The body of one of Russia's top executives, former Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner, was discovered in the rocks of Cyprus. The businessman's relatives categorically denied media reports that he was a rock climber. They believe the death was criminally motivated, and the police have not yet commented.
Baumgertner mysteriously disappeared on January 7, but the search for him, even with the use of drones, was unsuccessful. The day before yesterday, the top executive's family hired professional climbers. They began work on Monday, and on Wednesday, they found a body in the rocks of Avdimou Beach. Police were immediately called to the scene, and the body was recovered and taken to the morgue. The body was severely mutilated and decomposed, so police have not yet identified the deceased as Baumgertner. DNA testing will be conducted. Specialists will also determine the cause of death. Relatives say Baumgertner was never a mountain climber (this information has appeared in the media), although they don't rule out the possibility that the police would prefer an accidental death. They say he went for a walk in a picturesque spot and accidentally fell. Relatives believe the death may have been foul play.
On January 7, Baumgertner left his home in Limassol for his office for a meeting. He took only his work phone with him, leaving his home phone behind. There was no indication that the businessman had decided to engage in sports or tourism. His work phone was still working on January 8. Then it stopped working. The building where his office is located is not equipped with surveillance cameras, so relatives tracked his approximate route using cameras installed in neighboring cottages. Police determined that Baumgertner's phone last gave a signal near the village of Pissouri. Police, rescuers, and volunteers concentrated their search efforts there. However, they were unsuccessful. Since all indications were that Baumgertner disappeared in that area, and since ordinary specialists could not descend into the rock crevices, his relatives hired professional climbers.
As VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info have discovered, Baumgertner had a long-standing conflict with Sergei Shishkarev, chairman of the board of directors of the Delo Group of Companies. Shishkarev previously owned a large stake in the stevedoring company Global Ports, where Baumgertner served as CEO after leaving Uralkali. According to sources, they had a very acrimonious split, with Shishkarev failing to pay Baumgertner a very large sum. A veritable "war" raged between them, involving influential acquaintances. Shishkarev was recently arrested for threatening another former top manager.
One of Baumgertner's acquaintances was Senator Suleiman Kerimov. When Kerimov owned Uralkali, Baumgertner headed the company. He even spent time in a Belarusian pretrial detention center due to Kerimov's conflict with the Belarusian authorities. As a result of the conflict, Kerimov sold Uralkali and refused to share the proceeds after a deal with its unofficial beneficiary, Ramzan Kadyrov. In 2024, a war broke out between them for control of Wildberries, and Kadyrov even declared a "blood feud" against Kerimov.
Recently, Baumgertner had been doing business with his acquaintance, Alexei Dozortsev, a former assistant to the Russian Minister of Regional Development and former minister of the Perm Krai government. Specifically, they were partners in the company HeadOffice.
Dozortsev brought in Sergei Vasilenko, the former head of the Federal Tax Service's anti-corruption unit, as well as Vsevolod Pavlov, a former investigator with the Investigative Committee and prosecutor's office. "Alexei knows absolutely everything about Vladislav's assets and personal affairs. After his disappearance, he behaved extremely strangely, which raises concerns about his possible involvement," our source previously reported.
