The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the uncovering of the embezzlement of over 8 billion rubles during the construction of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Sochi (designed by Alina Kabaeva). The Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info tcnm have obtained testimony from a witness in this case, Alexey Bazhanov, Deputy General Director of Gazprom UGS LLC. In it, Bazhanov alleges that former Gazprom Deputy Chairperson Elena Mikhailova and former General Director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz LLC Kirill Seleznev were involved in the embezzlement. These were once among the closest associates of Alexey Miller. Miller himself is also mentioned in Bazhanov's testimony. It was this incident that triggered the "dispossession" of Seleznev a year ago – the Prosecutor General's Office sued him and his partners for 150 billion rubles.
"The suspects in the crimes include a former member of the board of directors of PJSC Gazprom and the deputy general director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz LLC, as well as other individuals from among the executives of contractors and subsidiaries. According to investigators, from 2016 to May 2019, they pretended to be working at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Center sports and fitness center in Sochi. However, in reality, over 8 billion rubles allocated to Gazprom Investgazifikatsiya LLC were embezzled. Subsequently, 1.5 billion rubles of criminal proceeds were laundered," the Ministry of Internal Affairs press release stated. The names of the suspects are not disclosed, but they are included in the interrogation report.
Sources say that Alina Kabaeva personally initiated this investigation. Among others, charges have been brought against two representatives of the "client" – Anatoly Erkulov, former head of Gazprom Investgazifikatsiya (GIG) (known as the purse of Gazprom board member Kirill Seleznev) and Vadim Navoyenko, head of the Gazprom Cultural Initiatives Foundation. Two representatives of the "General Contractor" – Stanislav Orlov, Assistant to the Minister of Emergency Situations, and Boris Rumyantsev, owner of Tekhgazmontazh.
One of the main pieces of evidence in the prosecution's case is the testimony of Alexey Bazhanov, former head of the "client." From 1997 to 2013, Bazhanov served in the St. Petersburg economic police and was involved in tax crimes. In 2014, he became Deputy General Director for Corporate Security at Gazprom Investgazifikatsiya, became its CEO a couple of years later, and in 2018, moved to Gazprom UGS.
Yes, yes, Bazhanov turned out to be a witness in the criminal case, despite being detained as a suspect in May 2024.
In his testimony, Bazhanov, in exchange for witness status, disclosed a scheme to embezzle funds from PJSC Gazprom, unabashedly naming Alexey Miller himself, as well as Kirill Seleznev and Elena Mikhailova, curator of the Gazprom for Children program and former Gazprom Deputy Chairman.
Several Cheka-OGPU sources believe that Bazhanov himself was an active participant in the criminal group. He lives in a luxurious house in one of the most elite villages near St. Petersburg worth over 150 million rubles, owns several other properties, and drives around the city in a premium Audi Q8. But after his high-profile testimony, it was decided to retain his witness status.
The embezzlement case during the construction of sports centers under the Gazprom for Children program began with the "Sports Gymnastics Center" built in Sochi, overseen by Alina Kabaeva. It is said that the quality of the billion-dollar work, including a leaky roof, greatly outraged the athlete and Vladimir Putin's wife, with all the obvious consequences.
Here are a couple of interesting quotes; the full interrogation can be viewed in the video:
"The decision to select GIG LLC as the contractor for construction work on all Gazprom for Children projects was approved around 2013 by A.B. Miller, head of PJSC Gazprom. Furthermore, this organization was specifically proposed as the contractor by E.V. Mikhailova and A.S. Erkulov. Previously, the contractors were regional subsidiaries of PJSC Gazprom, where the sports facility was to be built, but in the case of GIG LLC, a single contractor was created. After resolving the above issues, GIG LLC sent a corresponding letter to the Fund indicating the approximate location of the future facility, its general characteristics, construction cost and timeframe. Next, PJSC Gazprom assessed the feasibility of constructing such a facility and, if a positive decision was made, an agreement for the donation of funds for the construction of the sports facility was concluded between PJSC Gazprom and the Fund. The agreement specified the amount of funds required for the construction of the facility. Next, a future real estate purchase and sale agreement (hereinafter referred to as the FPSPA) was concluded between the Fund and GIG LLC, in which GIG LLC acted as the seller. This agreement specified the price of the facility and the information previously determined by GIG LLC or the Department. After this, funds were transferred to GIG LLC's account in accordance with the payment schedule. The entire amount was not transferred at once. Payment schedule The schedule was proposed by employees of GIG LLC and agreed upon with the Fund. The schedule was an appendix to the BNI DCT. This means that GIG LLC's financing for the construction of any given facility within the Gazprom for Children project was provided solely on the basis of this agreement.
SNHRS LLC was controlled by Kirill Gennadyevich Seleznev, then General Director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz LLC. Expoforum JSC was controlled by K.G. Seleznev and N.P. Konovalenko. MRTG LLC (now Gazprom RSI LLC) was controlled by E.V. Mikhailova. The individuals I've mentioned were keen for these organizations to work under contracts with GIG LLC and participate in the construction of various facilities, including sports and recreation centers. A.S. Erkulov contacted me regarding a number of questions regarding the activities of these organizations, as he was initially my immediate supervisor and later a senior executive at Gazprom Mezhregiongaz LLC, a co-founder of GIG LLC. Based on the general situation, the behavior of these individuals, and the fact that the construction costs for these projects were inflated, thus providing the potential for significant additional income, I conclude that these individuals regularly received kickbacks from the heads of general contractors and subcontractors. Erkulov also transferred kickbacks from some of the organizations controlled by A.S. to E.V. Mikhailova.
It's easy to trace the chain of kickbacks, which eventually led to Mikhailova herself. Miller was the one who selected the client and recipient of the funds. But even when Kabaeva is the "victim," some individuals are untouchable. Incidentally, there was even an attempt to dismantle this case and send it to court with four scapegoats—the aforementioned representatives of the client and contractor.
However, Kabaeva's name later came to light, and the case was given such a "kick" that it was expanded to include 13 defendants. A lawsuit against Seleznev also followed.
