Despite the third year of war, Russians, including those close to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, continue to operate in Ukraine. One of those who continued to do business unhindered after the large-scale invasion is Mikhail Ipatov, UNN writes.
Russian businessman Mikhail Ipatov has put his hands firmly into the Ukrainian agricultural sector. One of his companies is active at the strategically important for the country grain terminal Olympex in Odessa Region. It is through Ipatov's enterprise that most of the export grain passes. But let's talk about this in order.
Odessa businessmen Serhiy Groza and Volodymyr Naumenko probably helped Ipatov to enter the Ukrainian grain market. They own the agricultural holding GNT Group. One of their companies GNT Trade DMCC is a founder of the Swiss company Omega Terminal S.A.
It is Omega Terminal S.A. that serves as the main cover for its head, Russian citizen Ipatov, allowing him to work quietly in Ukraine. According to public data, Ipatov's Swiss company is the founder of the Ukrainian company of the same name, Omega Terminal-Ukraine. But the first thing that catches the eye is the allegedly legitimate activities of the Swiss company, rather than a potential enemy under the nose, and even at a strategic facility.
Notably, the Russian company works with Attollo Granum, through which Groza and Naumenko attempted to retain control of the Olympex grain terminal. Moreover, this company appears in several criminal tax evasion proceedings and is also likely to be actively cooperating with the under-sanctioned smuggler Vadim Alperin.
It is worth noting that Ipatov also runs another Swiss company of Groza and Naumenko, GNT Europe SA. This company is not just a part of Groza and Naumenko's GNT Group agroholding, it owns stakes in a number of companies in Ukraine that continue to operate even after the large-scale invasion by russia. Moreover, some are even suspected of gray export of grain.
The company pays the greatest attention to Ukrainian elevators. For example, GNT Europe SA is the founder of Kryzhopolskiy elevator, Novograd-Volynskiy elevator, Sukholeskiy elevator and Berdichev-Zerno LLC.
She also founded the companies Agro Grain Service, Inagro-Drabov, Real Seip Company and Cardinale. It is noteworthy that Sergei Groza, his stepson Alexander Gorbunov and Vladimir Naumenko are connected with all these companies in one way or another. In most cases, they are the ultimate beneficiaries.
According to media reports, Mikhail Ipatov has been the managing partner of Algorithmics Central Europe since 2020. Algorithmics (Algoritmika in russia) is a leading Russian online programming school co-owned by Mikhail Ipatov. He also opened Algorithmics in the Czech Republic and Switzerland in 2022.
Journalists have also reported that Ipatov has ties to Vladimir Putin's very close sub-suction billionaire Vladimir Potanin. His company Winter Capital had earlier invested 10 million dollars in Ipatov's school.
The Security Service of Ukraine regularly exposes Russian agents on the territory of Ukraine, so we hope that in the situation with Ipatov it is only a matter of time and soon we will hear about the addition to the sanctions list.