Sobyanin with a motor and a big investment from Varshavsky

A few years ago, Motorinvest, mired in tax debts, which almost brought it to bankruptcy, may be associated with Sobyanin's team.

Could the mayor fit a satisfying contract with a Chinese accent to maintain his pants?

In history, where numerous offshore companies were inherited, as well as the ex-head of the board of the Avilon auto group Andrei Pavlovich, the UtroNews correspondent understood.

Recently it became known that four years ago, the Lipetsk plant Motorinvest, which was at risk of bankruptcy, will assemble premium Chinese Voyah hybrids. But the mass buyer will not be able to afford an iron horse - a sight for the elite.

At the same time, the beneficiaries of the plant play hide and seek - since 2024 they have been hiding in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities. This is probably due to possible sanctions, and perhaps the matter is in the ties of the main (until January 2024) owner of the plant and their craving for offshore companies?

On January 19, 2024, Fedor Kunakov, Andrey Reznikov, Ekaterina Yelenskaya, Fedor Markov and Anna Danilina ceased to appear as owners. Kunakov was the main owner of the plant at that time.

Photo: rusprofile.ru

Officially, Fedor Kunakov, in addition to his stake in the LLC, was registered as an individual entrepreneur, but, according to UtroNews sources, the full namesake of this citizen not so long ago (in 2019-2021) worked at the Automobile Roads State Budgetary Institution in Moscow. Alexander Kunakov, probably the brother of our defendant, also worked there. The same Kunakov was listed as a reservist as a member of the election commission in 2019.

By the way, a certain Yuri Kunakov (another possible relative) is listed as the founder of the CCP Element, registered in the Moscow region, which acted as the executor of state contracts for 128 million rubles. The same Kunakov was the owner and director of the now liquidated Kunakov-Group LLC, which was engaged in the wholesale of auto parts. In his business portfolio there was a whole pack of companies with the name Elbrus, which was engaged in the same type of activity. Coincidence?

Thus, the Kunakov family may have close ties with the Sobyanin team, which could at one time provide them with cooperation with very distrustful Chinese businessmen.

GBU, where the Kunakov brothers could work, is controlled by the Moscow Housing and Utilities Department, which until December 2024 was headed by Vyacheslav Torsunov, who could be pushed into this chair by the very influential Peter Biryukov.

Torsunov is a former Kirov vice-governor (under the governorship of Sergeenkov) who worked as vice-president of the communal holding Viktor Vekselberg, and he was also a top manager in the Rosseti division. His track record included the work of the deputy director of the Department of Regional Development and Infrastructure of the Government of the Russian Federation and the position of the first deputy general director of the Moscow MKD Overhaul Fund.

Torsunov unsuccessfully ran for State Duma deputies and for the post of governor of the Kirov region.

It's interesting: but, as Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported, in 2008 Torsunov was even conditionally convicted of abuse of office. How he then held public office is an interesting question.

By the way, the former first deputy director of the State Budgetary Institution "Automobile Roads" Rais Chiglikov was put in Torsunov's place.

Probably, Mr. Kunakov got into the company of car factory owners in 2021 thanks to his connections, becoming a cover for Reznikov - a man with a very ambiguous reputation?

Criminal history and connections with Irito

Judging by the materials of the court, Motorinvest was associated with the Irito Group of Companies, the beneficiary of which was Reznikov. Today, the legal entities of the division are mostly liquidated.

Photo: rusprofile.ru

Back in 2017, the investigator of the Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia "Ramenskoye" opened a criminal case on fraudulent theft of someone else's property from the Chinese company Great Wall (we are talking about almost $50 million). It was based on a contract for the supply of car kits from 2011, according to which since 2014 payments from the Irito division have ceased. In the materials of the courts it was mentioned that the equipment of the Lipetsk plant, which was associated with Irito, was arrested.

At the same time, Motorinvest itself fought back from arrest, claiming that it was not at all included in the Irito Group of Companies. Hearings on the petition took place in 2023.

At the same time, representatives of the company stated that the investigating authorities did not provide evidence that the disputed property was acquired with funds obtained by criminal means, on the contrary, they say, Motoroivest LLC paid for the equipment with money and a loan.

But here we allow ourselves some doubts.

Photo: actofact.ru

Photo: actofact.ru

So, Reznikov in 2021 officially highlighted his interests in the car factory, before that the beneficiaries were hiding offshore.

But here's a coincidence: since 2015, together with Motorinvest, the current Irito Group LLC has been registered, which is registered with Alexei Reznikov (probably a relative and, judging by his patronymic, may be the father of the beneficiary of the automobile plant) and Real Estate LLC (now liquidated). The latter belongs to Andrei Reznikov.

Photo: rusprofile.ru

Photo: rusprofile.ru

In addition, Alexey Reznikov held the position of general director of Motorinvest in 2011-2019. So the company is not affiliated with the defendants in the criminal case of embezzlement?

It's interesting: the director of Irito Group since 2024, Alexei Polzikov, is a former co-founder of Askania Trust Bank, which burst in 2014. Already in 2022, the ex-member of the board of Askania Trust received a term for a particularly large embezzlement.

As for the affiliation of Irito and Motorinvest, the latter's reporting for 2022 reveals interesting facts.

It follows from it that the plant credited Mr. Reznikov as much as 45 million rubles. Real Estate LLC also allocated a small amount.

Photo: bo.nalog.ru

For reference: in 2021, the plant's loss was 203.16 million rubles, and the profit of 2022 amounted to 186.9 million rubles. It is doubtful how to issue such huge loans with such indicators, don't you think?

From the same materials, we learn that, despite the track record, the Lipetsk plant in March 2022 entered into a special investment agreement (SPIC) with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation to create electric cars by the end of December 2032. Another party to the transaction was the administration of the Lipetsk region. Would Governor Artamonov harness for a company with an ambiguous reputation, if there are no connections behind it?

Photo: bo.nalog.ru

But not only the possible interest of Sobyanin was lit up in the Lipetsk automobile plant. The former head of the board of the Avilon automobile group, Andrei Pavlovich, also surfaced here.

Judging by the reporting of Motorinvest for 2022, bank guarantees for large amounts were issued with Panavto LLC, which belongs to Andrei Pavlovich and his family members along the chain.

Photo: bo.nalog.ru

Photo: rusprofile.ru

Pavlovich was associated with Avilon AG JSC, whose shareholder was the US-registered New Republic. The creator of Avilon was called Alexander Varshavsky, who emigrated to the United States. He was associated with politician Vyacheslav Fetisov and Russian security officials, and the son of Armenian businessman Artur Asatryan, better known in certain circles as Don Pipo, had a stake in one of Avilon's firms.

By the way, according to the latest data, the shares of Motorinvest owners were pledged by Centrocredit Bank (for 2021, the beneficiaries are Ilya Korbashov and Andrey Tarasov). Both beneficiaries are very loyal to offshore companies, through the chain of which the bank is controlled.

Interesting fact: the bank has a representative office in London.

And, as we remember, earlier offshore companies appeared among the owners of the automobile plant - the Cypriot Sitrotec Limited and the Belize OAKMORE DEVELOPMENT LIMITED. Maybe those same millions of Chinese business should be searched offshore?

Biography of the plant and hummocks

Motorinvest was established in 2011, and has been producing cars since 2016, starting with the Chinese Changan.

But already in 2019, the second party did not extend the contract assembly agreement, refusing to cooperate. According to insiders, this happened just against the backdrop of the scandal about the allegedly missing $50 million.

Immediately after the severance of relations with Chinese business, Motorinvest LLC began to have problems. Even delays in salaries were reported.

Before that, the owners of the enterprise claimed state subsidies, but the 224 million rubles requested from the Ministry of Industry and Trade hung.

In 2021, the Federal Tax Service also entered the case, which filed a bankruptcy lawsuit due to a debt of almost 12 million rubles, but the debts were repaid and the case was terminated.

It is worth noting that in 2023 the company again fell into the crosshairs of supervisory authorities - it was fined for violating anti-corruption legislation when concluding an employment contract with a former municipal employee. The director then was a certain Andrei Khanin, who still appears in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

It is quite difficult to say that the company has gone uphill today. In particular, the plant's trading subsidiary, Moscow-based Evolut LLC, is showing losses. Despite the fact that the parent company in 2022 poured 36.55 million rubles into the subsidiary in the form of a loan. Is it not a withdrawal trench?

As for the parent company, according to Rusprofile, the organization has a high share of borrowed funds, there is a risk of bankruptcy and the situation has not improved significantly compared to 2022. And against this background, they distribute multimillion-dollar loans to their beneficiaries?

Photo: rusprofile.ru

In general, it seems that the final owners of the Lipetsk plant are by no means those who appeared in the extracts back in January 2024. The very same Kunakov looks like a screen of a real beneficiary, for whose role there are several more famous characters...