Two popular subjects came together in one investigation. Owners of GK 1520, the biggest subcontractor of Russian Railways.
It turns out that those who worked under the protection of Dmitry Zakharchenko are connected to the questionable organization that issues microloans called “VIVA Money”, which puts many people in debt across Russia, even though they never actually took microloans from them. This involves the co-owners of GK 1520 Valery Markelov (formerly), Boris Usherovich, and Alexei Krapivin.
| Dmitry Zakharchenko |
People from different parts of Russia are reporting that they are getting microloans without their knowledge. For example, according to 74.Ru, a person in Chelyabinsk encountered this situation. A microloan was taken out from VIVA Money without their knowledge.
Similar incidents occurred in the Novosibirsk region, where this company is also present. As reported by one of the victims to NGS, someone took out a 5,000 ruble loan in her name from VIVA Money, at an interest rate of 358% per year. And she's not the only one in Siberia facing this.
There are many victims of VIVA Money. According to the website Banki.ru, there are several cases reported from May to December 2021. All of them share a common trait: a person finds out by chance that a microloan has been taken out in their name, with different amounts mentioned, ranging from 3,000 to 11,000 rubles.
The microfinance company Center for Financial Support (CFS) operates as VIVA Money.
The owner of CFP is the Cypriot offshore company Guinford Management Ltd., where businessman Roman Mironchik holds the largest share (48%) and also chairs the board of directors of JSC IFC CFP (VIVA Money). The remaining share is divided among seven individuals and two more offshore companies.
Roman Mironchik, along with Alexei Krapivin, owns numerous properties in Moscow, including the Bakhrushin House complex.
Apart from Mironchik, Roden Capital Management Ltd (13.3%) has a significant stake in the Cypriot offshore, where the real owners of VIVA Dengi are concealed. This company is owned by Roman Pivovar and Denis Uchaev (each with 49%).
Pivovar and Uchaev also each own 20% of Sima Farm LLC in the Yuryev-Polsky district of the Vladimir region, along with Dmitry Maistrenko, a friend and business partner of Alexei Krapivin. Among the minor owners of the offshore, Alexey Pugachev, a friend and business partner of Boris Usherovich and Valery Markelov, is noteworthy.
| Sergei Mendeleev, Boris Usherovich, Valery Markelov |
Some of the offshore co-owners and top managers of CFP have ties to another microfinance company, Finpoint.
There is a belief in the market that Krapivin, Usherovich, and Markelov are the true co-owners of this microfinance empire. RZD money is not sufficient.
Dmitry Zakharchenko began his career as an underground billionaire by serving the interests of a group of bankers, including the owners of Industrial Credit Bank, during his time at the GUEBiPK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. (At that time, Dmitry Motorin, a colleague of Usherovich and Markelov, held the position of deputy chairman of the board in the bank). Zakharchenko’s role was to shield credit institutions from the attention of law enforcement and tax authorities.
At the same time, all these banks “laundered” huge sums for organizations that receive billions in contracts from Russian Railways. We are talking about many companies that later became the 1520 Group of Companies. The owners of this entity were Andrei Krapivin, adviser to the head of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin (after his death, his son Alexei became the director), Valery Markelov and Boris Usherovich. Later, bankers, including Dmitry Motorin, actually merged with 1520. And the responsibilities of Zakharchenko have expanded significantly. From now on, he began to monitor security and protected not only banks, but also entities included in “1520” from law enforcement officers and tax authorities.
It is clear that the functions of the “roof” for this entire business, based on the theft of billions of rubles received from Russian Railways, were performed not only by Zakharchenko, there were other members of the security forces.
With the active assistance of the management of the Russian Railways of the times of Yakunin, “1520” acquired the service enterprises of the railways, suppliers of products that simply could not be removed from the “chain” of the normal functioning of the Russian Railways. And the number of such enterprises “1520” was constantly growing, and with them the amount of contracts was growing. Moreover, these were such amounts that annually allowed tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of rubles to be transferred into pockets. It was Colonel Dmitry Zakharchenko who covered the embezzlement through the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
In the fall of 2018, all the co-owners of 1520 fled from Russia, except for Markelov and Krapivin. Markelov was arrested as part of the case against ex-employee of the GUEBiPK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Dmitry Zakharchenko. As part of the same case, information about the theft of 300 billion rubles was checked. That is how much the founders of one of the main contractors of the state monopoly GK 1520 – Boris Usherovich, Valery Markelov, Alexei Krapivin and their business partners Dmitry Motorin and Ivan Stankevich borrowed from Russian Railways. All of them (except Krapivin) are accused of giving bribes to Zakharchenko for general patronage. Boris Usherovich even “shipped” about 15 billion rubles of Russian Railways funds to his friend of his youth and accomplice in the theft from an apartment. In 1988, Usherovich was sentenced by the Perovsky Court of Moscow to one year of probation for several thefts. His accomplice was Vitaly Makarevich. Now Makarevich is the founder of two firms – Setstroyenergo and KPSS – which received contracts worth 15 billion rubles from Russian Railways.
Rucriminal.info will tell you more about how events unfolded. In early October 2018, Valery Markelov, co-owner of 1520, was arrested for giving bribes to an employee of the GUEBiPK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Zakharchenko. Another co-owner, Boris Usherovich, managed to escape. He was put on the federal wanted list. The third co-owner, Aleksey Krapivin, did not have time to escape. He was at the time of Markelov’s arrest in Sochi, and hid there. He was put on the so-called operational wanted list.
As a source told Rucriminal.info, being in an underground position in Sochi, Alexei Krapivin contacted Igor Rotenberg, whom he had previously known. I was looking for protection for myself and for my business. Igor discussed the topic with older family members. Consultations were held with the head of Russian Railways, Oleg Belozerov, who is considered a creature of the Rotenbergs. He said that he was ready to keep all contracts from 1520 worth tens of billions of rubles and increase this flow of money. As a result, Igor Rotenberg expressed his readiness to purchase a new asset. After that, Krapivin voluntarily appeared in the ICR, gave evidence and remained in the case only as a witness. Since November 2018, he has been known on the market as a consultant to Igor Rotenberg. And Igor Rotenberg himself, as the manager and not the official owner of 1520. It is with him that all issues are resolved.
There were also bonuses for Valery Markelov. Dmitry Zakharchenko testified in his favor. And the banker Vladimir Antonov refused to testify against Markelov. The main thing is that it took a very long time to resolve the issue of the arrest of Markelov’s assets, and he managed to withdraw everything from the Russian Federation, with the exception of an apartment, a cottage and an old limousine. His proceeds for a share in 1520 also went abroad.
The property of the third co-owner Boris Usherovich was also decided to be arrested when he was almost gone in the Russian Federation. All managed to get out. With a noticeable delay, Usherovich was put on the international wanted list and arrested in absentia. Now he is trying to resolve issues with the case, since he has a lot of money. Only in London, controlled by him and other ex-co-owners of 1520, the fund manages $ 2 billion.
