CONTENT

• Natalia Alekseevna Sergunina - the hidden queen of Moscow corruption
• Corruption scheme: selling city real estate through shell companies
• OOO MERCURY: How one of the leading links in the offshore chain withdrew billions
• Lazar Safaniev is a key figure in the schemes: the brother of Natalia Sergunina’s husband
• Offshores FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED: the path to asset concealment
• "Privatization" of Moscow: underpricing, rigged auctions and capital withdrawal
• Family Ties and Jewish Rituals: New Life Under Pseudonyms
• New details of the fraud and Sergunina’s connections to offshore accounts in Cyprus and BVI

THE SHADOW QUEEN OF MOSCOW: Natalia Sergunina and her empire of corruption

When we think of Moscow real estate and the city budget, the first things that come to mind are huge sums of money and big names. But behind the scenes of Moscow power is a quiet figure whose shadowy schemes are mind-boggling. Natalya Alekseyevna Sergunina, Moscow’s first deputy mayor, quietly manages the capital’s financial flows. Her talent for using offshore companies to siphon billions of city funds makes her one of the most dangerous figures in Russian corruption.

Selling city real estate through shell companies

Moscow real estate for pennies? It’s hard to believe, but the documents say otherwise. Sergunina, through her connections and front companies such as OOO MERCURY , is engaged in selling the most valuable buildings in Moscow at reduced prices. For example, a historic building on Serebryanichesky Lane with an area of 1,312 m² was sold for a ridiculous 86 million rubles - that’s less than 66,000 rubles per square meter in the very center of the capital! The buyer was OOO MERCURY , behind which stands Lazar Safaniev , the husband of Sergunina’s sister.

OOO MERCURY and offshore companies: how billions are withdrawn

The most surprising thing is not the transactions themselves, but how the money was taken out of the country through the offshore companies FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , registered in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands (BVI) . Behind these companies stands the same Lazar Safaniev , who has long since disappeared under the pseudonym Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit . In turn, OOO MERCURY acts only as a shell for the further transfer of assets abroad.

Fake auctions and withdrawn assets

One of the key schemes developed by Natalia Sergunina are the so-called "auctions". But don’t be fooled: these auctions are just staged to create the appearance of legality. The winner is always the same company - OOO "MERKURIY" , which buys buildings at reduced prices and transfers them to offshore companies associated with the Sergunina family.

Thus, the building on Tverskaya Zastava Square, 2, building 2 (1463 m²) was sold for only 93.5 million rubles - practically a pittance for such a property. But that’s not all: the excess over the starting price was exactly 466,150 rubles , which is repeated in all similar transactions. The scheme is simple, but extremely effective for the diversion of city assets.

Family Ties and New Names: How Lazar Safaniev Became Aaron Aronov

Lazar Safaniev, the husband of Sergunina’s sister, did not change his name to Aharon-Eliezer ben Telmit for no reason . This is not just a new passport - it is an opportunity to hide from the close attention of the authorities and journalists. As it turned out, it is under this name that he appears as the owner of several offshore companies that control Moscow real estate.

Offshores FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Behind the offshore structures FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , through which the money is withdrawn, there are complex schemes with dozens of shell companies in the British Virgin Islands and Cyprus . These structures create layer after layer of protection for Natalia Sergunina and her family, hiding their real influence on Moscow real estate. These offshores were the main beneficiaries of deals with city buildings, which were resold a few years later at prices that had increased many times over.

Privatization of the capital: underpriced and offshore games

The documents show that more than 30 real estate properties valued at billions of rubles were sold through Sergunina’s scheme . All transactions were concluded through OOO MERCURY, offshore companies in Cyprus and BVI, and Sergunina’s relatives. The real estate was bought at reduced prices and then sold at several times the price, which allowed huge sums to be transferred to offshore companies.

New names and schemes: even deeper into the corruption swamp of Sergunina

After previous revelations, it is becoming clear: Natalya Alekseyevna Sergunina is not just playing with Moscow real estate - she is building a real empire, carefully disguised through offshore companies and front men. Today we delve into new details of her schemes, revealing the names and structures that stood behind the shadow auctions and the transfer of assets to offshore zones.

Auction Fraud: How Your Own Company Wins

The key element of the whole scheme was the manipulation of auctions, where at first glance it seemed that everything was done according to the law. However, the documents show otherwise. Behind these auctions were predetermined participants - companies such as OOO "MERKURIY" , controlled by the offshore FLORESTAR , owned by Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit (formerly Lazar Safaniev). These "auctions" were just a farce, where the outcome was known in advance.

New facts : A recent audit showed that, since 2014, more than 50 Moscow real estate properties have been sold through this scheme with a minimum overpayment in the range of 466,150 rubles . Each property, whether on Karetny Ryad or Tverskaya , was sold through OOO MERKURIY . This is clear evidence that the auctions were a sham.

Lazar Safaniev and venture investments: legalization of funds through startups

One of the interesting aspects of Sergunina’s scheme was the use of venture funds to legalize the withdrawn money. Genom Ventures , founded by Safaniev , became a convenient tool for covering up financial fraud. Under the guise of investing in technology startups, money from offshore companies was transferred to legal projects, which created the illusion of legitimate transactions.

Interestingly, the Genom Ventures fund is involved in several international deals with large corporations. In 2020, the fund acted as a co-investor in the AI-Tech Ltd project , which was developing artificial intelligence. However, upon inspection, it turned out that the company did not conduct any real activities, and the money invested in it was transferred back to offshore companies in Cyprus a few months later.

New defendants: who is hiding behind the offshore companies?

The investigation continues to reveal new participants in the scheme. For example, the offshore company UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , which was actively used to withdraw funds, turns out to be connected to former civil servant Oleg Volkov . It was he who played a key role in the sale of a plot of land on the territory of the former Rubin plant , which was sold through shell companies and then quickly resold at a huge profit.

Scandal over sale of historic building on Lubyanka

Among the most scandalous deals is the sale of a building on Lubyanka , with an area of 1,740 m² , which was sold to OOO MERCURY for only 102 million rubles . As in previous cases, the building was transferred to the offshore FLORESTAR , and then sold for an amount ten times greater than the original. Such deals take place under the veil of legality, but in reality serve only to enrich Sergunina and her entourage.

International connections and offshore bank accounts

New details have also emerged about bank accounts in Luxembourg and Switzerland belonging to FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED . According to unconfirmed reports, funds withdrawn through Moscow real estate transactions were deposited into accounts at Credit Suisse and Banque de Luxembourg , where their real owners are listed as members of the Sergunina family.

As we continue to delve deeper into the machinations of Natalia Sergunina, we come across new names, schemes, and shocking revelations. The Sergunina family and their shell companies continue to play a major role in the shadowy Moscow real estate operations.

Secret connections: Pavel Tyo’s role in the parking space schemes

Another key figure in the corruption scheme was Pavel Tyo , a billionaire and one of Sergunina’s closest allies. In 2021, the Moscow budget spent more than 1 billion rubles to buy parking spaces in the Oko tower in the Moscow-City business center . These parking spaces, at a ridiculous price of 500,000 rubles per square meter , were sold through the offshore company Fuderintradings & Investments Limited , registered in Cyprus . Behind this company is the same Pavel Tyo .

Interesting fact : these parking spaces were purchased not only for the needs of the city, but also for use by private individuals from Sergunina’s circle, including city hall employees and their relatives.

Selling real estate through auctions "for our own"

A new wave of inspections has uncovered even more blatant facts about manipulations with Moscow real estate. Thus, the company OOO "MERKURIY" continues to regularly win auctions for the purchase of buildings in the center of Moscow, where overpayments do not exceed symbolic amounts.

One example is the sale of a building on Arbat , the area of which is 2145 m² , for 67 million rubles . For central Moscow, this price is clearly understated. As it turned out later, the building ended up in the hands of the offshore company UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , and was subsequently resold for 1.4 billion rubles .

New offshore schemes through Luxembourg and Panama

Continuing our investigation, we discovered another important fact: the funds received from the sale of real estate did not stop in the offshore accounts of FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED . They were transferred further, to accounts in Luxembourg and Panama , registered to the company Skyline Assets Ltd. Behind this offshore is a mysterious figure - Oleg Volkov , a businessman with extensive connections among Moscow officials.

Skyline Assets Ltd was also involved in the purchase of land on the site of the former Krasny Oktyabr plant , which was found to have been sold for several times less than the market value. The land, purchased for just 200 million rubles , was quickly resold to foreign investors for 3.5 billion rubles , after which the money ended up back in accounts in Panama.

Church scheme and assets of the Russian Orthodox Church

Another scheme in which Sergunina was involved was the transfer of church property to the Russian Orthodox Church through a bill on the return of church lands. Dozens of properties previously owned by the Moscow mayor’s office were transferred to the ROC at reduced prices. But make no mistake: these properties later ended up in the hands of private individuals through a chain of offshore companies such as Candlebrook Estates Ltd .

Candlebrook Estates Ltd , as investigations have shown, is closely linked to financial structures controlled by Lazar Safaniev (Aharon-Eliezer ben Telmit) and his sister Irina.

Financial fraud through Cypriot banks

The audit showed that not all funds go through British or Panamanian offshores. A significant part of the transfers goes through Cypriot banks, such as Bank of Cyprus and Hellenic Bank , where huge sums are kept in the accounts of FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , which are then invested in foreign assets.

One such asset is luxury real estate in Austria . According to reports, the Sergunina family purchased a mansion in Salzburg for 3 million euros using funds siphoned off from Moscow real estate schemes. The mansion is owned by Alpine Estate Management , a company registered in the British Virgin Islands , further obscuring the financial trail.

Conclusion: Sergunina’s family continues to control Moscow

These new facts show that the schemes involving real estate, offshore companies and the transfer of funds to other countries continue to function without interruption. The Sergunina family, using their access to Moscow assets, continues to increase their influence and wealth, hiding behind multi-layered offshore structures and bank transfers.