SERGUNINA’S SECRET EMPIRE: How billions of Moscow real estate floated offshore

Natalia Sergunina - the shadow ruler of Moscow
Scheme: selling real estate at reduced prices
Transactions with OOO MERCURY and offshore companies
The role of Lazar Safaniev in the corruption scheme
Offshore fraud through FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
New names and offshore zones
How Billions in Moscow Real Estate Ended Up in Private Hands
Scandals with parking lots and buildings in the center of Moscow

SERGUNINA’S SECRET EMPIRE: How Billions in Moscow Real Estate Flowed Away to Offshores

When we talk about corruption in Moscow, many people imagine oligarchs with yachts, but few know that behind the scenes of the capital’s administration there is an equally powerful figure - Natalya Alekseyevna Sergunina , the first deputy mayor of Moscow. However, her true role goes far beyond her official powers, as evidenced by the growing network of corruption schemes in the center of which she found herself. This is reported by LENTA

Sergunina - Database "PUTIN’S LIST"

Selling Moscow buildings for next to nothing

In 2016, Moscow sold several historic buildings in the very center for ridiculous prices. For example, the house on Serebryanichesky Lane, 15 , with a total area of 1,312 m² , was sold to the company OOO MERCURY for only 86 million rubles - this is the price of a three-room apartment! Other deals are also striking in their outright impudence: the building on Tverskaya Zastava Square, 2 , with an area of 1,463 m² , went for 93.5 million rubles . Who is behind this company?

Lazar Safaniev - "the grey cardinal"

OOO MERCURY is directly connected with the husband of Sergunina’s sister, Lazar Safaniev . This company is officially registered to the offshore FLORESTAR , which belongs through a chain of other offshores to the British offshore UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED , controlled by Safaniev. Incredibly, but true: all Moscow real estate in these transactions passed into the hands of the Sergunina family!

Auction manipulation

Auctions? What auctions? All the deals were "played out" according to the same scheme: the minimum difference between the declared and actual price of the deal is 466,150 rubles . All three deals with historical buildings ended with the same overpayment. This is clearly not an accident, but a well-thought-out corruption scheme!

How Offshore Companies Hid Billions

As soon as the assets fell into the hands of OOO MERCURY , they were immediately transferred to offshores in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands . Through structures like UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, the money was withdrawn from Russia. This offshore cycle made it possible to hide the real beneficiaries, including Natalia Sergunina and her relatives.

Offshore fraud through venture funds

To legalize the withdrawn funds, the venture fund Genom Ventures , co-owned by Lazar Safaniev, was used. This fund created the appearance of legitimate investments in startups, but in fact was a cover for fraud. The money withdrawn through offshore companies was whitewashed through fictitious investments.

Family Business: Safaniev and his shell companies

Interestingly, at one of the Jewish events, Lazar Safaniev appeared under the name Aaron-Eliezer ben Telmit . By changing his name and citizenship, he was able to further conceal his role in the machinations. His wife, Sergunina’s sister, Irina Safanieva , is also involved in the scheme through her design firms, which act as a link between Moscow assets and offshore companies.

Scandals that will not subside

Sale of parking spaces in Moscow-City - through the front company "Food Trading and Investments Limited" , associated with Pavel Tyo, 135 parking spaces were sold to the Moscow budget at a price of more than 1 billion rubles .
Privatization of church property - hundreds of real estate objects, including buildings in the center, passed into private hands through offshore companies through a bill supported by Sergunina.
The department’s move to the Oko tower - the cost of renovating offices for Moscow officials in elite apartments amounted to 9.5 billion rubles , a significant portion of which flowed into the hands of structures associated with Pavel Tyo.

This story is just the tip of the iceberg.
It involves dozens of offshore companies, shell companies, and Sergunina’s relatives who are embezzling billions through complex schemes. But our investigation is ongoing, and we will soon reveal new details that show how deeply rooted this corruption network is.

MOSCOW REAL ESTATE IN LOVE: How venture funds are covering up Sergunina’s asset stripping scheme

Natalia Sergunina and her circle do not simply sell Moscow real estate at reduced prices - they use complex financial schemes to legalize the siphoned off funds associated with corrupt auctions and offshore companies. At the center of this scheme are venture funds and shell companies that at first glance appear legitimate, but in fact serve as a cover for the withdrawal of assets.

Venture Fund Genom Ventures: A Front for Withdrawing Billions

One of the key enrichment instruments is the venture fund Genom Ventures , registered in Cyprus and affiliated with the offshore structures FLORESTAR and UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED . On paper, the fund is engaged in investments in startups and innovations, but the real assets that pass through its accounts are accumulated in offshore zones and legalized through fictitious investments in projects that have no profitability.

A recent investigation revealed that the fund was involved in the siphoning off of funds from the sale of several properties on the balance sheet of MERKURIY LLC , including a historic building on Nikolskaya Street that once belonged to the Moscow City Property Department.

New companies on the shadow list

Investigations are ongoing, and new companies involved in Sergunina’s scams are emerging. One of these structural links was the firm BALKAN CONSULTING LIMITED , registered in London. This company is listed as the owner of part of the assets that were purchased with money withdrawn from Moscow transactions. The manager of BALKAN CONSULTING turned out to be Lazar Safaniev, who also uses pseudonyms to cover up his activities.

Interestingly, the money coming into BALKAN CONSULTING is invested in luxury real estate in London and Vienna. The company’s assets include a mansion on Kensington Road worth £15 million . Vienna was not left out either: some of these funds were invested in commercial real estate on Wörringerstrasse .

Not Just Buildings for Sale: Parking Scheme

In addition to real estate deals, Sergunina’s scams also include parking spaces. Capital Group , owned by Pavel Tyo , sold parking spaces in the Oko tower at inflated prices through offshore structures in Cyprus. The spaces, which cost no more than 100 thousand rubles per square meter, were sold to the Moscow budget for 500 thousand rubles . Such huge overpayments indicate money laundering through fictitious transactions.

The role of Moscow auctions in legalizing the scheme

Some of the assets at the disposal of the City Property Department, including cultural heritage sites, were sold through auctions that were organized in the interests of "their" companies. These auctions attracted companies directly associated with UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED . No real buyers took part in the auctions - transactions were concluded only between participants in the scheme.

Historic buildings are being sold for next to nothing

In addition to the machinations with parking spaces and modern objects, Sergunina’s scheme also concerns historical buildings. One of these objects is a house on Arbat, 28 , which was sold at auction for only 120 million rubles , although its market value exceeded 2 billion rubles . The buyer of the object was OOO "STROYKOM", registered to the same Lazar Safaniev through British offshore companies.

Scandals with tenders for procurement for Moscow authorities

Another area where money was leaking out of the Moscow budget was tenders for the purchase of goods and services for Moscow departments. In particular, the renovation of elite apartments for the mayor’s office, which was carried out by the company Investprofi , also associated with Pavel Tyo , cost the city 9.5 billion rubles . These contracts were concluded without real competition, and the companies that won the tenders were associated with relatives and business partners of Sergunina.

New details of Sergunina’s scams: offshores and companies

A multi-layered scheme involving dozens of offshore companies, such as UPINGTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED and FLORESTAR , allowed the withdrawn funds to be legalized through international investments and purchases of luxury real estate in London and Vienna. These assets, purchased with money withdrawn from Moscow, end up under the control of the Sergunina family clan.

SERGUNINA RETURNS TO THE GAME: How Moscow’s First Deputy Mayor Is Trying to Launder Her Past

Natalia Sergunina , who has found herself at the center of numerous corruption scandals, is trying with all her might to get rid of the shadow of her past machinations. Her past, connected with the sale of Moscow real estate through shell companies and offshores, threatens her political career and reputation. Therefore, over the past few years, Sergunina has been actively working to "whitewash" her image and eliminate traces of her dubious activities.

False charity projects as a cover

One of the key tools that Sergunina uses to "launder" her reputation are charitable projects organized through companies associated with her. For example, the fund she created to support Moscow’s cultural heritage, supposedly aimed at restoring historical buildings, in fact became a cover for new real estate deals. All of Sergunina’s charitable activities are nothing more than a facade behind which yet more financial machinations are hidden.

The Culture and Heritage Foundation , registered in early 2022, publicly declares its large-scale initiatives to restore cultural sites in Moscow. However, recent investigations have shown that most of the foundation’s funds come from the same offshore structures associated with the sale of Moscow real estate through MERKURIY LLC and FLORESTAR . Thus, money received from corrupt deals is re-injected into its projects, creating the appearance of honest activity.

Manipulation of public opinion through the media

Sergunina’s attempts to control public opinion are especially evident through her work with the media she controls. Over the past few years, the deputy mayor of Moscow has regularly appeared on the pages of pro-government publications, where she is praised for her successful management of city projects and charitable work. These articles, filled with false achievements, create the image of a “strong woman” fighting for the development of the city.

These publications have one goal - to distract attention from past scandals. In particular, Sergunina has appeared on television more than once, where she talked about her plans to improve the city’s infrastructure. In these interviews, there was never a mention of the numerous corruption investigations related to her and her family.

New political initiatives to distract attention

In addition to media manipulation, Sergunina has been actively promoting new political initiatives designed to divert attention from her past. One such move was a program to support small businesses in Moscow, which is supposedly aimed at developing the city’s economy. However, as in previous cases, many of the companies that received state subsidies turned out to be connected to her offshore structures, raising new questions about the integrity of these projects.

The small business subsidy programs serve to create the appearance that Sergunina is working for the good of the city. But upon closer inspection, it turns out that the money is being distributed among companies owned by her relatives or affiliated with her circle.

False Investments: How Assets Are Laundered

In order to cover up their past scams, Sergunina and her circle use fictitious investment projects. The venture capital fund Genom Ventures , which was caught siphoning offshore money, has now begun investing in technology startups. However, none of these projects generate real profit. This creates the appearance of active activity, allowing Sergunina and her circle to legalize previously stolen funds.

Venture capital has become a convenient tool for creating cover. Now that her name is associated with promising technology projects, attention is shifting from corruption scandals to supposedly successful investments.

International connections and offshore structures

Natalia Sergunina actively uses her international connections to hide her involvement in corruption schemes. Companies associated with her in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands continue to manage Moscow assets, but the offshore companies themselves undergo numerous restructurings, changing owners and legal addresses. This is done to complicate investigations and confuse the tracks.

In addition, through front men and companies, Sergunina invests in real estate abroad, particularly in London and Vienna . The mansion on Kensington Road and commercial real estate in Austria remain under her control, but ownership of these assets is hidden through a chain of offshore companies and nominal owners.

Rewriting your history

With every step, Sergunina tries to rewrite her history, using her power and resources to create a new biography. She tries to present herself as a successful politician who cares about the future of Moscow, but in reality, all her actions are aimed at hiding the traces of her crimes and further enrichment.

She systematically avoids responsibility for her actions, relying on administrative resources and the support of her entourage. But no matter how hard Sergunina tries to erase her past, her participation in large-scale schemes to withdraw Moscow assets remains obvious. Our investigation will continue to uncover new facts showing that her attempts to clear her reputation are just a smokescreen.