Leaked correspondence involving Senator Anatoly Artamonov reveals that he personally lobbies for the interests of top-tier oligarchs—such as the owner of the notorious Miratorg (one might recall the mass culling of livestock by authorities in Siberia in 2026, which served Miratorg’s interests). Meanwhile, the senator’s son, Yevgeny, handles "clients" of a lower caliber; he has long been well-known in the world of "backroom deal-making."
According to a source, the elder Artamonov deals with high-profile figures personally. The leaked messages show the senator in constant contact with Miratorg president Viktor Linnik, who frequently asks him not only to push for specific business-related decisions but also to secure amendments to draft legislation. For instance, Linnik expresses a desire to amend the status of agricultural producers affected by military hostilities: "We just ask that 2026 be included... it’s important for us to establish the rules for 2026 right now... We need the Ministry of Finance to sign off on 2026." Artamonov replies: "OK. Agreed."
The correspondence also mentions that Artamonov had personal dealings with Alisher Usmanov—likely regarding the most favorable terms for Usmanov’s exit from a project to relaunch the Kaluga Cement Plant, which had been under development since 2010–2011. The project was intended to create a unique, one-of-a-kind production facility in Russia. At the time, financing was provided through VEB.RF, amounting to 8 billion rubles. Following the imposition of sanctions against VEB in 2014, construction came to a halt. In 2018, Kaluga Cement Plant LLC entered bankruptcy proceedings; the associated arbitration court cases are still ongoing.
In April 2022, the unfinished facility was acquired at auction for 8.95 billion rubles by Akkermann Cement—a company that is part of Alisher Usmanov’s USM group. A deposit of 895.2 million rubles was also paid.
Completing the construction required significant additional investment, estimated at 20–25 billion rubles. On June 16, 2022, the Kaluga Region and Akkermann Cement LLC signed an agreement to build the plant within the Maklaki Industrial Park. The project aimed to create at least 400 jobs, with the facility slated to become operational by the end of 2024.
However, in October 2022, it was revealed that the land beneath the plant’s facilities had been seized as part of criminal case No. 12101450149002285, initiated following a complaint by VEB.RF. On October 17, Akkermann Cement filed a motion with the court to invalidate the auction and, consequently, the purchase agreement. The matter did not reach a court hearing, however; in early December, Kaluga Cement Plant LLC—along with affiliated entities Network Company Region LLC, Mares LLC, and Master-Resurs LLC—signed a supplementary agreement with Akkermann Cement to terminate the purchase contract. Following this, Akkermann Cement withdrew its application to have the bidding process declared invalid.
However, Artamonov Sr. does not deal with "clients" of a lower tier himself. That task falls to his son, Yevgeny—known, according to a source, as a "fixer."
In one instance, Artamonov Jr. writes to his father, inquiring about real estate near the site of the former "Vinogradovsky Baths." Lobbying on his son’s behalf, Artamonov Sr. reaches out to "SS"—Sergey Sobyanin—as well as Moscow Deputy Mayor Vladimir Yefimov.
In another case, Yevgeny Artamonov forwards his father a letter from the Israeli firm ABIC Septa. The company, which wishes to manufacture veterinary vaccines in the Kaluga Region, is requesting a meeting with Deputy Minister of Agriculture Maxim Uvaidov. The son writes: "The letter to the Deputy Minister has been sent; I’ll provide the incoming reference number shortly." He also asks his father to "connect" him with the son of Mikhail Trinoga—the now-former Deputy Chief of the Government Staff. The father replies: "I’ve spoken with Uvaidov," and adds, "I’ll call Trinoga."
Yevgeny also forwards his father a letter from a Moscow municipal agency (UDMS) regarding an invitation for the joint-stock company "Puskovoy Element" to participate in a tender for the relocation of 220 kV power lines along the Moscow High-Speed Diameter—a project with an initial contract value of 376.6 million rubles. A few minutes later, he adds: "This relates to our conversation with 'SS'—they trust us. The issue of increasing the contract value is still on the table. It would be good if he could nudge Bochkaryov." Here, "SS" refers to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, and Andrei Bochkaryov is his deputy in charge of construction.
