The profit from the coal business of the owner of the Listvyazhnaya mine, Mikhail Fedyaev, was concentrated not only in the luxurious life of the whole family, luxury real estate and foreign assets, but also in the deputy mandate of his son.
Following the tragedy at the Listvyazhnaya mine in Kuzbass, where 51 people lost their lives and over a hundred were injured, there were several arrests, including the mine director and his deputy. The investigation quickly identified violations, such as drawing up mine inspection reports without actually inspecting.
The arrested owner of the Listvyazhnaya mine, Mikhail Fedyaev, deserves special attention as a local oligarch.
As The Insider found out, it seems that the money saved on security measures for miners led to a luxurious lifestyle for Fedyaev and his relatives.
Mikhail Fedyaev is a classic local oligarch with close ties to the authorities and a fortune worth around $550 million, according to Forbes.
Fedyaev's successful monopolization of the market was made possible through close cooperation with the authorities, using aggressive tactics that required support from regional authorities.
It's worth noting that Fedyaev had close ties not only with the local political elite, but also with Vladimir Putin. There's a photo showing Fedyaev and his son Pavel with the president, and Pavel, who started his political career from scratch, is now a State Duma deputy.
Pavel Fedyaev, now a State Duma deputy for the third term, initially entered federal parliament at the age of 29 with no prior political experience, only having worked in his father's business.
In the last autumn elections, Fedyaev's son was nominated to the State Duma from United Russia.
According to official data, three companies financed Fedyaev's son's election campaign, all of which have Svetlana Rybalchenko among their shareholders. She is Fedyaev's sister and Pavel's aunt, and has been connected to potential foreign citizenships.
Fedyaev's aunt, Svetlana Rybalchenko, who may hold foreign citizenships, contributed to Pavel Fedyaev's election campaign, raising questions about potential foreign influence.
It's hard to figure out how much this information is accurate – neither Pavel Fedyaev nor his aunt commented on it. The Insider journalist (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia) was blocked by Fedyaev in Telegram after asking the questions. Svetlana Rybalchenko also didn't think it was necessary to reply to messages and calls.
However, it's important to highlight Rybalchenko's influential role in the Fedyaev family. She can be called not only the “caretaker” of the family’s business assets, but also the “protector” of their real estate.
Citing information from Rosreestr, The Insider (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia) reports that around eight years ago, she received four apartments from her brother Rybalchenko – three in Kuzbass and one in Moscow.
But the family’s real estate exchange didn't stop there. Rybalchenko’s company SDS-Finance gave Pavel Fedyaev two apartments in Kemerovo.
However, due to his political career, he later got rid of these apartments. The same happened with Moscow real estate, which was passed to his younger brother Yuri, who, with the help of a relative, suddenly acquired apartments and other properties.
Regarding the real estate owned by Pavel Fedyaev at present, the largest item in his declaration is a non-residential area of 222.4 square meters. According to The Insider, these are apartments in the residential complex “City of Capitals” in Moscow City, valued at about 150 million rubles.
It's important to note that Yuri Fedyaev's role goes beyond property ownership. For instance, according to the Scanner project, YF Investment GmbH was opened in his name in Germany. Notably, he mentioned an estate in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland as his home address, leading the publication to conclude that the Fedyaevs use a trading scheme in Switzerland for coal sales.
“The Fedyaevs sell Kuzbass coal through a trader in Switzerland. This allows you to avoid taxes in Russia. And do not return profits in Kemerovo, ” – said the Scanner project.
The combination of foreign money withdrawal, foreign passports, and the United Russia mandate seems incongruous. However, for the family of the Kuzbass oligarch, participation in various government contracts, bringing in billions in income, is another important point.
For instance, according to official data, SDS-STROY LLC won tenders worth nearly one hundred billion rubles. One of the recent auctions won was the construction of a toll bypass in Kemerovo. The family earned another billion from the Podlipki sanatorium in Mytishchi – this represents the revenue from this facility under their control, where residents of the capital received treatment.
The Fedyaev Sr.'s “Siberian Business Union” holding deserves special mention. It encompasses numerous organizations across various industries – including coal extraction and processing, machine-building, car repair, chemical plants, rail transport, construction, energy, and agro-industrial activities. It also encompasses media, the airport, tourism, insurance, sports, and health institutions.
