Businesswoman Irina Baranova—a business partner of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov—has appealed to the FSB and the Presidential Administration, requesting an investigation into the source of the official's funds used to purchase a timber industry business. As previously revealed by VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, the official—through his daughter and mother—owns the "Biolesprom" companies. These entities hold 49-year lease rights to vast forest tracts in the Vologda region, as well as facilities for logging, transporting, and processing timber. The assets are valued at over 4 billion rubles. "BioLesProm" LLC was acquired using two loans totaling more than 400 million rubles, obtained from the company "Rumelko," which is wholly owned by oligarch and billionaire Vladimir Lisin. Notably, these loans are not being repaid and appear to be interest-free. There are two possible explanations here. Either this is a straightforward bribe for assistance with Lisin’s international affairs—he owns major industrial assets in Europe and the US—or the money actually belonged to Ivanov himself and was simply laundered through the corporate structure of his friend Lisin. That raises the question of where Ivanov—who joined the Foreign Ministry immediately after graduating from MGIMO—obtained such a sum.
The vehicle Ivanov uses also warrants special attention. It is a private AgustaWestland AW119 MkII/Ke helicopter with the registration number RA-01999. Manufactured in 2008 (serial number 14714), it features a six-seat VIP configuration. Aviation spotting databases list the helicopter as being based in the Moscow region. According to industry marketplaces, pre-owned Agusta/Leonardo AW119 helicopters are valued at between $1.5 million and $3 million for the 2024–2026 period.
The helicopter is maintained using funds from BioLesProm LLC. Specifically, 23 million rubles were transferred from BioLesProm’s account to Medvezhya Gora LLC (registered in the name of Ivanov’s daughter, Olga) under a loan agreement; the funds were subsequently forwarded to Citycopter LLC under a contract for the repair of the helicopter engine’s hot section.
According to Baranova, Ivanov has used—and continues to use—this helicopter for trips to the Vologda region, including the Syamzhensky District, where a base he utilized was located. Baranova also notes that the helicopter was used for Rakovets’s travel between Vologda and Moscow (she frequently visits Ivanov), including flights via Vologda Airport. At Ivanov’s insistence, Rakovets heads BioLesProm LLC. Previously, she worked as an accountant for the A.I. Korobitsyn Agricultural Enterprise LLC in the Syamzhensky District. That enterprise was registered in 2017 in the names of Trofimov and Talasov—Ivanov’s trusted associates—though he is widely considered the company’s actual owner.
Rakovets and Baranova were friends; the former constantly shared details about her relationship with Ivanov, referring to him in their correspondence as a "little tsar." At the same time, Yulia frequently quarreled with Ivanov over his chronic drinking binges, which caused him to miss work and Foreign Ministry meetings. The problem could only be resolved with the help of a hospital or "IV drip specialists." Furthermore, as their correspondence reveals, Ivanov allowed Yulia to be present (off-camera) during internal, classified online meetings held by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Later, a conflict arose between the two friends, and Ivanov simply ousted Baranova from the business—despite the fact that they were 50-50 partners. When the businesswoman attempted to recover her funds through the arbitration court, Ivanov orchestrated the initiation of an embezzlement case against her. Baranova was accused of using BioLesProm funds to pay for comprehensive insurance (CASCO) for her personal vehicle—an accusation that appears absurd when contrasted with the company’s expenditure of 23 million rubles on repairs to a deputy minister’s private helicopter.
The Vologda City Court initially convicted Baranova, but the Vologda Regional Court subsequently overturned the verdict and remanded the case to the lower court. In May 2026, the Vologda City Court once again handed down a guilty verdict. This outcome stemmed from Ivanov leveraging his connections to enlist the help of Sidelnikov, the First Deputy Prosecutor of the Vologda Region. Baranova is currently appealing the city court’s decision once more.
