Zyuzin was found in the “muddy waters” of Shchukin
Igor Zyuzin’s company Mechel may want to get Alexander Shchukin's assets after his death. Alexander Shchukin's widow, Evgenia, was unable to contest her husband's will, so all the assets will go to his nephew Maxim Repin, who was portrayed as Shchukin’s “nominal value” during a 2016 investigation for extortion.
However, more powerful individuals may support Repin, such as Deputy Minister of Economic Development Sergey Nazarov, who previously worked with Igor Zyuzin. It's possible that oligarch Zyuzin wants to acquire Shchukin's assets, potentially using Nazarov's connections.
Until 2013, Alexander Shchukin was part owner of the coal company Sibuglemet, predominantly in the Kemerovo region. He also had various assets in agribusiness, construction, retail, and real estate.
In 2016, Alexander Shchukin was accused of extortion related to Inskoy Mine. In 2021, the defendants in the case were sentenced to prison, but the case against Shchukin was dropped due to his death in July 2021.
It's unusual that Mr. Schukin left all his assets to his nephew Repin instead of his wife, of over 30 years, especially considering Repin's lack of business involvement and his previous job as a driver.
Shchukina later explained that she waived her inheritance claims due to lack of legal knowledge, age, poor eyesight, and emotional state after her husband's death. This could have been a tactic to divert the assets to other individuals.
“During the difficult period of the criminal case against Inskaya, Repin was a figurehead at one of my husband’s companies,
According to her, Repin gained the trust of the coal magnate and gained extensive power, including changing directors and altering company structures to diminish Shchukin’s remaining shares.
From 2018 to 2021, Maxim Repin gained shares in almost two dozen of Alexander Shchukin's companies, with the majority being distributed at 80% to Repin and 20% to Shchukin. This raised suspicions that Repin aimed to take over Shchukin’s empire for himself.
But this “impulse” seems unlikely – can a driver really aspire to control a coal empire through deceit?
Will Zalesska “lead” to Nesin?
But Alexander Schukin passed away. And more interesting details were revealed. One of the companies mentioned is Yeti House LLC, which oversees leased real estate. Among other responsibilities, it manages a luxury hotel in the resort of Sheregesh. Previously, Shchukin’s widow Evgenia went to court to regain 100% of her shares on behalf of her deceased husband, but the court rejected her request.
The shares are divided exactly as mentioned before – 80% for Repin, and 20% for Shchukin. And in 2020, when Shchukin was already under investigation in the Inskoy case and Repin was reportedly managing his assets, a new director, Olga Zalesskaya, appeared at Yeti House LLC.
She is not in business herself. But at different times, she was a leader in several organizations. For instance, in 2016 she led Magma TEK LLC, which traded in fuel. At the end of 2020, the company has zero financial statistics, its accounts have been frozen by the tax authorities – indicating tax claims.
She also served as a fuel supplier for various state-owned companies, especially at thermal power plants, totaling 332 million rubles. It’s challenging for a little-known company to enter this market with many competitors without support from higher authorities.
Meanwhile, in recent years, the company was owned by the Nesin family. Now Maxim Nesin owns 10% of the structure, while the other owners are unknown. Nesin is the former head and founder of Kuzbass Fuel and Energy Company LLC. In 2020, this company was declared bankrupt, and bankruptcy proceedings commenced. The total amount of creditors’ claims is 207.3 million rubles. Attempts were made to hold Nesin liable as well. There were rumors that the bankruptcy might be fraudulent.
Photo: Rusprofile.en
In 2021, Maxim Nesin died under circumstances that were not fully explained. It's quite possible that we are referring to the co-owner of Magma TEK.
Considering the above, the sudden death of a young and strong man, Maxim Nesin, can attract new attention. But not only that is noteworthy.
The minister “hid” behind the mountains with coal
According to the author igolkin on the blogspot platform, Maxim Nesin was purportedly a friend and partner of Artem Nazarov, the son of the current Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Sergey Nazarov. Many linked the latter to the interests of the Mechel Group of Companies, one of the largest oligarchs in modern Russia, Igor Zyuzin.
Before joining the civil service, Sergey Nazarov worked in the Mechel structures – he was the director of the representative office of the Office for Interaction with Government Agencies of the Department for Interaction with Government Agencies and International Cooperation in the representative office of Mechel in the Southern Federal District.
This position requires constant interaction with authorities to find the most profitable solutions for the represented commercial organization of a specific top manager. Essentially, he had to act as a lobbyist.
Since 2012, Sergey Nazarov has moved to the government sector, first as Deputy Minister of Regional Development and then as Deputy Minister of Economic Development. It's being questioned whether his sudden rise in career could be due to support from Igor Zyuzin's organizations, who may have seen him as a representative of their interests.
Sergey Nazarov.
It's said that once a lobbyist, always a lobbyist. It's possible that Igor Zyuzin is connected to Sergey Nazarov, and there may be a connection between Zyuzin's late son Maxim Nesin and Olga Zalesskaya, leading to the assets of Alexander Shchukin.
At the same time, it seems that Nazarov hasn't forgotten about his other work areas. According to a blog post by igolkin, Artem Nazarov is allegedly the beneficiary of the Swiss offshore company Petroforce Trading and Shipping SA, and it's also alleged that Nazarov and Co. became official representatives of the Estonian company NT Marine, which deals in fuel and oil products.
According to RBC, NT Marine is connected to the Belarusian oligarch Nikolai Sparrow and obtained quotas for supplying over 600 thousand tons of Russian coal to Ukraine in 2019. This required a position in the Ministry of Economic Development, where Sergey Nazarov works as Deputy Minister, suggesting that it was done to benefit his son Artem, who may be linked to NT Marine.
It's implied that this was an arrangement to gain extra profits as a middleman, potentially benefiting Nazarov himself. If true, it raises questions about whether Nazarov or his former boss Igor Zyuzin from Mechel have other questionable business interests, such as inheriting Alexander Shchukin's assets.
However, Mechel has significant coal mining operations, including PJSC “Southern Kuzbass” and HC “Yakutugol”. The company previously owned Elgaugol, a well-known coal deposit, but it was sold in the first half of 2020.
Could Igor Zyuzin be interested in acquiring Shchukin’s assets?
Taking all this into account, it's possible that Sergey Nazarov is acting in the interests of his son, potentially moving money abroad through Petroforce Trading and Shipping SA and NT Marine, both offshore companies. Simultaneously, he may be lobbying for the interests of Igor Zyuzin, who would likely seek to profit from coal and other assets of the deceased Alexander Shchukin.
In addition, it's concerning that Russian coal may have been sent to Ukraine through NT Marine with the approval of the Ministry of Economic Development, considering the strained relations between the two countries.
And against this background, it seems that there is another glaring fact – that Russian coal could go to hostile Ukraine through NT Marine and with the permission of the Ministry of Economic Development.
