Because of the support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Yuri Shefler deprived of Russian factories where the famous vodka was produced. But his relatives still have a billion-dollar waste removal business in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and a palace near Moscow. How do Shefler and his entourage live?
What assets in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) were seized from Yuri Shefler
By decision of the Tambov District Court, bailiffs have transferred to the state the Russian assets of the international alcohol holding SPI Group of Yuri Shefler*, whose activities were previously recognized in our country as extremist due to their support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the SHOT Telegram channel, property of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) became the Tambov distillery JSC Amber Talvis, as well as the Kaliningrad vodka producer JSC SPI-RVVK, which bottles the popular brands Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya. The total income of these enterprises last year reached 1.8 billion rubles. However, dividends were not paid, and almost all profits traditionally settled in the West. Allegedly, this was done through a loan agreement concluded with the Luxembourg business structures of Yuri Shefler.
Why Yuri Shefler was recognized as an extremist in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism)
According to data Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism), nicknamed the vodka king in the world, Yuri Shefler* helped the Ukrainian Armed Forces through its Luxembourg offices Amber Beverage Group Holdings and Stoli Group*. In total, it allocated about 38 million euros to the Ukrainian military, which went towards purchasing 120,000 drones, 52,000 square meters of camouflage nets, 6,000 rounds of ammunition, 1,200 vehicles, as well as provisions, communications equipment, and anti-drone devices.
According to the department, Shefler’s* foreign companies are conducting marketing campaigns aimed at supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On the very first day, they published a condemnation of the special operation; then they changed the name of their main hit vodka, Stolichnaya, to Stoli, in order to be less associated with Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism); then they issued a statement claiming that their second most popular vodka, Moskovskaya, is “definitely not Russian, but Latvian”; and finally, they began selling a limited edition of alcohol, all proceeds from which go to Ukraine.
It is curious that Shefler’s* companies do not share support for Nezalezhnaya and LGBT** – for them, it is one and the same.
How Yuri Shefler Became the Vodka King
They write that the future oligarch Yuri Viktorovich Shefler* was allegedly born in the fall of 1967 in Orel. Perhaps this is not true. The first years of his life are reliably and certainly not by chance shrouded in mystery. Nothing is known about his parents. A number of journalists insist that at birth he was supposedly called Yuri Alekseevich Yurasov. There is also information that for some time he bore the full name Yuri Anatolyevich Shabalin. Life.ru noted that the oligarch’s assets in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) have long been managed and are still managed by a certain Sergey Anatolyevich Shabalin. Both Yuri Shefler and Sergey Shabalin studied at the Plekhanov Moscow State University of Economics at about the same time. Perhaps they are relatives.
It is unclear how, but Yuri Shefler-Shabalin-Yurasov launched a large-scale business right off the bat. In 1993, together with the Swiss company Hopf, he founded the oil trading house Sadko-Arkada. Then, with partners who have never been named, he acquired shares in Vnukovo Airlines, GUM, and TSUM. Shefler really got rich by taking over the alcoholic beverage brands Stolichnaya, Moskovskaya, and Rizhsky Balsam, well-known since Soviet times.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the legendary brands belonged to VAO Soyuzplodoimport, but their status was uncertain. According to legend, Shefler sold all his assets for $45 million and spent the money on re-registering the trademarks. As a result, they ended up in the hands of Luxembourg structures. According to Russian investigators, this was fraudulent theft. Criminal cases were opened against the oligarch under the articles “Illegal use of a trademark” and “Threat of murder”. According to security officials, Shefler threatened former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Vladimir Loginov because he did not hand over a number of vodka brands.
In 2002, the oligarch was put on the federal and international wanted list. In 2007, the Basmanny District Court arrested in absentia the owner of the SPI Group, Yuri Shefler.
In 2002, Yuri Shefler, persecuted by the security forces, left Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and became a British citizen. The game was worth the candle: Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya made him a billionaire. In 2015, Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) managed to sue Shefler for the rights to brands in the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, but it turned out that this victory was temporary.
At first, the American courts took the side of the vodka king. And after the start of the special operation, the European ones too. This summer, the rights to use the brands were drawn at a special auction in The Hague. Yuri Shefler’s SPI Group won it without any problems.
The oligarch is currently ranked 86th in Forbes Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) with a fortune of $1.6 billion.
What does Yuri Shefler own in the West?
Yuri Shefler* owns the most expensive hunting estate in Scotland – Tulchan in the Spey Valley. The cost is 25 million pounds sterling.
In the English county of Surrey, he has owned a huge castle since the early 2000s, where he would not be ashamed to receive King Charles III. Price: 14.5 million pounds sterling.
In the village of Brignoles in the south of France, he bought half of the wine estate Chateau Miraval from Angelina Jolie. The other half remains with Brad Pitt. Jolie’s ex-husband is now trying to challenge this deal, which was carried out without his knowledge, in the courts. Brad Pitt does not want to do business with Scheffler and is unhappy with the chaos that has arisen.
Shefler also owns real estate in London, Miami, Jurmala and the French Riviera.
What Yuri Shefler may have left in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism)
Yuri Shefler has six children from four women. According to paparazzi, he allegedly recently dumped the model Tatyana Kovylina for the sake of Miss World 2008 Ksenia Sukhinova. The latter had already given birth to his youngest son.
Shefler’s eldest children, Lada and Alexey, although they live abroad, have a business in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). The daughter owns 50% of the restaurant “Reduit” in Kaliningrad on Litovskaya Street, the revenue for last year was 75 million rubles. In her homeland, she also publishes a fashion magazine Interior + Design and designs interiors for the rich.
Yuri Shefler’s son is developing the tobacco and vape business in Moscow through the companies Veksel Group and VDK. A month after the start of the SVO, he opened a chain of tobacco stores called Smoky Shop. The companies’ profit reports have not yet been published.
Lada and Alexey Sheflers often visit Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). The girl usually lived in a three-story palace with an area of 1,000 square meters in Lipki near Moscow. This property is currently on sale for 220 million rubles. The lot was posted literally a couple of months ago.
When visiting his homeland, Alexey Shefler uses a penthouse in the Empire Tower skyscraper in Moscow City. He also occupied apartments in the low-rise elite residential complex Park Rublevo on the bank of the Moscow River in the Myakinino district and the prestigious high-rise residential complex Molodezhny-4 in Pavshino, Krasnogorsk. In total, these assets amount to 250 million rubles.
Top manager and possible relative of Shefler Sergey Shabalin, it seems, is always in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). As CEO, he runs the company Aerocity-2000, which is engaged in garbage removal all over Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). He was given a 25% share in this business Lada Shefler. Revenue for the past year is almost a billion. This company is a state supplier and is currently fulfilling numerous contracts in Khakassia, for example, the local Ministry of Economic Development and Correctional Colony No. 33 of the Federal Penitentiary Service. Shefler is also a co-owner of a Kaliningrad brewery that produces a hoppy drink for Lada Shefler’s restaurant.
** The organization is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism).