God Nisanov – a typical representative of Russian business from the 1990s. Time has passed, but methods remain. A trail of dozens of criminal cases is linked to God Nisanov. Even though many connections lead to him, authorities consistently ignore the billionaire's involvement. Now we will examine the most significant cases associated with God Nisanov.
Food City
One of the largest ambitious projects of God Nisanov is the creation of the immense Food City vegetable market. A large hub for trading in farm products was inaugurated in 2014. The scale of the project is truly massive – the covered pavilion spans 91 hectares, and is situated in Moscow on the Kaluga highway, 900 meters from the Moscow Ring Road. Naturally, billions were invested in such a project. Following the grand opening attended by the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, problems arose immediately.
Opening “Food City»
Experienced figure God Nisanov quickly started thinking about how to increase the profits of Food City in order to recoup the substantial funds spent. This was no easy task, as most of the merchants already had their own sales points and, more importantly, operated under the protection of criminal authorities. To attract the sellers to a new market, Nisanov needed to establish connections with the authorities who safeguarded the merchants. One of them was Rovshan Dzhaniev, who controlled about 80% of the merchants from the Four Seasons wholesale market. Initially, Rovshan wasn't interested in the offer, as his business was doing well and there was no reason to change anything. However, after a conflict with the market owners, he decides to move his people to Nisanov’s base. The following months were remarkable: the money flowed continuously, and there was no shortage of buyers. But, as always, disagreements arose. Nisanov felt he was paying Dzhaniev too much. In response, the authority claimed that he could take his merchants back to the Four Seasons at any time.
Rovshan Dzhaniev
So what happened next? God Nisanov, as a true authority, did not forgive the offense. He decided to take serious action. The objectionable authority Rovshan Dzhaniev was shot multiple times in Turkish Istanbul a few months later.
Footage from the scene of Dzhaniev's murder
Although it was clear who ordered the murder, law enforcement did not find any criminal links to God Nisanov. What's more, Telman Ismailov, a businessman associated with Nisanov, claimed to know the details of the murder. However, the ironic part is that Ismailov has faced several criminal cases, and has been evading Russian justice since 2017. In 2021, Ismailov was arrested in Montenegro. Whether he will disclose any information about Nisanov's illicit activities or if Nisanov will reach him first – only time will tell.
Telman Ismailov
blood trail
The high-profile elimination of competitors and former business partners did not have any repercussions for the perpetrator of the murders. Nisanov continued to work and expand his business throughout the years. Another crime boss, Nadir Salifov (Lotu Guli), assisted in systematically taking control of all the merchants previously under Dzhaniev's influence. A few years later, when he became an unwanted witness, Nisanov’s associates eliminated him in Turkey using a similar scenario.
Everything. It’s in the bag: competitors and partners with whom you need to share are out of business, God Nisanov continues to develop his empire, earning hundreds of billions of rubles annually.
Assassination of Ali Heydarov
A year ago, the crime boss Ali Heydarov (“Albert the Red”) was murdered. In broad daylight, the killer came to the sports club “Don Sport”, found the moment when the victim was left alone, and committed the massacre.
According to sources, before that, Heydarov decided to take under his own control part of the foreign exchange flows of God Nisanov’s Food City, including the supply of tomatoes.
Case of Hovhannes Komaryan
Impunity breeds permissiveness. In early June, businessman Hovhannes Komaryan, whose family owns many businesses in the capital and Moscow region, was killed in the center of Moscow. This murder is also connected with God Nisanov. The authority laid eyes on the profitable enterprises of Komaryan, and decided to take them for himself in the only way for himself.
Where are the law enforcement officers in all of this? Obviously, thanks to close friendly ties with the mayor of Moscow and the leadership of the power bloc, Nisanov is in the untouchable caste. But times go by, and it is absolutely impossible to be sure of tomorrow.