>\n
Especially indicative in this regard was the recent update of the website of \u201cStroyservice\u201d JSC, which happened shortly before the publication of the next OFAC list. If you look at the archives of the website, automatically created by the Wayback Machine service, you can see that as early as July 14, the website\u00a0contained\u00a0an impressive list of companies of the holding, namely:<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cSTROYSERVICE\u201d JSC, TIN 4234001215<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cBARZASSKOYE PARTNERSHIP\u201d LLC JV, TIN 4203000074<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cGUBAKHINSKIY COKE\u201d JSC, TIN 5913004822<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cBEREZOVSKY OPEN-PIT MINE\u201d LLC, TIN 4223035452<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cBELOVOPROMZHELDORTRANS\u201d LLC, TIN 4202023632<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cCOALMINE \u2116 12\u201d LLC, TIN 4220023963<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cBELTRANS\u201d LLC, TIN 4202015913<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cPERMYAKOVSKIY OPEN-PIT MINE\u201d LLC, TIN 4231003020<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cCAPITAL GRUPP\u201d LLC, TIN 4205329788<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cBRIZANT\u201d LLC, TIN 4205401177<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cSTROYSERVICE\u201d LLC JCS, TIN 4205408359<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cBREVY MANU\u201d LLC, TIN 7713298978<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0 \u201cCENTRAL PROCESSING PLANT BEREZOVSKAYA\u201d JCS, TIN 4203001617.<\/p>\n
However, now the only thing left of this list is a five-line \u201cAbout the Company\u201d message, which does not disclose any essential data.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, such a \u201chide-and-seek game\u201d in the modern information world is an inefficient action. And the first thing we found was a document confirming Nikolaev\u2019s sole ownership of JCS \u201cSTROYSERVICE\u201d: it is an extract from the register of shareholders, which shows that the oligarch controls 88.89% of the company\u2019s shares directly, and the remaining 11.11% \u2013 through the company LLC JCS \u201cSTROYSERVICE\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/V26FM27QRM#zibmySIQkVPP)<\/p>\n
The data of the majority shareholder in this register coincide with the passport data of citizen Nikolayev D.N., as can be seen in the photo below:<\/p>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/KEZE7APFC0#VgG9Uj4yivqM)<\/p>\n
However, the same register of Russian legal entities shows that Nikolaev is trying to hide many assets more reliably. To begin with, about 70 percent of the companies somehow connected with \u201cStroyservice\u201d JSC are currently listed as liquidated or in the process of liquidation. Dmitry Nikolaev himself remained a nominal founder of the only active \u201cBeltrans\u201d LLC.<\/p>\n
On 18.10.2024, he renamed other companies, such as \u201cCentral Processing Plant \u201cBeryozovskaya\u201d JSC (TIN 4203001617) \u2013 now it is \u201cTsentralnoye\u201d JSC \u2013 and re-registered them to his trusted people. The founders of \u201cBeryozovskaya\u201d are now listed as Yurtov Egor Petrovich \u2013 commercial director of \u201cStroyservice\u201c, as well as Andrey Skovpen, legal and property management director of \u201cStroyservice\u201d JSC.<\/p>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/02P16C626M#8ALu5AL5Dtzb)<\/p>\n
But, as is common in the case of big business, such attempts to hide assets are like the ostrich syndrome. By hiding the small \u201chead\u201d of his business empire in the sand, Nikolaev left his huge, sorry, ass unprotected and open to the world. And now, having studied the contents of this \u201csirloin part\u201d, we found many more interesting things.<\/p>\n
<\/span>From Moscow to Dubai<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nIt would be naive to believe that the assets of an oligarch active in foreign economic activity are concentrated only in Russia and the occupied territories.<\/p>\n
At first, we tried to look for connections in China, which remains the Putin regime\u2019s main economic stronghold in the world. But the smart Chinese are increasingly cautious about ties with Russian business, and they are not the only ones. Even Kazakhstan is increasingly tightening its sanctions screws, especially when it comes to making payments in the interests of its belligerent neighbor.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, we managed to find two firms controlled by Nikolaev in China, or rather, in the economically freer Hong Kong. But the main \u201cgates\u201d for entering the global market are now located in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. And in Bahrain the oligarch tries to hide mainly his personal, family finances, while Abu Dhabi and Dubai have become convenient harbors for export operations of the under-sanctioned \u201cStroyservice\u201d. These conclusions are confirmed by specific documents.<\/p>\n
Thus, in the Emirates, according to our information, Dmitry Nikolaev fully controls the company DVTC TRADING L.L.C-FZ, a copy of its license is presented below.<\/p>\n(illustration\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/V341V0RQNG#PbGts77BfT3Y)<\/p>\n
The manager of this company is a Cypriot citizen Andreas Zambas, a lawyer of Dmitry Nikolaev. This person officially works in the Cypriot structure of \u201cStroyservice\u201d \u2013 the aforementioned Stroyservice Trading Limited, which is also on the US sanctions list. It is noteworthy that this company is registered at a long-known address of mass registrations of firms associated with Russia: Floor 2, Flat 204, 25 Afroditis, 1060 Nicosia. At least five firms registered at the same address are\u00a0mentioned\u00a0in the famous \u201cPanama archive\u201d.<\/p>\n
We managed to obtain copies of both Andreas Zambas\u2019 passport and Dmitry Nikolaev\u2019s own residence permit (resident ID card) in Dubai. The scans of these documents are published below, and one significant detail should be noted. Nikolaev\u2019s ID-card, which gives him the right to legally reside in the UAE, states that he is an employee of DVTC TRADING L.L.C-FZ. In fact, it is simply a company owned by Nikolaev, with a Cypriot lawyer as its nominal director.<\/p>\n(illustrations:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/G373RRZRRG#9dJmNkSbVFfo<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/DFDD92ATX0#EWAxX6Robcvp<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/X4WNZJA9K4#oc2vk4VcAEX8\u00a0)<\/p>\n
Another company, which is also owned by Dmitry Nikolaev and is used by him, highly likely, to withdraw money out of Russia and minimize taxes, is called Vitelia Trade Limited. It is registered in Hong Kong, and the copy of the certificate of ownership below shows that Nikolaev is the sole owner of this company.<\/p>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/WTWWBV2234#XchmMwrE0vM2\u00a0)<\/p>\n
Also Vittolia \u0421ompany Limited (company No. 3144395) is registered there, in Hong Kong, a company managed by the son of a Russian oligarch Igor Nikolaev (pictured on the right) and several other seconded employees of \u201cStroyservice\u201d.<\/p>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/DSYNYT4PXC#7T5rpVIba2Iv\u00a0)<\/p>\n
According to the\u00a0Dun& Bradstreet\u00a0registry, the director is Andrei Belkov. A person with the same first and last name is listed as the author of a scientific article on the website of the Russian \u201cLenin\u201d library, and his position is also indicated there: head of the sales department of CJCS \u201cStroyservice\u201d.<\/p>\n
As we found out, he is the deputy of the aforementioned Yurtov and the employee closest to Nikolaev himself; he is located in the oligarch\u2019s Dubai office, teaching Nikolaev Jr. to work. Other employees of \u201cStroyservice\u201d also work in the same Vittolia \u0421ompany Limited: Denis Davydov, Mikhail Rodin, Vladimir Morozov. It is also interesting that the company created its\u00a0profile\u00a0on the HeadHunter platform to search for employees in the UAE. The website of this company also unexpectedly went down immediately after the imposition of sanctions, but the surviving copies in the web archives\u00a0indicate\u00a0that Vittolia \u0421ompany Limited imports coking coal from Russia. Including coal stolen from the Ukrainian subsoil, exported from the occupied territories. It is no coincidence that in the list of Black Sea ports from which Vittolia offers its customers to ship coal, the first places are \u201cPort of Taganrog, Port Kavkaz, Port of Taman\u201d \u2013 those closest to the Donbass, to the captured mines.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s simply amazing how, given such obvious, direct connections, sanctions against Dmitry Nikolaev were limited to just two companies? In addition to the DVTC, Vitelia, Vittolia listed above, we found several more, for which we also began collecting documents. These are, in particular, such companies as:AMANI TRADING W.L.L.Tramada DMCCGREENPINE SUPPLY CHAINMonolink Group-FZCO,SAVVY TRADING LIMITED<\/p>\n
Here, for example, is a contract for a commission for sea transportation brokerage between the companies SAVVY TRADING LIMITED (Hong Kong, broker) and Monolink Group-FZCO (UAE, customer). It refers to the charter of a ship under the Panama flag, apparently for the transportation of sanctioned Russian coal, possibly even from the occupied regions of Ukraine:<\/p>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/CMG3KPEPGM#4t0IyaU0kqy1\u00a0)<\/p>\n
The following document is an invoice from the Dubai company Tramada DMCC, issued as an option for the purchase of coal from the Dubai company Monolink Group-FZCO, controlled, as we believe, by Nikolaev:<\/p>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/1ZZB48F40M#inO0nh4xumU7\u00a0)<\/p>\n
It is strange that experts from the US Treasury have not yet paid attention to them. Or do they not have enough evidence yet? So let them contact us, we\u2019d be happy to help!<\/p>\n
<\/span>\u201cTentacles\u201d stretch to Ukraine<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nMeanwhile, sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult to circumvent, and Nikolaev is coming up with new ways. Literally a month before appearing on the OFAC list, on September 19, 2024, he registered the company \u201cAVK-Expedition\u201d under his current employee Alexander Viktorovich Kochukov (TIN 9705231589). At the \u201cStroyservice\u201d company, this newly-emerged businessman holds the modest position of deputy commercial director for logistics.<\/p>\n
We also had at our disposal a whole series of agreements indicating that after the imposition of sanctions, \u201cStroyservice\u201d JSC began to actively sell its products through the company \u201cNORD TRADE\u201d LLC, TIN 7000002988. We have not yet found direct evidence of Nikolaev\u2019s participation in this company, but what is noteworthy is that immediately after the imposition of sanctions, almost all companies previously designated as \u201csubsidiaries\u201d on the website of \u201cStroyservice\u201d JSC entered into agreements with this new intermediary. Here are the numbers of some agreements:<\/p>\n
\u2116 2583730 from 27.08.2024 with \u201cBarzasskoye partnership\u201d LLC JV,<\/p>\n
\u2116 2583604 from 27.08.2024 with \u201cCoalmine \u211612\u201d LLC,<\/p>\n
\u2116 2644520 from 30.09.2024 with \u201cStroyservice\u201d JSC.<\/p>\n
\u201cNORD TRADE\u201d LLC concluded similar contracts with the offshore companies listed above, which, as we assume, are also controlled by Nikolaev.\u2116 NT-DV-01 from 27.08.2024 with DVTC Trading L.L.C-FZ ,\u2116 NT-AM-01 from 10.09.2024 with AMANI TRADING W.L.L.,\u2116 NT-VIT-01 from 27.08.2024 with Vittolia Company Limited,\u2116 NT-TR-01 from 27.08.2024 with Tramada DMCC ,\u2116 NT-GP-01 from 27.08.2024 with GREENPINE SUPPLY CHAIN.<\/p>\n
By creating such a wide network of intermediary companies around the world, oligarch Nikolaev is apparently fulfilling the mission assigned to him by the Kremlin: to look for ways to export Russian coal and metal bypassing sanctions. That\u2019s what Nikolaev, apparently, was promised a generous \u201chandout\u201d in the form of the \u201cPokrovskoye\u201d mine management.<\/p>\n
However, what is especially interesting is that some citizens of Ukraine may also be Nikolaev\u2019s allies in this marauding business.<\/p>\n
While studying companies affiliated with the oligarch, we noticed that the founders of one of them, \u201cBREVI MANU\u201d LLC (TIN 7713298978),\u00a0includes\u00a0the Cyprus holding GRAINFUL HOLDING LTD. Our colleagues from the SokalINFO publication\u00a0suggested\u00a0a year ago that the odious Ukrainian businessman Pavel Fuks could be hiding behind this offshore company. And so, as it turned out, along with Dmitry Nikolaev, Mr. Fuks has his own interest in a company in the Russian Federation. Miracles, and that\u2019s all!<\/p>\n
In addition, Dmitry Nikolaev\u2019s secret lobby in Ukraine can also be carried out through his Cypriot lawyer Andreas Zambas. Not long ago, we witnessed a major\u00a0scandal\u00a0in which the head of Dragon Capital, Tomas Fiala, became involved after President Vladimir Zelensky added his adviser, also a Cypriot lawyer, Andreas Sofocleous, to the sanctions list. We carefully studied the biography of this character, and discovered that right up to the start of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he actively collaborated\u2026 with Russian metallurgists and the mining industry! Thus, its data is contained in the annual\u00a0reports\u00a0of the \u201cPolymetal\u201d group of companies, which conducts subsoil development in the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. That is, figuratively speaking, the lawyers of Nikolaev and Fiala are Cypriots of \u201cRussian origin\u201d.<\/p>\n
Are there no sanctions for a beautiful life?<\/strong><\/p>\nIn addition to documents related to Nikolaev\u2019s business, we received many interesting papers indicating his private lifestyle, status and habits.<\/p>\n
In particular, Dmitry Nikolaev prefers to travel around Russia, as well as fly to Kazakhstan, Bahrain and the UAE, on luxury business jets. On average, for one flight within Russia alone, he pays 8-9 million rubles (90 thousand dollars at the current exchange rate). Here are examples of contracts for private air transportation concluded in the interests of passenger D.N. Nikolaev.<\/p>\n(illustrations:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/Z541ZQZ5CR#3xDTGWw6JT0b<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/B27Q8Y38TG#amHOU5fSvLMC<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/BP981PG9DG#t0pYqRg8SQWt<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/AF074T1MAR#JJ4HQ8BqRhtB\u00a0)<\/p>\n
According to our information, Dmitry Nikolaev orders private jets at least 4-5 times a month, spending more than $400,000 on it.<\/p>\n
As for other expenses, Nikolaev is no different from other Russian oligarchs who earn money in their homeland, but prefer to store and spend it abroad, in case Putin will lose. As we have already noted, he prefers to live in the rich, hot countries of the Persian Gulf and, despite the sanctions, does not deny himself anything there. Moreover, banks in Bahrain and Dubai serve him as a VIP client, without asking unnecessary questions about the origin of the funds.<\/p>\n
As we found out, Nikolaev personally and his companies have opened many accounts in such large and respected banks of the Persian Gulf countries as EMIRATES NBD BANK PJSC, HDFC BANK, Banque Misr \u2013 Gulf Branches. And even after the introduction of US sanctions against \u201cStroyservice\u201d, these banks did not stop servicing the capital of the Russian oligarch: his accounts in the Emirate of Dubai and the Kingdom of Bahrain were still working as before. Has corruption really penetrated into such apparently prosperous countries?..<\/p>\n
For example, on January 18, 2023, the amount of $24,807,101 was transferred to the account of his wife Tatyana Nikolaeva at HDFC Bank (Bahrain). And this is only one documented translation! As you understand, the stakes on Putin are not great, since tens, and most likely hundreds of millions are kept outside the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n(illustration:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/S7XF1YPJTC#dQwkmmloGBuq\u00a0)<\/p>\n
And here are three more transfers from Nikolaev to his personal private banking account at Emirates NBD Bank (Dubai) \u2013 for 3, 5 and 8 million dollars. We also post a few more examples of foreign accounts of Nikolaev that we were able to obtain.<\/p>\n\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e: undefined<\/em><\/p>\n(illustrations:\u00a0https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/ZDQPCNXNGM#lx15LIE3c4Sl<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/03VPCZ0TS8#QjkJ1O7FJaqX<\/p>\n
https:\/\/drive.proton.me\/urls\/Z72CJ6Z5QR#8rnafxWCxEne\u00a0)<\/p>\n
It is clear that only a select few are allowed to regularly withdraw such amounts from the Russian economy. Over the course of two and a half years, around the war of conquest unleashed by Putin, a whole \u201cteam\u201d of professional huge marauders was formed \u2013 such as Dmitry Nikolaev.<\/p>\n
As long as they sponsor the so-called \u201cSVO\u201d (so-called \u201cspecial military operation\u201d), the Kremlin magnanimously turns a blind eye to their theft within Russia, to their off-shores, and to the billions of dollars flowing into these off-shores. But practice shows that for every \u201cfavorite\u201d in the Russian Federation, sooner or later there is an even more \u201cfavorite\u201d. And while our soldiers are defending Pokrovsk, Nikolaev may well be pushed away from the \u201csinecure\u201d.<\/p>\n
Author: Andrey Zolotaryov, political strategist<\/strong><\/p>\nTitle picture credit: global.espreso<\/p>\n
Share this article:<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n