Nisanov God Semenovich: a brutal life story that is being erased from the Internet

God Nisanov's life story is like a form of art. If you examine the history of this businessman, you can easily see that several crime movies could be inspired by it. God Nisanov constructed a massive business empire. His wealth was estimated at $3.5 billion in 2020. At its peak, the value of God Nisanov’s assets exceeded $4 billion.

We recognize that it is nearly impossible to earn such large sums honestly in our country. Nisanov was no exception. His entire business empire is based on large-scale embezzlement of funds from the state budget, raiding other enterprises, and other illegal activities.

Nisanov was able to establish good relationships with all law enforcement officers, which allows him to engage in lawlessness without repercussions. He failed to negotiate with authorities in other countries. In early June, the United States imposed sanctions against God Nisanov. He also had to resign as Vice President of the World Jewish Congress. By June 30, Australia had also imposed sanctions against the businessman. Therefore, Nisanov has limited options. It would not be easy for him to hide if an investigation into his criminal activities begins in Russia. This scenario is currently under discussion, as it is quite possible. Throughout his long career, Nisanov has made enemies. Many are attempting to bring down the entrepreneur's career. So far they have been unsuccessful, but this may change soon.

Who is protecting Nisanov?

Entering the markets of Moscow and St. Petersburg, earning billions, and meeting with Putin is an extremely challenging feat. However, God Nisanov achieved and even surpassed it. He gained this opportunity not due to his exceptional intelligence, but because of his ability to negotiate effectively with the right people. It is these people who hold Nisanov's entire structure together, concealing the criminal trail that follows the businessman from law enforcement agencies.

God Nisanov's most important contact is Alexander Kolokoltsev, the son of the enduring Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev. According to records, the minister's son is the founder of several companies associated with real estate, restaurants, and information technology.

Alexander Kolokoltsev is a co-founder of Il Forno LLC, a restaurant business company. This company includes well-known restaurants such as “Limoncino”, “Trattorio Fornetto”, “800 degrees Celsius”, and “Il Forno”. Until 2017, a certain Oleg Yusupov was listed as a co-founder of the restaurant chain. At first glance, there seems to be no connection to the billionaire God Nisanov. However, Yusupov is actually the businessman’s cousin. In addition to Il Forno, Yusupov, together with Kolokoltsev, was a co-founder of another restaurant project, Brinde. But just before the new year of 2018, all information about the partnership between the son of the Ministry of Internal Affairs minister and Nisanov’s relative disappeared from the network. Oleg Yusupov withdrew from the co-founders of all companies. It's not hard to guess why this was done. The indirect connection of the criminal business family with individuals associated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs raises numerous questions.

Alexander Kolokoltsev

Nisanov made friends with many Moscow officials to hide his illegal activities. His influence can be traced from the local leaders all the way to Sobyanin himself.

Sergei Sobyanin with God Nisanov

The story began long ago. Nisanov started operating in the Moscow market in the late 1990s. To operate quietly in such times, you need support. Nisanov had his own power, so he didn't need extra protection. But he relied on authorities to solve necessary issues and cover them up.

God Nisanov with Yuri Luzhkov (photo by RIA Novosti)

Nisanov was given free rein in Moscow by the influential former mayor Yuri Luzhkov. The mayor enabled Nisanov's complete takeover of the city. After Luzhkov left, Nisanov quickly reached an agreement with the new mayor, Sobyanin, and also made deals with other officials in Moscow.

Ilgar Hajiyev

The scheme works like this: 12% of Kyiv Ploshchad company's profits are sent to the mayor's office. Nisanov also has close ties with the prefects and helps them. For example, the son of the prefect of the Western Administrative District of Moscow is the general director of Kyiv Ploshchad LLC, and the former deputy of another district's prefect owes his position to Nisanov. The businessman has built his own structure within key government bodies and has a strong power wing.

Reinsurance or preparation?

Despite Nisanov's extensive connections and power, he still has concerns. He has agreements with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and local authorities, but there are other dissatisfied groups.

After unexpected FSB searches in 2019, Nisanov began planning to move his assets abroad. The process of transferring funds to America started, but his old connections helped pause the criminal case against him under pressure from top state officials.

This situation impacted Nisanov's future. To diversify his funds, he entered the cryptocurrency market and started buying bitcoin in large quantities. Perhaps now he is regretting this decision, but it's better than losing his own assets.

The path to civilization is closed

After the start of the so-called “special operation” in Ukraine, Nisanov began to fall into the sanctions lists of Europe, the United States, and the other day even Australia. This does not greatly affect Nisanov’s business, but there is another problem – in which case there is nowhere to run. Even Israel turned its back on the businessman. On June 3, the World Jewish Congress announced that a person who supports the events in Ukraine cannot hold the position of Vice President of the Congress. Therefore, they quickly moved away from Nisanov, condemning his activities. It is strange that before that, knowing the criminal trace of the entrepreneur, no one stepped aside from him. But as they say, money doesn’t smell.