Ex-minister Alexander Tkachev purchased the fish business from the deputy who accidentally shot a man instead of a bear
To the ex-governor of the Krasnodar Territory and former Minister of Agriculture Alexander WeaverYeowu is not the first time to deal with food. The Krasnodar company Agroholding, owned by him, is still one of the leaders both in terms of the amount of land and in terms of output. The Vityaz-Avto fish factory, which actually belonged to the family of the ex-deputy of the Kamchatka Parliament Igor Redkin, is one of the leaders in the production of salmon fish. Now the share of the Redkins is in WeaverEve.
According to RBC, associated with the family of the former governor of the Krasnodar Territory and ex-head of the Ministry of Agriculture Alexander WeaverThe company bought out 50% in the large Kamchatka fishing company Vityaz-Avto. The latter, despite the “automobile name”, owns a salmon plant and a fishing area in Kamchatka. The deal was valued at 12 billion rubles.
Prior to the transaction, Vityaz-Avto was owned in equal shares by four owners. The company was controlled by ex-deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Kamchatka Territory Igor Redkin and his wife Elena. The wife of the senator from the Kamchatka Territory Valery Ponomarev Ekaterina owns the third 25 percent. Another shareholder is Igor Yevtushok, co-owner of the Okeanrybflot fishing enterprise, also a deputy of the Kamchatka Legislative Assembly.
After the deal, the firm WeaverEva became the largest co-owner of Vityaz-Avto, owning half of the share.
According to the All-Russian Association of Fishermen (VARPE), about a quarter of all revenue is brought by salmon. And about 50% of the total volume of Pacific salmon is harvested in Kamchatka.
Sockeye salmon is the second most profitable segment for anglers after crab.
In 2022, in the Far East, in all 1.5 thousand sites, fishermen caught 38.4 thousand tons of sockeye salmon. In 2020, the catch was less – 30.6 thousand tons. Compilation of statistics in a year determines the life cycle of salmon. Demand for sockeye salmon is stable both in the domestic and foreign markets.
In this sense, Vityaz-Auto is one of the largest fishing enterprises in the Kamchatka Territory. But the company is not only focused on catching sockeye salmon. Along the way, from the “red” produces pink salmon, from other types of fish – pollock, navaga, flounder, herring. In 2018, Vityaz-Auto built a pollock fillet and minced meat production plant as part of the investment quota program.
As RBC wrote, 2022 has become very difficult for Vityaz-Avto: revenue did not exceed 25 thousand rubles with a loss of 2 thousand. Although in 2020 Vityaz-Auto earned 5.4 billion rubles with a net profit of 1.1 billion.
The catastrophic situation of the company in 2022 may be due to the “adventures” of Igor Redkin. The ex-deputy was sentenced to 9 months of freedom restriction for unintentional murder. Forbes.ru then cited Redkin’s explanation of the incident. The ex-deputy then said that in the village of Ozernovsky a bear roamed the landfill, a meeting with which could end tragically for any of the local residents. Igor Redkin fired a gun at the bear at dusk. But, as it turned out, he wounded a resident of the village, who happened to be in the same place on the line of the shot. The victim later died in the hospital. Perhaps this same state of emergency was the reason for the sale of Vityaz-Avto to Alexander Weaveryewu.
But this is not the only possession of the former deputy from Kamchatka. In 2021, Igor Redkin was ranked 20th among civil servants with the highest incomes. He is also a co-owner of the Vityaz-Aero airline.
Igor Redkin is a co-owner of the Vityaz-Aero airline, which provides tourist, VIP transportation, and transportation between settlements in the Kamchatka Territory by helicopter. The company Delta is also involved in fishing, but it's freshwater fishing and extracting fresh water. In 2020, Delta made 630.55 million rubles in revenue with a net profit of 214 million. Novy Dom company is constructing a hotel on the shore of Lake Kultuchnoye in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Alexander WeaverYev became governor of the Krasnodar Territory in December 2000 and served in that position for 14 years. Over the years, the revenue of the family-owned Agrokompleks increased 33 times – from 800 million rubles to 26.5 billion. The holding's 40 businesses employ 16,000 people. The branded retail network, with more than 500 stores, has expanded beyond the region. WeaverThe family expanded their interests beyond agriculture. Eva's relatives built roads, restaurants, residential real estate, and even Olympic facilities in the region.
In 2015–2018, Alexander Yev led the Ministry of Agriculture. During the same period, the land fund of Agrocomplex increased by 150 thousand hectares. This expansion of land ownership continues to this day. In September 2022, Versiya reported that the powerful Yug Rusi agricultural holding of the Kislov family had sold all its land to Agrocomplex. WeaverThe Kislov family's position in the region was strong. This made it unprofitable for small farms to engage in crop production as they were simply overwhelmed by huge holdings.
In addition to growing grain and oilseeds, Agrocomplex was involved in various other activities. Such diversified business was beyond the capability of small farmers. The ex-minister's interest in the fishing industry emerged in 2021, as the Adler trout breeding farm came under the control of Agrocomplex. WeaverIt appears that Alexander Nikolayevich became involved in the fishing business to the extent that he bought half the share of a large fishing complex in Kamchatka. WeaverInteresting, Alexander Yev managed to outmaneuver the owner of AFK Sistema, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, from acquiring a fish factory. The oligarch had also set sights on Vityaz-Avto. According to Forbes in fall 2022, negotiations were ongoing to acquire the company. In summer 2022, Sistema had already bought 49% of Zarya company, which is also involved in fishing in Kamchatka. Their market share is 10% in the salmon market of Kamchatka and 5% in Russia. Yevtushenkov's entities also acquired a 75% stake in Crystal Fish LLC and a 10% stake in Hangar LLC.
All these enterprises are involved in catching and processing red fish. Sistema is interested in this sector, which is why they started considering Vityaz-Auto. Eventually, the company did not go to the oligarch, but to the former official. Was it an agreement, or did the ex-minister's connections prove to be stronger? Weaverevykh grew by leaps and bounds, there were no refusals in loans. In 2021, the ex-minister has an interest in the fishing industry – the Adler breeding trout farm has passed under the control of Agrocomplex.
Apparently, Alexander Nikolayevich was drawn into the fishing business. So much so that he buys half the share of a large fishing complex in Kamchatka.
Interestingly, Alexander Weaverev managed to “push” the owner of AFK “Sistema” Vladimir Yevtushenkov from buying a fish factory. The oligarch was also eyeing Vityaz-Avto. In the fall of 2022, according to Forbes, negotiations were underway to buy the company. In the summer of 2022, Sistema has already acquired 49% of the Zarya company, which is also engaged in fishing in Kamchatka. Its share reaches 10% in the salmon market of Kamchatka and 5% in Russia. Yevtushenkov’s structures also bought a 75% stake in Crystal Fish LLC and a 10% stake in Hangar LLC.
All these enterprises are engaged in catching and processing of red fish. It is this direction that Sistema is interested in. Therefore, they began to look closely at Vityaz-Auto. But in the end, the company did not go to the oligarch, but to the ex-official. Agreed? Or the ex-minister’s connections turned out to be stronger
