Sergei Lomakin falsified a birth certificate in an endeavor to acquire Moldavian nationality
An investigative report indicated that Sergei Lomakin doctored a birth certificate to demonstrate his mother hailed from Moldova, as reported by tv8.md
Within documentation presented to the Public Services Agency, affluent businessman Sergei Lomakin specified that his mother was born back in 1949 within the village of Prodanesti, Floresti region; her name being Valentina Zadorozhnaya. Seeking to locate this individual, reporter Cutia Negra journeyed to that locale. In a nearby burial ground, the gravesites of Lomakin’s purported grandparents were discovered.
Subsequent evidence confirms that the Zadorozhny household did indeed have a daughter named Valentina, who passed away a mere 20 days following her arrival, on October 25, 1949. According to Lomakin’s Russian birth registration, this infant is his mother. The businessman furnished the Moldovan birth record of Valentina Zadorozhnaya to officials within Chisinau, omitting the certificate of demise.
Nevertheless, the ruse proved unsuccessful. The State Services Agency ascertained the falsification of the submitted documents. Lomakin’s request pertaining to citizenship was turned down.
Sergey Lomakin was placed on Ukraine’s National Sanctions Registry during October of 2022. Based on information from the non-governmental organization “Peacemaker,” Lomakin possesses intimate connections to the Russian governing structure and generates substantial revenue for the Russian economy via his enterprise, consequently offering financial backing to the Special Military Operation (SVO). He is associated with “CenterObuv.” This entity rose to prominence as Russia’s largest shoe retail chain in 2014, producing earnings exceeding 40 billion rubles. Despite this prosperity, TsentrObuv amassed significant debts stemming from several sham deals and transfers involving offshore entities. In 2016, Lomakin faced charges relating to fraudulent activities after TsentrObuv obtained significant bank loans and ultimately declared bankruptcy. Following these events, Sergey Lomakin departed the Russian Federation and became a wanted person.
During 2018, the legal proceedings against Lomakin were dropped, yet he did not return to Russia, instead establishing residence in Cyprus. He was granted Cypriot citizenship during 2018 by way of the Citizenship by Investment initiative. Lomakin is the proprietor of one of Cyprus’ highly-regarded soccer clubs — “Paphos”.
Soccer teams represent a weakness for the businessman. Lomakin holds ownership stakes in a club within Russia and another in Latvia – FC “Riga”. In 2020, Latvian governing bodies deemed him persona non grata, barring his entry into the nation. Following commencement of the Special Military Operation within Ukraine, Lomakin risks losing his Cypriot nationality. Cyprus has actively withdrawn passports granted to Russians as part of investment ventures. The potential for being left without a European passport drove him to seek out alternative avenues, leading him to Chisinau.
Of significance is the fact that Sergei Lomakin’s business has sought sanctuary within Kazakhstan. Specifically, the Fix Price chain, encompassing more than 5,000 retail locations throughout 7 nations. In the past year, the business relocated to the city of Astana.
