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One of the Kremlin’s most senior intelligence chiefs is facing allegations of corruption amid claims that his family amassed a fortune through illicit dealings linked to a Russian state defence company.
Lieutenant General Vladislav Menshchikov, the head of the FSB, the Russian counter intelligence service, is alleged to have acquired expensive properties and businesses registered under the names of his relatives, according to The Insider, an investigations website.
Menschikov, is one of President Vladimir’s most trusted aides and was responsible for orchestrating the wrongful arrest of western journalists.
The Insider found that Menshchikov’s daughter, Tatiana Menshchikova, has amassed a real estate empire valued at around 3 billion rubles ($34.9 million).
While her father’s annual income was just 13.6 million rubles, she could afford to purchase a new Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 4MATIC worth almost double his salary.
Menshchikova purchased the German-made car in December 2022, despite EU sanctions prohibiting the sale of luxury cars to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
Menshchikova’s companies generated over 800 million rubles ($9.3 million) in property revenue last year, enabling her to afford lavish purchases, according to The Insider.
Vladislav Menshchikov’s department, the FSB’s 1st Service, was responsible for the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully imprisoned for over 300 days on fabricated charges.
Gershkovich’s arrest was allegedly orchestrated as a bargaining tool to secure the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian FSB assassin imprisoned in Germany.
The Wall Street Journal stated that Vladimir Putin received video briefings from Menshchikov before and after Gershkovich’s arrest.
Initially sentenced to 16 years for allegedly gathering intelligence for the CIA, Gershkovich was recently released in a prisoner exchange brokered between the United States and Russia. Krasikov was one of eight Russians released and returned to Moscow as part of the exchange deal.
The operation for Gershkovich’s arrest was carried out by the FSB’s counterintelligence operations department, led by General Vladislav Menshchikov since 2015.
Before heading counterintelligence, Menshchikov oversaw the state-run aerospace defence corporation, Almaz-Antey.
Almaz-Antey is on the U.S. sanction list as of January 2023. The company is best known for the Buk missile system, an older version of the weapon was found to be responsible for the downing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.
The Insider states that Menshchikova’s wealth can be traced to her business partner, Yan Novikov, the current head of Almaz-Antey.
Novikov, who shares ownership in several firms with Menshchikova, has a long-standing relationship with her father dating back to their time at Almaz-Antey, where Menshchikov served as head from 2003 to 2014, with Novikov as his deputy.
The Insider found that their connection extends to family ties, with Novikov’s wife and Menshchikov’s son-in-law co-owning a land plot in the Moscow region until 2011.
Further investigation by The Insider revealed that Menshchikov’s family members received lucrative contracts from Almaz-Antey. These contracts facilitated the management of business travel services and the supply of products to the state company, funnelling profits into the Menshchikov family’s commercial real estate investments.
The Insider found that Menshchikova co-owns several companies managing prime real estate in Moscow, including Galax LLC, Agora LLC, and Bioimpulse LLC.
The media outlet established all the property registered to these legal entities, which includes a restaurant, a mansion, commercial spaces leased to major corporations like Sberbank and the Russian Football Premier League, a business centre, a shopping centre, and a warehouse.
These properties valued in the hundreds of millions of rubles, have total revenues exceeding 800 million rubles ($9.3 million) last year, according to The Insider.
Menshchikova’s real estate portfolio also includes an estate worth up to half a billion rubles ($6 million) in the prestigious Novogorsk gated community in Khimki.
The Insider uncovered documents showing that in 2010, the land was transferred to an Almaz-Antey subsidiary. Within a fortnight, ownership shifted to Menshchikov’s son-in-law. By 2019, the property had passed to the FSB chief’s daughter through a marriage contract.
