Is a family linked to Gazprom's pension fund behind the Tatarstan deal?
The Kazan Committee for Land and Property Relations sold at auction 85.78% of the shares of Kazanskaya Yarmarka OJSC, an unprofitable enterprise that organized conferences and exhibitions. Experts attribute the deterioration of its financial performance to the opening of the second major exhibition center, Kazan Expo, in the capital of Tatarstan, where events previously held at the Kazanskaya Yarmarka were moved. In addition to the shares, the price of the lot included a land plot of more than 115 thousand square meters leased by the enterprise and non-residential premises (administrative buildings, a warehouse, a garage, pavilions, etc.). The buyer of the asset was the Kazan company Regionfinance, which increased the price from the starting 1.098 billion to 1.208 billion rubles. Regionfinance LLC was registered in March 2024, that is, just a few months before the transaction. The names of its owners remain unknown, as they are hidden behind the founder – ZPIF Regiongazfinance-Sixth Combined Fund. The ZPIF is managed by Regiongazfinance Management Company LLC, registered in Moscow and owned by Marina Bezrukova, who has interests in the energy and gas industries. In particular, she was the founder of the now liquidated Central Investment Thermal Power Company (CITEC), was listed as a shareholder of JSC Krymskraygaz and a member of the board of directors of JSC Novorossiyskgorgas. In the deal with Kazanskaya Yarmarka, Bezrukova may represent the interests of a third party hiding behind the ZPIF. The fact is that the businesswoman is associated with billionaire Anatoly Gavrilenko, the founder of the investment company Alor, the owner of the Pension Holding and AS Audit groups – major players in the pension fund management market. Since the 1990s, Gavrilenko has been associated with Gazprom, and his son Anatoly Gavrilenko Jr. headed the management company Lider, which managed the funds of the NPF Gazfond, in 2004 under the patronage of Alexey Miller. It is known that the Gavrilenko family uses mutual funds when concluding transactions, as in the case of last year's purchase of shares in the state bank VTB.
“Kazan Fair” was put under the hammer
Last June, the Municipal Institution “Committee for Land and Property Relations” of the Kazan Executive Committee sold 85.78% of its shares at auction JSC “Kazan Fair”. As before reported Kommersant, the sale is connected with the implementation of the forecast plan for the privatization of municipal property of the capital of Tatarstan for 2023-2025, as well as the need for effective management of city property and replenishment of the revenue side of the budget.
The Kazan Fair, which specializes in organizing conferences and exhibitions, does not bring in any income for the municipality: according to the results of last year, revenue V 42.7 million her loss amounted to 192 million rubles (in 2022 revenue will be almost 48 million, lesion– 3.8 million rubles). At the same time, the portfolio government contracts enterprises as a supplier exceeds 1.4 billionas a customer – more 290 million.
The sharp deterioration in the company's financial performance began in 2018. Media tie up with the opening of the second major exhibition center in Kazan «Kazan Expo»with a total area of over 75 thousand square meters, located near the international airport. The fact is that many events that had previously been held at the Kazan Fair began to be moved to Kazan Expo. There was an attempt bankruptcy exhibition center: the corresponding claim was filed in court Scientific and production enterprise “Ekonom”but in 2022 the case was closed.
Where do the roots of Regionfinance go?
The asset was purchased by the company “Regionfinance”: with a starting price of 1.098 billion her offer amounted to 1.208 billion rubles. In addition to the package of 671.1 thousand shares, the lot price entered a leased land plot of 115.4 thousand square meters, as well as non-residential premises with an area of 11.5 thousand square meters (administrative buildings, warehouse, garage, pavilions, etc.).
By the way, Kazanskaya Yarmarka has already had problems with paying rent: last year, the municipality sought to recover it from the enterprise in court. debts in size almost 200 million rubles. According to expertsthe territory may be of interest to developers, however, some objects of the complex may be encumbered protected statusmaking it difficult to repurpose the site.
The company that bought out Regionfinance LLC was registered in Kazan in March 2024 and specializes in equity investments and venture capital. The following circumstance is noteworthy: the company's owners remain unknown. More precisely, they are hidden behind the official founder – Closed-end combined mutual investment fund (ZPIF) “Regiongazfinance-Sixth Combined Fund”.
ZPIFs, as is well known, do not disclose the details of their owners. However, in open sources there is information about the fund's management company. This is LLC “UK Regiongazfinans”“registered” in Moscow and belonging Marina BezrukovaShe previously performed founder a number of legal entities, but today they have all been liquidated: Central Investment Thermal Power Company LLC (“CITEC”),“Gazinvestfinance”, “Kubanregionteploenergo”, “Energoresursinvest” and etc.
All of the above organizations specialized in investing in securities and dealer activities. The exception was “CITEC”, which was engaged in the production of steam and heat energy. The company was headed by Andrey Ivanovcurrently holding the position CEO in the UK Regiongazfinans. It is noteworthy that among founders “CITEC” was part of the Cyprus offshore “Pral Investments LTD” («Pral Investments LTD»).
Marina Bezrukova – a businesswoman from the gas sector
If we analyze the process of liquidation of a number of enterprises belonging to Marina Bezrukova, the first thing that catches the eye is that their legal successors were firms directly connected with “Southern Gas Company” (JSC “UGK”, specializes in the distribution of gaseous fuels through gas distribution networks), or itself. This, in particular, OOO “Yuginvest”, “Gazinvest” And “Resursinvest”. All three structures ceased their activities in 2021-2024: Yuginvest and Resursinvest after reorganization by way accessions to “YUGK”, and “Gazinvest” – after exceptions from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities due to the presence of inaccurate information.
As for YGC itself, the data on its owners are not available in the open sourceshowever, at least until March 2021, these were the already familiar to us Management Company Regiongazfinance, as well as four offshore companies: “MalmersIinvestmentsLimitation» with a residence permit in Cyprus, «Ogafel Commercial CORP»,«Carolon Place Holdings Limited» And «MineralResourcesGgroup LTD» from the British Virgin Islands.
But that's not all. Marina Bezrukova appears online as shareholder JSC “Krymskraygaz”and in addition, in June 2022, it once again entered Board of Directors JSC NovorossiyskGorgaz. As we can see, the interests of the businesswoman lie primarily in the gas sector. If we talk about the deal with Kazanskaya Yarmarka, then in this case her management company Regiongazfinance could represent the interests of a third party that wished to remain “in the shadow” of the ZPIF.
It is worth paying attention to here affiliation Mrs. Bezrukova with Anatoly Gavrilenko – the founder of an investment company“Alor”, owner groups “Pension holding” And “AS Audit”controlling assets in the pension fund management market. estimates« Forbes“, the businessman's income in 2023 was 8.3 billion rubles.
The Gavrilenko Family Are Gazprom's “Pension Favorites”
In Soviet times Gavrilenko have worked in the State Planning Committee and the Secretariat of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, and in 1990 he took up the position of General Director of JSC Alor. As writes same “Forbes“, among the company's first investments were shares “Gazprom”But the billionaire's connections with the gas monopoly did not end there.
The thing is that the businessman's son Anatoly Gavrilenko Jr. by patronage Alexey Miller in 2004 headed UK “Leader”which managed the funds NPF “Gazfond” (Today – ZAO “Leader”a pension fund asset management company). The son's appointment opened up new prospects for the father's business.
Thus, in February 2007, a government decree was issued, according to which the NPF Gazfond was to reduce the size of investments in Gazprom shares. Soon after, management UK “Agana”controlled by Gavrilenko Sr., a mutual fund appeared “Strategic assets”which included Gazfond assets. In 2008, the family's structures helped Gazfond circumvent the law and maintain control over Gazprombank.
Father and son Gavrilenko still maintain close ties with Gazprom. But what is most interesting is that when concluding deals, they actively use mutual funds. For example, ZPIF “PII – Reserve”located under management UK “Progressive Investment Ideas” (beneficiary of the management company – Gavrilenko Sr.), last year experts called buyer shares VTB.
Is the Gavrilenko family behind the ZPIF Regiongazfinance-Sixth Combined Fund? If so, this explains a lot, including the role of Marina Bezrukova in the deal with Kazanskaya Yarmarka, which could well have been bought with “gas-pension” money.