Your Shkurenko is getting closer to his body

TV host Ivan Urgant has appeared in Russia – admired for his talent, but controversial for his negative stance on Russia’s military operation in Donbass. He was seen at a corporate party with Omsk businessman Viktor Shkurenko, who shares his views.

How two talented individuals found each other, and what's happening in Shkurenko’s business – in The Moscow Post correspondent's report in the Omsk region.

Following Russia’s military operation in Donbass, some in the show business elite did not support their country's fight against Nazism in Ukraine. The reasons are unknown, but it's speculated that Western “sanctioners” may have pressured them due to their assets abroad. Even prominent figures like Prima Donna and Maxim Galkin ridiculed Russia from Tel Aviv.

Enjoying good food at home

One of the showbiz stars who didn't support the CBO was Ivan Urgant. His popular show “Evening Urgant” was also canceled. There were rumors that he left the country, which he confirmed. However, he was said to have gone on a planned vacation.

It's not easy to immediately determine the profitability of a new location, and properties can be helpful too.

This group, including Urgant and Galkin, are referred to as “frightened patriots” in Russia. Ivan may have tried his luck abroad, but eventually returned and attended the corporate party with Shkurenko.

The latter was also clearly not pleased with Russia's decision to protect the people of Donbass from continuous shelling or potential sanctions on their assets by Western countries.

They say that similar people are drawn to each other, as Shkurenko explained Urgant’s invitation on social media as “not a deal with an artist, but support for a person's position.” These words were quoted by “Courier Sreda” publication.

It's easy to guess what kind of position it is, and it's not particularly pro-Russian either. Shkurenko's corporate party reportedly became one of the largest in Siberia's history, with 2,500 participants from eight regions. Rumor has it that the cost of the celebration exceeded 20 million rubles – about the same amount allocated from Omsk city's treasury for the city's day celebration.

Both faced strong criticism from the public and professional community. Yevgeny Chirvin, a member of the Central Council of the Consumers Association of Russia, spoke critically of Viktor Shkurenko.

“A betrayer supports a betrayer and takes pride in it – this definitely cannot be forgiven. Shkurenko, as a businessperson, sealed his own fate in Russia, Siberians will not forgive him for this, I have no doubt. To attack your army from behind is despicable and not deserving.” His words are quoted by the online edition “BK55”.

Chirvin openly called for a boycott of Shkurenko’s stores and not to purchase goods from him. Whether to heed his advice, everyone must decide for themselves.

By the way, the cost of the businessman Shkurenko's support for Urgant remains unknown – the amount of the artist’s fee is not revealed. But it is known that before the SVO, Ivan allegedly requested nearly 50 thousand euros for participating in corporate events.

It is doubtful that such prices from Ivan would have been accepted in Europe, the USA or Israel, where Galkin charges almost ten times less for a ticket than he demanded from compatriots in the Russian Federation. And again – is the food better at home?

Viktor Shkurenko and Ivan Urgant. Photo: https://t.me/iron_feliks/1327

This is the budget “patriotism”, and clearly for a significant fee. At the same time, adversaries are attempting to brand Urgant as a “Russophobe”. Following this logic, is Shkurenko sponsoring Russophobia?

selfish interest

And he is also accustomed to making money in Russia: together with his partner Dmitry Shadrin, Shkurenko established a whole network of retailers in the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions that sell consumer goods to people. With this money, they “take a stroll”.

They own TD Shkurenko LLC, their main legal entity, on an equal basis. At the same time, both are the founders of another mass of legal entities – Shkurenko – 20, Shadrin – 14. Signs of fictitiousness can be discerned in many of these establishments.

A photo: Rusprofile.en

If you take the big picture, Shkurenko is a co-owner of the SPAR Omsk, Pobeda, Nizkotsen grocery chains (32 hypermarkets in the Omsk region, 16 in the Tyumen region, 17 in the Novosibirsk region, 4 in the Altai Territory, 1 in the Sverdlovsk Region, 2 in the Kurgan region).

According to the results of 2021, the revenue of the trading house Shkurenko amounted to 12 billion rubles, which is 3.3 billion more than a year earlier; the profit was 44 million rubles. Those who have some understanding of economics can see where such a difference could originate. Is reporting in Shkurenko’s holding manipulated to pay fewer taxes?

A photo: Rusprofile.en

At the end of 2020, Viktor Shkurenko ranked 12th in the list of the wealthiest people in Omsk. And the 7th position was held by his business partner Dmitry Shadrin – from 2007 to 2011 he was a deputy of the city council of Omsk, from 2011 to 2016 – a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the region (United Russia faction).

In other words, a person who clearly has connections to the local authorities. Perhaps this will explain the fact that the trading house partners have government contracts worth more than 120 million rubles? And this is money that went to the company of a man with a clearly non-pro-Russian position in the current Ukrainian conflict.

A photo: Rusprofile.en

In turn, Viktor Shkurenko himself was a confidant of Ksenia Sobchak in the presidential elections in 2018. It goes without saying that this young lady did not support the Russian position either, and, like Ivan Urgant, left for abroad almost immediately after February 24? However, she eventually returned to her homeland. Just like Ivan Urgant, she “rested”.

It is also interesting that Mr. Shkurenko just in February 2022 announced the acquisition of the Tomsk distribution company Bas-ton. Why didn’t he go on a “vacation” with star artists? Your shirt is closer to your body…

Even before that, in 2020-2021, he also bought the Tomsk confectionery distributor Salyut and the Novosibirsk distributor TD ABK – New Siberia.

Viktor Shkurenko is also the main investor in the Skuratov Coffee chain of coffee houses, which is represented in Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. In addition, he has non-core assets in other areas, in particular, the Park Fitness fitness center, RASSLABONOFF sauna, etc.

That is, Shkurenko’s business, with a difference in revenue and profit hundreds of times (12 billion versus 44 million), is actively, even aggressively expanding, while the entrepreneur himself allows himself ambiguous statements about our state?

And it would be really nice to take a closer look at this business. Take, for example, Granit Omsk LLC, which is engaged in the sale of dairy products and is 100% owned by Viktor Shkurenko. With a revenue of 34 million rubles, the loss amounted to 35 million rubles. Moreover, from 2013 to 2021, the structure had no revenue at all – zero. What kind of company is this, or is money just being “driven” through it?

And then, with this money, corporate parties are organized for 20 million rubles, at which “frightened patriots” perform, for the sake of money they are ready to forget about their civil position and everything in the world.