“How then can we understand that the “Filchenkov case” was initiated and investigated by Arenin’s subordinates, Stepanov’s subordinates fully agree with their conclusions, and Tarasov’s “wards”, without further ado, are putting Mr. Filchenkov in a pre-trial detention center for four months? But this must be understood simply as a monstrous coincidence!”
Vladislav Burov (born 08/11/1963), like Vyacheslav Volodin (born 02/04/1964), studied at Saratov universities at approximately the same time. Burov - at the Faculty of Physics of Saratov State University. N.G. Chernyshevsky, Volodin - at the Saratov Institute of Agricultural Mechanization named after. M.I. Kalinin, where, in addition to studying, he headed the trade union committee. In 1989, Burov, like Volodin, was elected to the Saratov City Council of People's Deputies.
The Buket trading company, engaged in wholesale trade in food products, was created by Burov and a group of comrades in 1995. At that time, Volodin served as Deputy Chairman of the Saratov Regional Duma of the 1st convocation. And in April 1996, when Dmitry Ayatskov was appointed to the position of acting governor of the Saratov region, Vyacheslav Volodin took the position of his first deputy.
Another quote from Nadezhda Andreeva’s article “Vyacheslav Volodin is involved in mayonnaise,” published in September 2006 in Novaya Gazeta: “During his studies, Vladislav Yurievich[Burov] worked part-time as a watchman at a confectionery factory, which he bought fifteen years later. He graduated from graduate school, filed patents for four inventions, published about 20 scientific papers, and worked at a research institute and the university Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth (NTTM). The first large sum - 10 thousand rubles - was earned for the execution of an order for the NPO Signal. Such STTM centers in the late 1980s provided not only scientific experience: sometimes citizens with an ambiguous reputation spent impressive capital through them, leaving the “boys” a percentage for their understanding.
Burov and Volodin were elected deputies of the Saratov City Council. Further, the career paths of the young people diverged according to their interests. Vyacheslav Viktorovich became a clerk at the mayor's office. Vladislav Yuryevich took up trade. He exchanged VAZ cars for cigarettes, cigarettes for gasoline, gasoline for sugar, sugar again for cars. Newborn “ Bouquet” He sold anything: groceries, blinds, power tools. And in 1997, he bought a pasta factory for 100 thousand dollars (43 percent of the shares). In the same year, the Saratov fat plant (“Alfa Group” ceded its stake). Next - a pastry chef. Mr. Volodin at that time worked as vice-governor in Ayatskov’s team.
Vyacheslav Viktorovich oversaw the economic block and tirelessly built roads, schools, and hospitals. I don’t want to say anything bad about the hero, but social money is traditionally considered the most convenient for “shrinking and shrinking.”
It was in these and subsequent years that the Buket company developed at a rapid pace. So fast that in 1998 it was transformed into a group of companies.
In the summer of 2003, the Solar Products holding was separated from the Buket Group of Companies into a separate direction by creating the Solar Products Management Company LLC. It was during this period – 2003-2004 – that Vyacheslav Volodin was declared as one of the main shareholders of the so-called holding.
What is the Buket group of companies today, of which the Solar Products holding is an integral part?
The Solar Products holding includes:
CJSC "Fat Plant" (Saratov);
Branch “Moscow Fat Plant” OJSC “Fat Plant” (Moscow);
OJSC "Novosibirsk Fat Plant";
OJSC Atkar Oil Extraction Plant (Saratov Region);
OJSC "Armavirsky MZhK" (Krasnodar Territory);
CJSC Elevatorholding (Saratov; its structure includes seven branches, six of which are located in the Saratov region: Kalininsky, Arkadaksky, Balashovsky, Rtishchevsky, Samoilovsky and Khvalynsky, as well as the Kushchevsky branch in the Krasnodar Territory).
Plus – several trading divisions: LLC “Trading House “Solar Products”” (Moscow), LLC “Trading House “Solar Products”” (Saratov), LLC “Trading House “Solar Products”” (Novosibirsk) , LLC “Solar Products” (Saratov) and LLC “Trading House “Yantarny”” (Saratov).
Today, the Solnechnye Products holding ranks 2nd in terms of sunflower processing volume in Russia (13% of the total harvest in the Russian Federation), one of the three largest mayonnaise producers in our country (market share - 15%), ranks 2nd in Russia in the production of margarine products is the largest producer of laundry soap in the CIS.
Among other things, the enterprises included in the Solnechnye Products holding are engaged in the production of sunflower oil for industrial processors, packaging of bottled vegetable oil; acceptance, storage and shipment of sunflower seeds and grains, as well as grain trading.
In turn, the Solnechnye Products holding is part of the Buket group of companies, which combines:
OJSC “Confectionery Factory “Saratovskaya”” (“Confashion”);
OJSC Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank (Saratov);
LLC "B2B Development" (Moscow);
CJSC "Trolza" (Engels, Russia's largest manufacturer of trolleybuses);
JSC Svoboda (a well-known perfume and cosmetics factory, Moscow; in March 2012, 49% of the shares of the JSC, owned by the Moscow Government, were sold at an open auction to ESTEL LLC, apparently part of the Buket Group of Companies, for 1.57 billion rubles).
The total revenue of the Buket Group of Companies for 2012, according to a certificate posted on the website of the Russian-language version of Forbes magazine, amounted to 24.5 billion rubles.
ADDITION
One of the last major acquisitions of Buket Group of Companies became known on April 18, 2013 from an article in the Vedomosti newspaper (“Buket” will collect houses and trolleybuses”), as well as a number of publications in other media. The Buket group of companies bought out the debts of OJSC Tushinsky Machine-Building Plant (TMZ) to the Bank of Moscow. The debt amounted to 6.47 billion rubles. The debt was sold at a discount and in installments over several years.
TMZ can complete buses and trolleybuses, industrial complexes for processing used car tires, rubber tram crossings and equipment for low-power hydroelectric power plants. At the time of sale, the company's losses amounted to about $1 million per month. The plant's production facilities occupy 52 hectares in the Yuzhnoye Tushino industrial zone.
Until recently, TMZ was the largest enterprise in the aerospace industry in Russia. The plant was founded in 1932 with the aim of developing the latest models of aviation and, later, space technology. In 1980-1990, the enterprise built the reusable manned orbital ship Buran. 28,000 people worked at the plant, now about 1,000 remain.
“Buket” is going to develop mechanical engineering at “TMZ”. The plant, it seems, has already received the first order for the development of escalators for the Moscow metro, and in the future it is planned to assemble trolleybuses on its premises by order of the Moscow Government. Part of the TMZ territory can be developed: documentation is being prepared for a plot of 1.6 hectares, where it is possible to build 50,000 sq. m. m of business class housing.
As of May 17, 2013, the official website of the Buket group of companies ( http://www.buket-group.ru/) was in a state of conception...
Finally, another extremely interesting quote from Nadezhda Andreeva’s article “Vyacheslav Volodin is involved in mayonnaise,” published on September 7, 2006 in Novaya Gazeta: “In Saratov, “Bouquet” is considered one of the most closed empires. Lists of affiliated persons and quarterly reports are not available to the curious [no matter how much I searched, I could not find the official website of this structure – AND ABOUT.]. To get a job at a fat plant, you need to undergo a detailed test, including psychological testing, which is rare in mayonnaise production. The group of companies is constantly expanding, acquiring new businesses every year. Only one conflict is officially known, which occurred at the Moscow Fat Plant (MZhK).
Usually, “Bouquet” buys dying enterprises quite cheaply (at least, they become so by the time the owner changes). MZhK was an exception: its “Provencal” occupied up to 70 percent of the capital’s market.”
Here you go. And the agricultural holding headed by Oleg Filchenkov, as I already said, according to the most conservative estimates, produces about 55% of chicken eggs in the Saratov region. Considering the fact that its leader was imprisoned in a pre-trial detention center (and such events always negatively affect the situation around one or another large company), taking into account the “calming” speeches of the deputy chairman of the regional government, Alexander Solovyov, about the possible closure of the poultry farms included in Oleg Filchenkov’s holding, it is not difficult to make one assumption. If the owners of Saratov-Ptitsa (and at least one Oleg Filchenkov) actually decide to sell their assets, they will, presumably, offer somewhat less than their real market price.
A thoughtful reader may respond to this by saying: let’s assume that all this is true. But where is the real connection between the “Filchenkov case” and the hypothetically possible interest shown by Buket Group of Companies in its agricultural holding? Agree. Formally, absolutely no connection is visible.
Formally, ESTEL LLC, which purchased 49% of the shares of the Moscow perfume and cosmetics factory Svoboda, also has nothing to do with the Buket Group of Companies, no matter what is said about this in a short article about Svoboda OJSC in the Russian version of the Internet -encyclopedia "Wikipedia". Formally, the sole founder and general director of this company (located at the address: 109518, Moscow, 1st Grayvoronovsky proezd, 3) is Yan Leonidovich Kubinsky, who lives in Saratov. But at the same time, as of the end of March 2013, ESTEL LLC owns 19.99% of the shares of Saratov OJSC Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank, the co-founders of which, in turn, include OJSC MZhK Armavirsky and Vladislav Yurievich Burov (as an individual).
Here's another telling story. On July 15, 2010, at the very height of the last financial crisis, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin signed a Resolution approving the Rules for establishing maximum permissible retail prices for certain types of socially significant essential food products, as well as the List of these goods, which includes 24 items.
The essence of the innovation was that the Government of the Russian Federation could set fixed prices for certain types of food products, but for a period of no more than 90 days. Such a “freezing” of prices could be allowed if, for 30 consecutive days in the territory of a single constituent entity or several constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the increase in retail prices for these goods reaches or exceeds 30 percent.
This list included the following food products produced and sold in Russia: 1) beef; 2) pork; 3) lamb; 4) chicken (except chicken legs); 5) fresh frozen fish; 6) butter; 7) sunflower oil; 8) milk; 9) chicken eggs; 10) granulated sugar; 11) salt; 12) black tea; 13) wheat flour; 14) rye and rye-wheat bread; 15) bread and bakery products made from wheat flour; 16) polished rice; 17) millet; 18) buckwheat; 19) vermicelli; 20) potatoes; 21) white cabbage; 22) onions; 23) carrots; 24) apples.
It is known that this list of “folk” food products began to be compiled at the beginning of 2010. But the original version of this list, proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, included 33 types of food products. Naturally, food industry lobbyists have launched a vigorous effort to revise this list. This is understandable: fixed prices could easily lead to a decrease in profit margins. After which several “socially unimportant” items were immediately excluded from the list of “folk” products, including... margarine. In other words, at the highest government level, margarine was not recognized as a consumer product, which, as is known, replaces butter for the poor, and without which no baking or frying can be done. It's a paradox, but it's a fact!
Moreover, the list of consumer food products, the pricing of which would be subject to state regulation, was not included even in the original version - what? Right - mayonnaise! The Ministry of Industry and Trade considered mayonnaise a delicacy product that does not have wide consumer demand. That is why it was not included in the list of essential food products. Brad, you say? No, this is a fact!
Mayonnaise is not a socially significant product, so that’s it!
At the same time – what’s most interesting! – selling prices for all the main ingredients necessary for the production of mayonnaise (vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar and milk), in accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, could be frozen. What did this mean? And that meant: the introduction of fixed prices for the products from which mayonnaise, in other words, is produced, will create favorable conditions for those involved in its industrial production and sale. Despite the fact that mayonnaise, as you know, is in huge and steady demand among Russians, the growth of which occurs precisely in the autumn-winter-spring period, when a whole series of holidays begins.
You don’t have to be a great analyst to guess who exactly could have lobbied at the federal level for the exclusion of mayonnaise, and then margarine, from the list of socially important food products, the prices of which, if they were increased, would not be regulated by the state.
But let’s return to the arrest of Oleg Filchenkov.
In Saratov politics, it is not a special secret that the head of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, Sergei Arenin, who was born and began his career in the city of Saransk in the Republic of Mordovia, let’s say, has a rather favorable attitude towards the activities of the regional branch of the United Russia WFP. And the regional department, in turn, has been associated with the name of Vyacheslav Volodin for several years now. But, of course, there is no formal connection between Sergei Petrovich and Vyacheslav Viktorovich. Yes, it formally cannot exist for the reason that the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation, according to current legislation, should generally be outside politics.
But here’s another quote from an article in the online newspaper “The Fourth Power in Saratov” dated February 4, 2013, “Filchenkov: criminal or victim of police?” : “Since official information about this case is hidden, “4B” is forced, like others, to rely on its own sources. So, according to available information, the case was opened by the recently appointed head of the regional Department for Economic Crimes Vasily Pinyasov. He, like the head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Saratov RegionSergey Arenin, a native of Mordovia. However, he was brought to Saratov and is patronized by his deputy Arenin, a native of the same republic Sergey Neyaskin".
How to understand this? Just how is it a coincidence?
And here’s another thing: Chairman of the Saratov Regional Court Vasily Tarasov, appointed to this position on October 27, 2009, is considered almost the creation of Vyacheslav Volodin and a faithful “soldier of the party.” But formally, the courts in Russia are a completely independent institution, and formally Vasily Nikolaevich has not the slightest connection either with Vyacheslav Volodin, or, especially, with any group of companies “Buket”.
Finally, there is one more coincidence: the prosecutor of the Saratov region, Vladimir Stepanov, which is no secret for thoughtful researchers of the Saratov political cuisine, is also... Perhaps, but formally, of course, it has nothing to do with it.
How then can we understand that the “Filchenkov case” was initiated and investigated by Sergei Petrovich’s subordinates, Vladimir Nikolaevich’s subordinates fully agree with their conclusions, and Vasily Nikolaevich’s “wards”, without further ado, are putting Mr. Filchenkov in a pre-trial detention center for four months? But you need to understand this simply - as a monstrous coincidence!
No, we can, of course, assume that the deputy chairman of the regional government for agriculture, Alexander Solovyov, “has his eye” on the agricultural holding headed by Oleg Filchenkov. The logic in this assumption can be found: the “lame duck” of regional politics in the person of the governor of the Saratov region Valery Radaev may leave his post not today - tomorrow. Therefore, his comrades-in-arms need to think today about what they will do tomorrow.
When at one time it became clear that Valery Radaev’s predecessor, Pavel Ipatov, would soon be “put on skis,” his closest associates also began to make attempts to get good positions ahead of time. For example, Natalia Starshova, deputy chairman for the social sphere, was tipped for the post of rector of the Saratov Conservatory, but it didn’t work out.
The Minister of Education of the Saratov Region (2005-2008) Igor Pleve was more fortunate: he took the position of rector of the Saratov State Technical University. Yu.A. Gagarin. At the same time, his predecessor in this position, Yuri Chebotarevsky, was dismissed from the position of rectors, not without the help of the United Russia political technology resource.
These examples can be continued, but enough! So maybe the “Filchenkov case” was initiated by Alexander Solovyov? I think it's unlikely. Although Solovyov is a “loyal soldier of the party” and a staunch ally of Vyacheslav Volodin, he would hardly act almost alone, at his own peril and risk.
But God be with it. In the end, the “mayonnaise” version of the “Filchenkov case” is just a hypothesis, an assumption. There are at least two more versions of the explanation for what happened. True, the problem is that the main characters in these versions are still the same faces already familiar to us. Although, of course, there are new figures...
Igor OSOVIN
SOURCES
Newspaper, magazine and online publications
- Arenin, Sergey Petrovich; biographical information: http://64.mvd.ru/gumvd/Struktura/rukovodstvo/item/645774 ;
- “Vedomosti”, 04/18/2013; ““Bouquet” will bring together houses and trolleybuses” (author of the article - Bela Lyauv: http://www.irn.ru/articles/35057.html);
- "NVK-bank"; list of persons having a significant (direct or indirect) influence on decisions made by the bank’s management bodies as of March 27, 2013: nvkbank.ru/common/spisok_lic_okazyvayushih_sushestvennoe_vlijanie_na_27_03__2013.doc
- “Novaya Gazeta”, No. 68 dated 09/07/2006; “Vyacheslav Volodin is involved in mayonnaise” (author of the article – Nadezhda Andreeva: http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/29874.html);
- “Public Opinion”, 04/18/2013, 15:40; “GU “Buket” is buying the capital’s space plant to build housing in its place”: http://old.om-saratov.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=36805;
- "Svoboda", cosmetics factory; brief historical background: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svoboda_(cosmetic_factory) ;
- "Solar Products"; official website of the holding: http://www.solpro.ru/;
- Tarasov, Vasily Nikolaevich; brief biographical information: http://oblsud.sar.sudrf.ru/modules.php?name=info_court&rid=17 ;
- “The Fourth Estate in Saratov”, 02/04/2013, 10:00; “Filchenkov: criminal or victim of police?” (author of the article - Andrey Pravdolyubov: http://www.4vsar.ru/articles/rassledovaniya/33286.html);
- Forbes; group of companies "Buket"; Brief information:
Rusagro" of ex-senator Moshkovich will acquire the assets of the former company of Vyacheslav Volodin. The company was sold by Volodin’s “wallet” Vladislav Burov. The agro-industrial holding Rusagro (Ros Agro plc) announced the purchase of a controlling stake in Quartlink Holding Limited, the owner of the Solar Products holding, the press service of the purchasing company reports. “The holding includes the following assets: three oil and fat plants (Moscow, Saratov, Novosibirsk), which produce 500 thousand tons of finished products per year; three oil extraction plants (Atkarsk, Armavir, Balakovo) with a total capacity of 4,700 tons of oil seeds per day; elevators with a total grain storage capacity of 650 thousand tons; agricultural lands in the Saratov region,” the report notes. In 2019, Rusagro intends to merge the acquired assets with its oil and fat business assets. It is worth noting that both legal entities - Ros Agro plc and Quartlink Holding Limited - are registered on the island of Cyprus. It is known that Ros Agro plc is headed by Vadim Moshkovich, who is also the owner of Rusagro. However, it is unknown from whom the controlling stake in Quartlink Holding Limited will be acquired. Previously, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin was a shareholder of Solar Products. At the end of July this year, Andrey Kovalenko was appointed general director of the Solnechnye Products holding. The Unified State Register of Legal Entities lists Vladislav Burov as the founder (participant) of the holding. Let us remind you that three years ago a serious emergency occurred at one of the Solar Products enterprises. In August 2015, a powerful explosion occurred at the Volzhsky Terminal oil extraction plant in Balakovo (Solar Products holding). As a result, two people died and 12 were injured in one of the plant’s workshops. The plant resumed operation only in 2016. Earlier, Volodin himself told reporters that his sister Tatyana, like her mother Lydia Barabanova, participated in the development of the Solnechnye Products holding, but did not register the share for herself, since she held a leadership position there. The Chairman of the State Duma said that, together with his sister, he sold shares of Solar Products before 2009, receiving with her approximately one hundred million US dollars. Previously, in his declaration, Volodin indicated ten times less profit from the sale of these assets, although journalists estimated his wealth at approximately one hundred million dollars. https://fn-volga.ru/news/view/id/91037 ******************************** Construction of Volodin’s mayonnaise empire “Social money”, Burov’s “wallet”, “friendly” takeovers In No. 63, Novaya talked about the participation of the first vice-speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Lyubov Sliska, in the affairs of Transmash OJSC from the city of Engels, Saratov region. Lyubov Konstantinovna does not hide the fact that she owns 19 percent of the shares of this OJSC. According to the most conservative estimates, her stake could be worth between $50 and $60 million. Today is a story about the business aspirations of no less prominent United Russia member and simply vice-speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, who owns shares in the enterprises of the Solnechnye Products holding. Various experts estimate Mr. Volodin’s fortune at $10-95 million. The mayonnaise empire was founded by Saratov resident Vladislav Burov. They say that Messrs. Burov and Volodin met as students. The first was a member of the trade union committee of Saratov State University (graduated from the Faculty of Physics), the second was a member of the trade union committee of the Institute of Mechanization. During his studies, Vladislav Yurievich worked as a watchman at a confectionery factory, which he bought fifteen years later. He graduated from graduate school, filed patents for four inventions, published about 20 scientific papers, and worked at a research institute and the university Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth (NTTM). The first large sum - 10 thousand rubles - was earned for the execution of an order for the NPO Signal. Such STTM centers in the late 1980s provided not only scientific experience: sometimes citizens with an ambiguous reputation spent impressive capital through them, leaving the “boys” a percentage for their understanding. Burov and Volodin were elected deputies of the Saratov City Council. Further, the career paths of the young people diverged according to their interests. Vyacheslav Viktorovich became a clerk at the mayor's office. Vladislav Yuryevich took up trade. He exchanged VAZ cars for cigarettes, cigarettes for gasoline, gasoline for sugar, sugar again for cars. The newborn “Bouquet” sold anything: groceries, blinds, power tools. And in 1997, he bought a pasta factory for 100 thousand dollars (43 percent of the shares). In the same year - the Saratov fat plant (Alfa Group ceded its stake). In the next one - a pastry chef. Mr. Volodin at that time worked as vice-governor in Ayatskov’s team. Vyacheslav Viktorovich oversaw the economic block and tirelessly built roads, schools, and hospitals. I don’t want to say anything bad about the hero, but social money is traditionally considered the most convenient for “shrinking and shrinking”. It’s interesting that back in the late 1990s, the future prominent United Russia member quarreled with the current governor Ipatov. Pavel Leonidovich headed the Balakovo nuclear power plant, Vyacheslav Viktorovich headed the commission for collecting debts to the Pension Fund. One day, the “commissars” sent a television crew to the Balakovo district to film Ipatov’s cottage: this is how, they say, a man lives, holding onto an old man’s money. - It is difficult for any businessman engaged in production to withdraw free funds from circulation to expand the business. Entrepreneurs have assets that still need to be valued, sold, etc. - it's a suitcase without a handle. And the officials have pure money, kickbacks from the same business or from the budget. A fair portion of corruption capital is returned to business, Saratov experts believe. Again, according to experts, the former was much luckier in the Volodin-Burov alliance. “Those in power often make mistakes in choosing their “wallets.” I think Vladislav Yuryevich is a man of rare virtues for an entrepreneur: he doesn’t like to shine, doesn’t get involved in politics, doesn’t say too much at business parties, doesn’t become the object of scandals in the press. Burov is quite cautious and ", it seems, would remain at the level of a medium-sized business, which does not bring much headache. And Volodin is an expansionist. A less careful person than Burov could cause him much more problems if the acquisition of property were carried out less cleanly," says the political scientist, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Public Opinion" Alexey Kolobrodov. In Saratov, "Bouquet" is considered one of the most closed empires. Lists of affiliates and quarterly reports are not available to the public. To get a job at a fat plant, you need to undergo a detailed test, including psychological testing - which is rare in mayonnaise production. The group of companies is constantly expanding, acquiring new businesses every year. Only one conflict is officially known, which occurred at the Moscow Fat Plant (MZhK). Usually, "Buket" buys dying enterprises quite cheaply (at least they become so by the time the owner changes). MZhK was an exception: its “Provencal” occupied up to 70 percent of the capital’s market. Saratov residents and structures close to Mikhail Bezelyansky, who came from Alpha, fought for control of the plant. The conflict between shareholders was classic: buying up shares, extraordinary meetings, two general directors at the same time, arbitration claims, assaults, riot police. Vice Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky spoke in the interests of Alpha, promising help to the “good guy” Bezelyansky. During two years of war, the enterprise almost lost its consumer and practically stopped due to lack of raw materials and large debts to suppliers. At a special press conference, the parties announced the end of the conflict (they reconciled through the mediation of the investment company "Russian Funds" and the Moscow government). The Vector group of companies, headed by Vladimir Khazanov, sold shares to Saratov residents and left the game. According to experts, the transaction amount was $3-4 million. Mr. Burov calls the purchase of the Novosibirsk “zhirik” an “amicable deal.” Sources among former security officials present a slightly different version of events. 82 percent of the company’s shares were purchased from Siberian entrepreneur Igor Kuznetsov at the height of the conflict at the MZhK. According to security officials, the authoritative structures of Novosibirsk were dissatisfied with the arrival of new market players. Representatives of the ethnic community in Saratov, who, according to rumors, approved the deal, were “taken to the fullest” for a kind of abuse of power. Then the head of the Buket security service, Mr. Yakimov, was shot. The killer was not found. According to sources, the murder of a security guard is a traditional thieves' tactic to intimidate owners. Around the same time, the influential federal politician Volodin officially recognized himself as a shareholder of the plant. This became known from NLC’s investment application posted on the Internet. As follows from the document, the shareholders are 586 individuals and legal entities. The controlling stake belongs to the enterprises of the Solar Products holding, 26 percent belongs to Vyacheslav Viktorovich personally. According to experts, the vice speaker received the share that was previously held by Buket companies and minority shareholders (their stake decreased from 14 to 9 percent in two years). Finance magazine estimated the deputy's assets at $95 million. Chairman of the board of directors of the holding, Vladislav Burov, added that Volodin also owns shares in the Armavir MZhK (in 2003, the company was transferred to trust management of Buket with the right of subsequent redemption). According to Vladislav Yuryevich, both packages cost no more than 10-15 million dollars (it is interesting that the owner of “Bouquet” himself is 148 points ahead of his partner in the magazine rating, his fortune is estimated at 190 million dollars). “Vyacheslav Volodin had declared funds earned in previous years, with which he purchased shares of enterprises from minority shareholders,” Mr. Burov said in an interview with Finance magazine. “I purchased blocks of shares several years ago, when they cost 6 million rubles, or about 190 thousand dollars,” the vice speaker said in an interview with Vedomosti. As experts say, “taxes need to be paid only on the package, and it can be valued at five kopecks. The food industry is distinguished by very rapid profitability, so the actual price of the shares does not decide anything.” The Prosecutor General's Office has already checked the legality of United Russia's income twice. The former road minister of the Saratov region is on trial on charges of libel for stories about kickbacks allegedly received by Volodin (50 million rubles). As stated by the Prosecutor General's Office, no theft was detected during the construction of the 11th building of Saratov State University. Here the law enforcement officers experienced a “split personality disorder.” The regional prosecutor's office opened a criminal case under Article 160 of the Criminal Code "Embezzlement". The 11th building was built under the patronage of "ER" from 2002 to 2005. The contractor was ZAO Sartekhstroyinvest under the leadership of Alexei Berezovsky (deputy of the City Duma, chairman of the budget commission, of course, a “bear”). The client was a university. The money was allocated by the federal budget. This summer, Rosfinnadzor decided to return to the treasury 137 thousand rubles mistakenly paid to the contractor by the university management. Then the inspection was carried out by the regional FSB Directorate. When the materials were transferred to the prosecutor's office, the amount of damage increased to 1.5 million. As Alexander Kovalev, an investigator for particularly important cases, said, the inflated cost of materials was included in the work completion certificates. The acts are drawn up by the contractor, the customer is obliged to check them before paying. Documents for 2003 are currently being reviewed. It is possible that the final amount will be much higher. Saratov political scientists predict three or four serious attacks on Volodin’s business during the pre-election period. However, “he has already lost more than the plant.” According to Saratov residents, Vyacheslav Viktorovich has lost the support of the public and the press - at least in his native region. During the time of Dmitry Ayatskov, almost the entire local opposition was grouped around Volodin in one way or another - and not for money, but, as they say, “on trust.” But “the charisma dissipated, and people stepped aside.” As evil tongues say, “Vaclav (Volodin’s nickname, common in his small homeland. - N.A.) has dropped the bar” - political influence turned out to be much less than he would like. Hence the unrestrained PR and nervous reaction to petty attacks. Moreover, the retinue in this case copies the worst traits of the king to a satirical degree. Information from Novaya Solar Products Holding was created in 2004. It includes ten enterprises in Saratov, Krasnodar Territory, Novosibirsk and Moscow. Produces more than a hundred types of goods - mayonnaise, margarine, vegetable oil, mustard, soap. Last year, Solnechnye Produkty took first place among mayonnaise manufacturers. In the first quarter of the current year, the production of oil and fat products increased by another 17 percent. Financial results regularly “exceed the expectations of top managers.” The holding's turnover in 2004 amounted to 390 million dollars, in 2005 - 427 million. Profit information is not disclosed. There has been no formal assessment of the business. Experts call amounts from 100 to 360 million dollars. In turn, “Solar Products” is part of the “Buket” group of companies (together with a confectionery factory, Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank and a trolleybus plant). The group of companies was created in 1998. In 2004, Buket's turnover exceeded 12 billion rubles. It's not just about money. For example, almost half of Engels’ industry depends on the substation of the trolleybus plant.
President of the Buket group of companies, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Solnechnye Products holding, Vladislav Burov, does not like to give interviews. But he still agreed to meet with the correspondent of our newspaper for a frank conversation.
- Vladislav Yuryevich, how is your business doing?
- Today, the Buket group of companies includes a fat plant in Saratov, Moscow and Novosibirsk fat plants, Atkar oil extraction plant, Armavir oil and gas complex, etc. Our enterprises are located in many regions of the country. As the press wrote, we are N2 on the Russian market in terms of sunflower oil production; We are one of the three largest producers of industrial fats.
- Is the press right?
- In general, yes. I will only note that last year the turnover of “Bouquet” amounted to about 26 billion rubles.
- The crisis did not affect you?
We are developing dynamically, although it would be wrong to say that the crisis has not affected us. But we continue to work and pay salaries consistently. By the way, by Saratov standards it is very good - about 14 thousand rubles. About 10 thousand people work at Buket enterprises today. We are doing and will continue to do everything to protect our employees and the interests of the company. By the way, this is largely why I decided to do this interview. Because when deliberate lies are written about my company, it causes direct damage to both the business and the people who work in it.
- What lie are you talking about?
- For example, about the outright nonsense that appeared in a number of media outlets, that some of our enterprises are former state property, allegedly acquired illegally. I want to dot the i’s once and for all. We bought shares of all our enterprises many years after they were privatized, at market prices, and never participated in the purchase of state property at auctions. Those enterprises that are part of Buket today were acquired when they were unprofitable and non-working. How much effort went into restoring them and turning them into a profitable business - for some reason they don’t write about this.
- In your opinion, who is behind these rumors?
Everyone is already accustomed to the fact that in Saratov someone is always at war with someone, and often using dirty methods. And there is also such an element as elementary envy. Despite small starting opportunities, our company managed to move from the regional level of Saratov to the federal level. In Saratov today we have only one business segment, and not the largest.
Others, by the way, had much greater starting opportunities. This is probably why they are trying to find a justification for why they remained small-town companies.
- Perhaps your business itself is more dynamically developing and profitable?
- Just the opposite. Any business that produces something is much more complicated than when they simply buy and then resell. We have never played on the foreign exchange market or speculated on securities; our specialization is production. In production, you need to master technology, know the market conditions, be able to build a team of a very large number of people, and many other nuances...
- What major achievements of the company over the past time could you note?
- We have reached the federal level. The company included the Moscow plant, Novosibirsk, Armavir. We built a plant in Atkarsk, which today is one of the best and most modern in the country. Who else in our country was able to modernize production from scratch and introduce new technologies in such volumes?
Taking this opportunity, I would like to ask you a question about relations with Volodin and United Russia, given that this topic is constantly raised in the media?
We have known Vyacheslav Viktorovich since our student days. In 1990, we were deputies of the Saratov City Council together. He was already a candidate of science then. I am the director of the NTTM center. In the future, our destinies turned out differently. He went into politics, I went into business.
How would you comment on the information that appeared in the press that the Saratov regional branch of United Russia is financed by the Buket Group of Companies?
Our company has never financed and does not finance United Russia. There was a period of time when we offered financial support. To which we were told: “If you have funds, it is better to support social projects. The party receives the necessary funding centrally, and as for project work, here you could take part.”
- What do you mean by social projects?
Helping orphanages, schools, participating in the restoration of churches.
- We know that you are participating in the restoration of the temple in Petrovsk. Why this particular temple?
- It has its own long history, there is a wonderful priest there, and people really wanted this temple to be restored.
- Everything is clear with your relationship with United Russia. How is your relationship with Vyacheslav Volodin? There is an opinion that most of the company's assets belong to him.
- This is wrong. This never happened. Several years ago, Vyacheslav Viktorovich acquired small blocks of shares in two of our enterprises (by the way, he acquired them when the enterprises were in a difficult economic situation, and the shares were worth literally pennies). But more than a year ago he sold these shares. Therefore, today I can officially say: Volodin has nothing to do with our company, he is not our shareholder.
What do you think, did it even make sense for Volodin to become a shareholder of the company, especially if, as you say, he owned only a small part of the shares, and the media inflated it so much that it was as if the entire company belonged to him?
What has been inflated... We may have nothing at all, but they will attribute it... You need to understand that if you go into politics, dirty PR and black technologies will be used against you. And - alas! - here you can only blame the conscience of those who know how things really are, but at the same time they write something completely different.
As for the acquisition of shares, Vyacheslav Viktorovich is quite economically savvy, has a good sense and forecast of the market. Moreover, he made the decision to acquire shares in 1999: he then left the region, was in teaching and had every right to do business.
Most importantly, no one can blame him for somehow using his official position to resolve personal issues. Purchasing shares and receiving dividends on them, as well as placing deposits with interest, is a permitted way to generate income. If you invest in shares and they rise in price, you can sell them and make a profit, or you can remain a shareholder and receive dividends. This is the right of every person. A huge number of people have shares in Gazprom, Sberbank, and other enterprises.
Volodin also has the right to purchase shares of our enterprise, especially since he acquired them at a time when their value was such that there was no need to spend large amounts of money on their purchase.
- Do you think a person of Volodin’s level should be self-sufficient?
- In my opinion, yes. After all, as much as a person is self-sufficient, he is so independent. Self-sufficiency, among other things, protects you from temptations.
- Why were you silent for so long that Volodin has nothing to do with the enterprise?
- How can I tell you... The question was not addressed directly to me. As for the writings, we write a lot of lies. At first we said that this was not true. And then…
- Or maybe it’s just beneficial for you that they think the business belongs to him?
To be honest, there is probably some truth in this.
- But for him, these conversations are definitely a minus?
- Most likely, you are right in this too.
- Aren’t you afraid that after this interview your business will have problems?
If they arise, we will solve them.
- What are your current plans for the development of the company?
It is now extremely important for us to modernize a number of enterprises so that they become more efficient. We plan to expand the range of products. We will try to become even more competitive.
- How often do you have to visit Saratov?
- Our head office is in Moscow. The family has now also moved to Moscow. But, given that some of the enterprises are located in the Saratov region, I come for work quite often.
- What does your wife do?
- Home. We have three children, the youngest daughter is getting ready to go to school. So there is no time to relax.
- How do you spend your free time?
- Differently. In the summer I go spearfishing. In winter I tried to master alpine skiing.
- What advice can you give to Saratov residents who are starting their journey in business?
- The road will be mastered by those who walk. There must be persistence. But the main thing is that, despite problems and, most importantly, successes, we must always remain human. After all, this is what we are born for.
, "Solar Products"
"News"
Governor Valery Radaev spoke to the Trolza team
Last Monday, Governor Valery Radaeva, State Duma deputy Nikolai PANKOV, and head of the Engels administration Alexander Strelyukhin met with the plant’s workforce. However, the workers did not voice their complaints to the distinguished guests. But the acting director of Trolza, Oleg STRELNIKOV, said that “the team has been retained, they have not lost competencies. Our company was the first to receive a certificate for an electric bus. The car has passed a full cycle of tests, the country sees that the plant is working and producing products. At the same time, we lack working capital. The problem is very serious, we are asking for help from the authorities to attract working capital so that the plant continues to operate.”
One of the shareholders of the enterprise, Vladislav BUROV, despite everything, does not lose optimism: “All the possibilities that we had have been exhausted, we asked for help from the region, we are looking to see which investors are ready to come to the enterprise. There are manufacturers of trams and special equipment. Then this topic will be profitable. Investors want to participate. There are difficulties, we fight them, and we will win.”
But Governor Radaev did not share the shareholder’s optimism: “Your task is not to look for manna from heaven, but to work in the conditions that exist. The operation of the enterprise ensures its profitability. We need to work for the future. It is necessary to financially clear enterprises in order to remove the burdens that have accumulated over the years, so that you can enter the market and work with banks. There should not be any thoughts that the enterprise will undergo recovery, go bankrupt - we will continue to live. We have counter-examples when the point of no return has passed.”
SME Corporation will help get rid of imported soybeans
Sigma paid for the seeds
According to Svirsky, the value of the Labinsky butter plant is comparable to the debts that Sigma bought, and this, if necessary, will allow us to establish control over the enterprise. But the president of the Buket oil and fat group, Vladislav Burov, considers the valuation of the Labinsky Oil Extraction Plant at $7 million to be greatly underestimated. According to him, Labinsky costs more than $30 million and the cost of the plant may increase further, because Russian Grocery is now increasing the capacity of Labinsky by one and a half times. “Sigma” bought up the debts of “Labinsky” in order to force “Russian Grocery” to give up the Kropotkinsky creamery, says a top manager of one of the oil and fat companies. “Startsev has not yet given up trying to return this enterprise.” Last week, “Kropotkinsky” captured the local SOBR for three days with the participation of the former director. At the same time, Russian Grocery lawyers were at the enterprise. Although the top manager does not rule out the possibility that Sigma will eventually take over the Labinsk Creamery from Russian Grocery for its subsequent resale. In his opinion, it will be easy to find buyers for this enterprise.
link: http://www.compromat.ru/page_ 15517.htm
"Bouquet" as a target for the "Harpoon Party"
Vyacheslav Volodin responded to this clearly ordered and slanderous article unusually quickly. Within a matter of hours, the Prosecutor General's Office became involved in the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the material in the press. The retaliatory strike against the newspaper, one of many Saratov newspapers that published articles offensive to the general secretary and vice speaker, was clearly incomparable with the real threat to Volodin’s image. But with such a violent reaction to an ordinary newspaper article, Volodin pulled his long-time financial partner, the president of the Buket group, Vladislav Burov, out of harm’s way. He had something to do with that same ill-fated underwater hunt, in which Volodin did not take any part.
link: http://91.202.63.4/main/edrussia/volodingarpun1.htm
The milling operator became a co-owner of MZhK
Two groups of shareholders are fighting for the right to manage the MZhK - Saratov-based “Bouquet” and the companies “Monaco Cinema” and Neoscala LTD controlled by Mikhail Bezelyansky. MZhK now has two boards of directors and two general directors. At the end of May, at an extraordinary meeting of the plant’s shareholders, Mikhail Bezelyansky was elected chairman of the board of directors, and Vladimir Levchenko, a former employee of the Alfa-Eco company, was elected general director. A month later, at the annual meeting, shareholders re-elected the board of directors, to which Bezelyansky’s representatives were not included, and elected Vladislav Burov, president of the Buket group, as general director. MZHK is now managed by Bezelyansky’s supporters; Saratov residents have still not been able to get into the plant.
link: http://kompromat.flb.ru/material1.phtml?id=4443
President of the Saratov group "Buket" Vladislav Burov was elected general director of OJSC "Moscow Fat Plant"
Shareholders of OJSC Moscow Fat Plant (MZhK), one of the largest mayonnaise producers in Russia, elected a new general director at an extraordinary meeting on Monday. The meeting was convened on the initiative of the Saratov group “Buket”, which owns 40% of the company’s shares.
The president of the Buket group, Vladislav Burov, became the general director of MZhK, and the new board of directors included representatives of the largest shareholders - the Russian Federal Property Fund, the Nizhny Novgorod and Samara fat plants. Representatives of the shareholders, in whose favor the Aton investment group is purchasing shares of MZhK, were not present at the meeting.
link: http://www.e-xecutive.ru/news/ news/474740/
Interview: Vladislav Burov, President of the Buket group of companies
“It’s stupid not to find money for undervalued assets”
This week the Buket group plans to announce the end of the shareholder conflict at the Moscow Fat Plant. Two years ago, the former co-owner of Alfa Group, Mikhail Bezelyansky, and his business partner Vladimir Khazanov, for whom the investment company Aton bought 24% of the shares of the fat plant, and the then little-known Saratov group Buket, from which turned out to be 40% of the shares of MZhK. In April 2003, Bezelyansky and Khazanov won, establishing operational control over the MZhK. “Buket” was able to get into the Moscow enterprise only last fall, and in April 2005 plans to become the owner of a controlling stake in MZhK, buying out shares from Bezelyansky and Khazanov. The founder and co-owner of the group of companies, Vladislav Burov, told Vedomosti about the past and future of Buket.
link: http://rosinvest.com/novosti/ 85695
“Social money”, Burov’s “wallet”, “friendly” takeovers
The mayonnaise empire was founded by Saratov resident Vladislav Burov. They say that Messrs. Burov and Volodin met as students. The first was a member of the trade union committee of Saratov State University (graduated from the Faculty of Physics), the second was a member of the trade union committee of the Institute of Mechanization. During his studies, Vladislav Yurievich worked as a watchman at a confectionery factory, which he bought fifteen years later. He graduated from graduate school, filed patents for four inventions, published about 20 scientific papers, and worked at a research institute and the university Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth (NTTM). The first large sum - 10 thousand rubles - was earned for fulfilling an order for the NPO Signal. Such STTM centers in the late 1980s provided not only scientific experience: sometimes citizens with an ambiguous reputation spent impressive capital through them, leaving the “boys” a percentage for their understanding.
link: http://compromat.ru/page_ 19242.htm
Vladislav Burov: “The main thing is to always remain human”
President of the Buket group of companies, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Solnechnye Products holding, Vladislav Burov, does not like to give interviews. But he still agreed to meet with the correspondent of our newspaper for a frank conversation.
link: http://www.sarinform.ru/interviews/2009/07/06/23650
Colleagues are interested in how he earned 3 billion rubles.
Chairman of the board of directors of the holding Vladislav Burov told Vedomosti that Volodin owns stakes in two enterprises - NZhK and Armavir MZhK. According to his estimates, they could cost “no more than $10-15 million.” Burov says that Volodin never took part in the management of the holding, was not on the board of directors and did not receive any income from the shares. “The company used all profits to develop production,” said the businessman
link: http://compromat.info/main/edrussia/volodindohdy.htm
Three is better than one
Volodin, in exchange for his shares in NZhK, received a share in Zh.K. LLC, Vladislav Burov, co-owner and chairman of the board of directors of Solar Products, explained to Vedomosti. Volodin’s share in the holding, according to him, is “about four times less” than it was in NZhK. It turns out that Volodin now owns about 7% of Zh.K. LLC. In the assets of this LLC, according to Burov, “there is nothing except shares in fat factories.” It was not possible to talk to Volodin himself yesterday; his press secretary Olga Sitnikova neither confirmed nor denied Burov’s words. According to Rosstat, at the beginning of 2007, an LLC with the same name owned a controlling stake in NZhK. LLC “Zh.K.”, according to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, is registered in Saratov at the same address as the Saratov fat plant. It has two founders: 70% - from the Cypriot Oneos Holdings Limited, 30% - from Burov.
link: http://compromat.info/main/edrussia/volodinobmen.htm
Sigma got into oil
Most of the prospective buyers of the creamery interviewed yesterday by Vedomosti did not confirm receipt of an offer from Sigma. Alexey Kobtsev, general director of the Rusagrokapital agricultural holding, said that he would be happy to consider an offer to purchase it if he were approached, but called the plant “small and old.” MZhK executive director Vladimir Khazanov could not say whether the shareholders of the Moscow Fat Plant are planning to purchase Kropotkinsky. The manager of the Petrosoyuz PG, Dmitry Filatov, said that the group is indeed a potential buyer of the Kropotkin Oil Extraction Plant, but declined to comment further. And the president of the Buket group, Vladislav Burov, claims that, according to his information, Sigma is ready to sell the oil extraction plant back to the Russian Grocery company, which was going to become a shareholder of the plant shortly before Svirsky’s company became interested in it.
link: http://www.compromat.ru/page_ 13638.htm
The Saratov prosecutor's office opened a criminal case against the newspaper "Saratovsky Rasklad"
The article reported that 29-year-old Anna Molodkina, who was admitted to the emergency surgery department of Saratov’s 3rd Clinical Hospital on August 4, “was wounded by an arrow fired from a speargun.” “The shooter,” the publication said, “turned out to be none other than the Secretary General of United Russia, Vyacheslav Volodin.” According to the newspaper, the accident occurred in the vicinity of Saratov during a boat trip on the Princess yacht, on board of which, in addition to Mr. Volodin and the leader of the United Russia deputy group in the Saratov Regional Duma, Yuri Zelensky, “were the deputy chairmen of the regional government, Alexey Shcherbakov and Natalia Starshova, as well as the general director of the group of companies 'Buket' Vladislav Burov"
link:
"Social money", "Burov's wallet", "friendly" takeovers
Lyubov Konstantinovna does not hide the fact that she owns 19 percent of the shares of this OJSC. According to the most conservative estimates, her stake could be worth between $50 and $60 million.
Today is a story about the business aspirations of no less prominent United Russia member and simply vice-speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, who owns shares in the enterprises of the Solnechnye Products holding. Condition of Mr. Volodin, various experts estimated at 10-95 million dollars.
The mayonnaise empire was founded by Saratov resident Vladislav Burov. They say that Messrs. Burov and Volodin met as students. The first was a member of the trade union committee of Saratov State University (graduated from the Faculty of Physics), the second was a member of the trade union committee of the Institute of Mechanization. During his studies, Vladislav Yurievich worked as a watchman at a confectionery factory, which he bought fifteen years later. He graduated from graduate school, filed patents for four inventions, published about 20 scientific papers, and worked at a research institute and the university Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth (NTTM). The first large sum - 10 thousand rubles - was earned for the execution of an order for the NPO Signal. Such STTM centers in the late 1980s provided not only scientific experience: sometimes citizens with an ambiguous reputation spent impressive capital through them, leaving the “boys” a percentage for their understanding.
Burov and Volodin were elected deputies of the Saratov City Council. Further, the career paths of the young people diverged according to their interests. Vyacheslav Viktorovich became a clerk at the mayor's office. Vladislav Yuryevich took up trade. He exchanged VAZ cars for cigarettes, cigarettes for gasoline, gasoline for sugar, sugar again for cars.
The newborn “Bouquet” sold anything: groceries, blinds, power tools. And in 1997, he bought a pasta factory for 100 thousand dollars (43 percent of the shares). In the same year - the Saratov fat plant (Alfa Group ceded its stake). In the next one - a pastry chef. Mr. Volodin at that time worked as vice-governor in Ayatskov’s team.
Vyacheslav Viktorovich oversaw the economic block and tirelessly built roads, schools, and hospitals. I don’t want to say anything bad about the hero, but social money is traditionally considered the most convenient for “shrinking and shrinking”.
It’s interesting that back in the late 1990s, the future prominent United Russia member quarreled with the current governor Ipatov. Pavel Leonidovich headed the Balakovo nuclear power plant, Vyacheslav Viktorovich headed the commission for collecting debts to the Pension Fund. One day, the “commissars” sent a television crew to the Balakovo district to film Ipatov’s cottage: this is how, they say, a man lives, holding onto an old man’s money.
It is difficult for any businessman engaged in production to withdraw free funds from circulation to expand the business. Entrepreneurs have assets that still need to be valued, sold, etc. - it's a suitcase without a handle. And the officials have pure money, kickbacks from the same business or from the budget. A fair portion of corruption capital is returned to business, Saratov experts believe.
Again, according to experts, the former was much luckier in the Volodin-Burov alliance. “Those in power often make mistakes in choosing their “wallets.” I think Vladislav Yuryevich is a man of rare virtues for an entrepreneur: he doesn’t like to shine, doesn’t get involved in politics, doesn’t say too much at business parties, doesn’t become the object of scandals in the press. Burov is quite cautious and ", it seems, would remain at the level of a medium-sized business, which does not bring much headache. And Volodin is an expansionist. A less careful person than Burov could cause him much more problems if the acquisition of property were carried out less cleanly," says the political scientist, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Public Opinion" Alexey Kolobrodov.
In Saratov, "Bouquet" is considered one of the most closed empires. Lists of affiliates and quarterly reports are not available to the public. To get a job at a fat plant, you need to undergo a detailed test, including psychological testing - which is rare in mayonnaise production. The group of companies is constantly expanding, acquiring new businesses every year. Only one conflict is officially known, which occurred at the Moscow Fat Plant (MZhK).
Usually, "Buket" buys dying enterprises quite cheaply (at least they become so by the time the owner changes). MZhK was an exception: its “Provencal” occupied up to 70 percent of the capital’s market. Saratov residents and structures close to Mikhail Bezelyansky, who came from Alpha, fought for control of the plant. The conflict between shareholders was classic: buying up shares, extraordinary meetings, two general directors at the same time, arbitration claims, assaults, riot police. Vice Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky spoke in the interests of Alpha, promising help to the “good guy” Bezelyansky. During two years of war, the enterprise almost lost its consumer and practically stopped due to lack of raw materials and large debts to suppliers. At a special press conference, the parties announced the end of the conflict (they reconciled through the mediation of the investment company "Russian Funds" and the Moscow government). The Vector group of companies, headed by Vladimir Khazanov, sold shares to Saratov residents and left the game. According to experts, the transaction amount was $3-4 million.
Mr. Burov calls the purchase of the Novosibirsk “zhirik” an “amicable deal.”
Sources among former security officials present a slightly different version of events. 82 percent of the company’s shares were purchased from Siberian entrepreneur Igor Kuznetsov at the height of the conflict at the MZhK. According to security officials, the authoritative structures of Novosibirsk were dissatisfied with the arrival of new market players. Representatives of the ethnic community in Saratov, who, according to rumors, approved the deal, were “taken to the fullest” for a kind of abuse of power.
Then the head of the Buket security service, Mr. Yakimov, was shot.
The killer was not found.
According to sources, the murder of a security guard is a traditional thieves' tactic to intimidate owners. Around the same time, the influential federal politician Volodin officially recognized himself as a shareholder of the plant.
This became known from NLC’s investment application posted on the Internet. As follows from the document, the shareholders are 586 individuals and legal entities.
The controlling stake belongs to the enterprises of the Solar Products holding, 26 percent belongs to Vyacheslav Viktorovich personally. According to experts, the vice speaker received the share that was previously held by Buket companies and minority shareholders (their stake decreased from 14 to 9 percent in two years).
Finance magazine estimated the deputy's assets at $95 million. Chairman of the board of directors of the holding, Vladislav Burov, added that Volodin also owns shares in the Armavir MZhK (in 2003, the company was transferred to trust management of Buket with the right of subsequent redemption). According to Vladislav Yuryevich, both packages cost no more than 10-15 million dollars (it is interesting that the owner of “Bouquet” himself is 148 points ahead of his partner in the magazine rating, his fortune is estimated at 190 million dollars).
“Vyacheslav Volodin had declared funds earned in previous years, with which he purchased shares of enterprises from minority shareholders,” Mr. Burov said in an interview with Finance magazine. “I purchased blocks of shares several years ago, when they cost 6 million rubles, or about 190 thousand dollars,” the vice speaker said in an interview with Vedomosti. As experts say, “taxes need to be paid only on the package, and it can be valued at five kopecks. The food industry is distinguished by very rapid profitability, so the actual price of the shares does not decide anything.”
The Prosecutor General's Office has already checked the legality of United Russia's income twice.
The former road minister of the Saratov region is on trial on charges of libel for stories about kickbacks allegedly received by Volodin(50 million rubles). As stated by the Prosecutor General's Office, no theft was detected during the construction of the 11th building of Saratov State University. Here the law enforcement officers experienced a “split personality disorder.” The regional prosecutor's office opened a criminal case under Article 160 of the Criminal Code "Embezzlement".
The 11th building was built under the patronage of "ER" from 2002 to 2005. The contractor was ZAO Sartekhstroyinvest under the leadership of Alexei Berezovsky (deputy of the City Duma, chairman of the budget commission, of course, a “bear”).
The client was a university. The money was allocated by the federal budget. This summer, Rosfinnadzor decided to return to the treasury 137 thousand rubles mistakenly paid to the contractor by the university management. Then the inspection was carried out by the regional FSB Directorate. When the materials were transferred to the prosecutor's office, the amount of damage increased to 1.5 million. As Alexander Kovalev, an investigator for particularly important cases, said, the inflated cost of materials was included in the work completion certificates. The acts are drawn up by the contractor, the customer is obliged to check them before paying. Documents for 2003 are currently being reviewed. It is possible that the final amount will be much higher.
Saratov political scientists predict three or four serious attacks on Volodin’s business during the pre-election period. However, “he has already lost more than the plant.” According to Saratov residents, Vyacheslav Viktorovich has lost the support of the public and the press - at least in his native region. During the time of Dmitry Ayatskov, almost the entire local opposition was grouped around Volodin in one way or another - and not for money, but, as they say, “on trust.” But “the charisma dissipated, and people stepped aside.” As evil tongues say, “Vaclav (Volodin’s nickname, common in his small homeland. - N.A.) has dropped the bar” - political influence turned out to be much less than he would like. Hence the unrestrained PR and nervous reaction to petty attacks. Moreover, the retinue in this case copies the worst traits of the king to a satirical degree.
Help "New"
The Solar Products holding was created in 2004. It includes ten enterprises in Saratov, Krasnodar Territory, Novosibirsk and Moscow. Produces more than a hundred types of goods - mayonnaise, margarine, vegetable oil, mustard, soap. Last year, Solnechnye Produkty took first place among mayonnaise manufacturers. In the first quarter of the current year, the production of oil and fat products increased by another 17 percent. Financial results regularly “exceed the expectations of top managers.” The holding's turnover in 2004 amounted to 390 million dollars, in 2005 - 427 million. Profit information is not disclosed. There has been no formal assessment of the business. Experts call amounts from 100 to 360 million dollars.
In turn, “Solar Products” is part of the “Buket” group of companies (together with a confectionery factory, Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank and a trolleybus plant). The group of companies was created in 1998. In 2004, Buket's turnover exceeded 12 billion rubles. It's not just about money. For example, almost half of Engels’ industry depends on the substation of the trolleybus plant.
