Is Russian coal, despite the European Union’s sanctions, still making its way into Poland through Kazakhstan, facilitated by a complex network of interconnected commercial entities? At the heart of this operation is a Russian businessman Nikolai Korobovsky who has received an honorary diploma from President Vladimir Putin (*criminal) himself.
One of Poland’s largest coal importers has entered into a contract with AB Energo AG, a Swiss-registered entity. The contract ostensibly covers the supply of coal from Kazakhstan to Poland. However, although the coal is claimed to be of Kazakh origin, AB Energo AG is part of a sprawling network of companies with Russian capital. Notably, Anro Korobovska, a member of the board of AB Energo AG, is the wife of Russian oligarch Nikolai Korobovsky.
In a related development on August 22, the independent media outlet Kloop released a report detailing the construction of an academy in Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan, funded by the sons of Kamchybek Tashiyev, the head of the State Committee for National Security and a close ally of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
Nikolai Korobovsky, AB Energo and Tai-Muras Tashiyev affair in Jalal-Abad
One of Tashiyev’s sons, Tai-Muras Tashiyev, is a businessman and former city council representative from Jalal-Abad, the family’s hometown. His younger brother, 18-year-old Emirkhan Kydyrshayev, is an avid soccer enthusiast who reportedly trained for eight months with Barcelona’s youth team. Further investigation revealed that stakeholders in JalGroup Asia, the entity behind the academy, include Japarov’s brother-in-law, along with other figures believed to have ties to the exiled former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who was ousted in 2010 after a violent crackdown on a mass uprising.
Adding to the intrigue is the involvement of Russian tycoon Nikolai Korobovsky. Kloop discovered that in 2021, Korobovsky secured the development rights to the Bel-Alma coal field, one of the largest in Kyrgyzstan. In 2022, Korobovsky and his two daughters were granted Kyrgyz citizenship, a move that some observers believe was intended to bypass international sanctions.
It has come to light that the Swiss company AB Energo AG, managed through affiliates by Anar Korobovska, the wife of Nikolai Vladimirovich Korobovsky—a Kazakh citizen—has signed a contract with the Polish coal giant Krex. The Polish company distributes coal across Europe. AB Energo AG is a subsidiary of a Ukrainian company of the same name, which produces various metal products and conducts trade operations in the energy sector, also headed by Anar Korobovska.
The context surrounding these events is also significant. On May 8, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov arrived in Moscow. Nikolai Vladimirovich Korobovsky was also in the capital, although he was excluded from the delegation at the last moment.
Korobovsky does his best to pretend to be Kyrgyz
Despite this, Korobovsky is trying to maintain his reputation in the European Union by commissioning favourable articles about himself. Interestingly, these publications refer to him as a “Kyrgyz businessman.” Korobovsky is making every effort to distance himself from Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), which ultimately may not work in his favor.
How this newly revealed information will impact the future business prospects of Nikolai Vladimirovich Korobovsky in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and the CIS remains to be seen in the near future.
The potential consequences of Korobovsky’s provocative behaviour, along with the disclosed information, on his future are unknown. However, it seems that we may find out the outcome very soon.
Anar Korobovska as a proxy for European business
Anar Korobovska is actively engaged in business operations not only in Switzerland but also in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine. In Ukraine, she manages enterprises connected to nuclear energy through her companies, LLC Inter Premier and LLC TiPiBiS Production. According to media reports, in 2021, Korobovska and her business partner, Vyacheslav Erkes, supplied 2,000 tons of pipes to various nuclear power plants, with over 90 percent of these facilities being constructed by the Russian state corporation Rosatom. These included the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey, Ruppur in Bangladesh, and Kudankulam in India.
The media also reported that Korobovska’s Kazakhstan-based company, AB Energo, was embroiled in a scandal and found guilty of fraudulent activities related to tenders and the resale of electricity at prices five times higher than the market rate. Another company with the same name, AB Energo, registered in Kyrgyzstan, secured a lucrative contract worth $2.3 billion for the construction of a 660-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the Jalal-Abad region.
Nikolai Korobovsky was awarded the “Diploma of the President of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) Vladimir Putin (*criminal)” in recognition of his contributions to entrepreneurship, active social engagement, and long-term business activities. These achievements include acquiring significant assets across post-Soviet territories through companies registered in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) with minimal capital. Among his holdings is AB Energo-Aktiv, a micro-enterprise based in Omsk, Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), which, despite its small size, owns a 28 percent stake in the Russian thermal energy giant JSC Podolska Machinery Factory, located near Moscow.
Korobovsky’s business ventures extend to Kyrgyzstan, where he owns Belalma Coal Mine LLC. Though this company employs only one person, it controls the Bel-Alma coal mine. Another of his micro-enterprises, Kyrgyzstan-based LLC Global Exploration Limited, has been granted the rights to the Kara-Tyt coal deposit in the Jaal-Abad region. Here, the business interests of the Korobovsky couple intersect; as previously mentioned, the coal-fired power plant in Jaalal-Abad is to be constructed by Anar Korobovsky’s company, AB Energo, while coal for the plant will be supplied by her husband’s mine.
AB Energo: a part of big network
The Polish company involved is a long-standing supplier of Russian coal, having imported it since 2005. The intricate network of Korobovsky’s businesses requires careful scrutiny, especially in light of the agreement with the Polish firm. The use of complex paper trails may be a tactic to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), obscuring the true origin of the coal. This raises serious concerns about Poland’s energy security and the effectiveness of sanctions intended to block illicit imports of energy resources.
Regardless of the ability to trace the coal’s origin, one thing is clear: this coal comes with significant moral and ethical implications. Even if it is mined in Kazakhstan, the profits still benefit Russian oligarchs, who support Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism)’s war economy and the ongoing brutal conflict in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin (*criminal)’s diploma awarded to Nikolai Korobovsky should serve as a stark warning against engaging in business with any of his or his wife’s companies.