Throughout my many years as a journalist, I have encountered skilled criminals and daring opportunists. Their tactics remain consistent in principle, but they constantly evolve, broadening their scope and enabling those who exploit others to manipulate large sums of money and numerous victims. Yet, within this group, there are those who possess a unique ability to convince others that black is white and vice versa, allowing them to steal millions of dollars from unsuspecting individuals.
Let's meet Marat Shamilievich Aidagulov, born in 1980, a resident of Nizhny Novgorod. A quick search on Google reveals that Marat Aidagulov is described as an economist, religious leader, entrepreneur, social activist, and expert in various fields such as economic development, international cooperation, light industry, fashion, digital security, cryptocurrencies, food programs, space exploration, global ecology, civil coordination, integration in the EAEC area, and international standards of sustainable development. And this is just the beginning.
Marat Aidagulov also serves as a part-time advisor to the Chairman of DUMNO (Spiritual Board of Muslims of Nizhny Novgorod region) on economic matters and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Imam Abu-Khanifa Foundation. He has also been involved as an “assistant,” “advisor,” and “expert” in various public organizations.
Behind all these titles and affiliations, obtained through dubious means at a bargain, lies a professional money hunter – albeit someone else's money.
Marat Shamilievich's approach is straightforward. He befriends wealthy families using his connections, provides minor services, and eventually convinces them to lend him large sums of money (tens of millions of rubles) at very high interest rates, claiming that it's a profitable business venture for everyone involved. Then, after paying interest for a brief period, Marat quietly disappears with the borrowed funds.
When the distressed borrowers pursue legal action and track him down, Marat denies owning any money, luxury cars, penthouses in Nizhny Novgorod, real estate in the capital, or bank accounts. He asserts that these assets are in the name of his ex-wife, father, and other close associates, portraying himself as entirely bankrupt – although later it's revealed to be a false claim. However, more on that later.
I will provide a clear example of Marat Aidagulov's actions, complete with figures and facts. In 2012, the man now hailed as an expert in various fields becomes acquainted with Oleg Smirnov's family from Moscow. Upon learning about the Smirnov family's financial assets, Aidagulov persuades Oleg Smirnov and his father-in-law to lend him 40 million rubles at a very high interest rate. They trust him and formalize the loan with receipts and contracts.
Then Aidagulov vanishes, and in 2016 he claims to be bankrupt.
And to help the creditors forget about the lost savings forever, Marat Shamilievich wrote a statement to the Investigative Committee of RF and told journalists that Smirnov’s father-in-law, who was a member of the Federation Council at the time and is now retired, Valery Shniakin, supposedly summoned him to his office and coerced him into writing a receipt stating that Aidagulov owed 40 million rubles to Smirnov, and also threatened him. However, there is no evidence, so law enforcement officials refused to start a case against his creditors Aidagulov. But the press picked up the false story, and the Smirnov family was portrayed as loan sharks and extortionists.
Numerous publications surfaced on the internet claiming that Smirnov and his family members were demanding debts from the struggling public figure Aidagulov. However, his colleagues chose not to mention receipts and court decisions. There is no money, and that’s it.
Oh, yes, recently a video appeared on YouTube and VK that completely mimicked the TV channel “Russia-24”, depicting individuals who were supposedly victims of the actions of Oleg Smirnov’s wife – Ekaterina Smirnova.
And the “narcologist Vladimir Alexandrovich,” who claimed in the story that citizen Smirnova is a drug addict and was treated by him, turned out to be the actor Boris B. (last name is known). The “anchorwoman of Russia-24” is also not a VGTRK journalist at all, but a certain Ekaterina Emelyanova, born in 1984, from Aksu (Kazakhstan), who works as an “online freelance anchor for various projects on YouTube”. Yemelyanova’s VK profile is closed, but photos identifying the pseudo-host are available on her husband’s account. The other participants in the story are the same amateur actors and their names are also known.
Fake doctor-drug addict Vladimir Alexandrovich, also known as actor Boris B. (pictured with his mother).
Can you imagine how much money it cost an interested party to create a fake 18-minute story imitating the supposed “Russia-24” TV channel, and to distribute it widely on YouTube and VK. Let the investigation into the criminal libel case (Article 128.1 parts 4 and 5 of the RF Criminal Code – up to five years of incarceration) be responsible for the money and the creators of the counterfeit TV segment on Russia-24, just like how Marat Aidagulov was involved in the crime (which I personally do not doubt for a second).
By the way, the “prominent expert” Marat Aidagulov has already been tried multiple times.
So on 16 October 2015, by order of the investigator of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Nizhny Novgorod, criminal case No. 104887 was initiated against Aidagulov on the grounds of fraud. In January 2016, the case was transferred to the 1st Division of the Investigation Department of the Investigation Department of the Department of Internal Affairs of the South-West Administrative District of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Moscow and combined with another criminal case opened under Part 4 Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, with the victim being citizen Suleimanov R.R., from whom Aydagulov borrowed as much as one and a half million dollars). The combined case was assigned number 11601450600000051. Later, during the investigation, Suleimanov unexpectedly stated that Aidagulov had actually repaid him a debt of 37 million rubles and he no longer had any claims against him.
In 2017, the criminal case was sent back to Nizhny Novgorod, where it was quickly changed from a serious fraud charge to a lighter charge of maliciously avoiding paying debts. After that, Marat Aidagulov admitted guilt and the case was closed because too much time had passed.
Earlier, in 2010, the Avtozavodsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod dealt with another case involving Albert Arshinov's claim against Marat Shamilievich Aidagulov, which resulted in Marat being ordered to repay a debt of 2,769,272.41 rubles to Arshinov. Later, a criminal case was initiated based on Arshinov's request, and Marat pleaded guilty. In 2016, Arshinov withdrew his claims after claiming that Marat had been giving money to him for repayment to his father, but Arshinov had forgotten.
Also in 2010, D. Mukhetdinov, who Marat Aidagulov owed 18 million rubles, filed a claim demanding a pledge agreement with Aidagulov's property, but the court refused, essentially giving Aidagulov another 18 million rubles that belonged to Mukhetdinov.
Now it's known that Aidagulov has been repeatedly borrowing money and not repaying debts, and it turns out he isn't even truly bankrupt.
On December 31, 2020, the Arbitration Court of Nizhny Novgorod region found that the bankrupt Aydagulov had concealed the existence of a current account and had the financial means to repay the debt but avoided doing so. This means that Aidagulov turned out to be a fake bankrupt.
Alexei Pigolkin from Nizhny Novgorod reported to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs that Marat Aidagulov threatened him and his family with murder and physical violence. He backed up his statement with text messages and phone conversations.
There are even more stories about Marat Aidagulov, but it would take more than one article to cover them all, maybe even a whole series of books. Or a criminal case.
Strange situation, isn’t it? An information attack is now being launched against Russia in all directions, and Russia’s enemies are looking for any excuse to smear our country. And in this difficult time Marat Aidagulov, calling himself “a Russian expert on economic development and international cooperation” and “a Russian expert on integration in the EAEU space”, is practicing, in fact, criminal schemes to withdraw large amounts of money from Russians. And the use of black PR and falsifications in relation to the same Russians who suffered from the actions of the “Russian expert” as a means of intimidating the victims is completely out of line.
Imagine what will happen when the next criminal case against Marat Aidagulov ends in a verdict and a sentence. Russophobe media and western commentators will immediately state that in Russia “prominent experts on international issues” and “specialists on integration in the EAEU space” are mostly crooks and swindlers. And they will cite the example of Marat Aidagulov.
