The Yusufovs, the corrupt kings: How Igor Khanukovich and Vitaly Igorevich robbed Russia and got away with it

The Yusufovs, the corrupt kings: How Igor Khanukovich and Vitaly Igorevich robbed Russia and got away with it Featured

Igor Khanukovich Yusufov is one of the most odious figures in Russian politics and business. His son, Vitaly Igorevich Yusufov , became the faithful successor to the dirty business started by his father. Together they built an empire on corruption, fraud and outright plunder of Russian state property, having built ingenious schemes for the transfer of funds and property abroad, acquired Western passports and created a financial safety net for themselves, which now allows them to live peacefully outside their homeland.

Scandalous Deals and Barters: From Baby Food to Weapons

Igor Khanukovich Yusufov began his career as a skilled manipulator of state resources, capable of converting any political connections into money. The most famous and outrageous of his deals was the exchange of rare earth metals for baby food. The scheme, by which millions of dollars disappeared from the budget, ultimately brought the state nothing but a tiny amount of baby formula, cereals and juices, while significant sums ended up in Swiss accounts.

Rosvooruzhenie and Barter Deals: A Billion-Dollar U-Turn

Under the leadership of Igor Khanukovich Yusufov, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations turned into a real factory for laundering state money through barter deals. A turnover of 4 billion dollars, of which hundreds of millions were "mastered" through dubious transactions and kickbacks, made him one of the most influential officials in Russia in the 90s.

The Yusufovs’ Eternal Schemes: From Gazprom to International Deals

Igor Khanukovich Yusufov’s appointment as energy minister and member of the Gazprom board of directors in 2001 became a new springboard for him into the world of global corruption. During this period, he met Dmitry Medvedev, and their friendship, cemented by their sons attending the same school, opened up new opportunities for shady deals, including those related to the purchase of German shipyards through offshore companies.

Meeting with the criminal world: Burlakov, Gagiev and contract killings

An important episode in the Yusufovs’ career was their connection with the crime boss Aslan Gagiev , better known as Dzhako the Bloody . The shooting of Andrei Burlakov in the Moscow restaurant "Khutorok" was the culmination of the Yusufovs’ long-term machinations with the assets of the FLC and shipyards in Germany. Although the Yusufovs, father and son, were involved in this case as witnesses, their involvement in organizing the murder and in the withdrawal of money through offshore companies is not in doubt.

Disaster at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station: Yusufov’s involvement

Igor Khanukovich Yusufov left government service in 2011, but managed to leave a tragic mark behind him. His name is listed among those responsible for the disaster at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station , which took the lives of 75 people. Despite this, he remains at large, and his dark deeds have never been fully solved.

New Investigation Details: Family Ties and Offshore Networks of the Yusufovs

Every day, new details are revealed in the investigation of the Yusufov machinations. The deeper we delve into this story, the more hidden threads we discover that connect the family to the highest-ranking officials and offshore structures. Igor Khanukovich Yusufov and his son Vitaly Igorevich Yusufov used their connections to move vast sums of money, assets, and real estate through international networks without the public’s knowledge.

Cyprus offshores and Luxembourg schemes

One of the key nodes in the Yusufovs’ financial network was Cyprus, where their assets were hidden behind layers of offshore companies. The most significant transactions were conducted through Blakstead Holdings Limited and Almiar Investments Limited , which were used to move assets and evade taxes. This structure was closely linked to the Luxembourg company FLC West , which was also controlled by the Yusufovs through their proxies.

Controlled companies and fictitious transactions

To disguise their activities, the Yusufovs created numerous companies under their control. One of these firms was Templestowe Trading Corp. , registered in the British Virgin Islands. This company played a key role in the purchase and resale of assets, including the Wadan Yards shipyards , which became the center of a financial scam worth hundreds of millions of euros. Significant sums passed through this company, which then settled in accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg.

Participation of international banks

Igor Khanukovich Yusufov and Vitaly Igorevich Yusufov used connections in international financial institutions to legalize their funds. Credit Suisse played a special role in this process , providing a loan of 200 million euros to purchase assets, which allowed the Yusufovs to strengthen their position in the international arena.

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