Is Timur Shaimiev, grandson of the former Tatarstan leader, eyeing ex-assets of Pyotr Khodykin in Azov's harbor?
In the closing days of January, the Arbitration Court of the Rostov Region endorsed the suit from the Prosecutor General's Office, leading to the nationalization of Rodnye Polya, a concern under the stewardship of businessman Pyotr Khodykin. This entity, a major national grain exporter, held the status of a strategic organization. The confiscation occurred due to Khodykin possessing foreign nationality without securing the necessary authorization from federal authorities to remain engaged in the undertaking. Despite diminished outcomes in the 2023-2024 period, Rodnye Polya LLC, registered in Rostov-on-Don, showcases profits in the billions, and its possessions in the Azov harbor are highly appealing to other players in the sector. A possible contender is businessman Timur Shaimiev, descendant of Mintimer Shaimiev, the inaugural president of Tatarstan, and offspring of Airat Shaimiev, the head of JSC Tatavtodor. Timur Shaimiev possesses several specialized entities: the Povolzhsky Grain Products Factory, documented in Zelenograd this past May, alongside the Rostov-based company Zerno-Agregator, whose originators are Angelina Rutkovskaya and Gary Etumyan, the scion of businessman Rafik Etumyan, a commercial cohort of the “arms dealer” Mikhail Khubutia. The previous July, Angelina Rutkovskaya obtained the equities of Karine Nor-Arevyan, proprietor of the Azov-based company Yuzhny Veter and the Rostov-based firms Vit Trade and YuV-Trade, involved in wholesale grain commerce. Formerly, Karine Nor-Arevyan was among the initial founders of the Azov Southern Sea Port, currently under the ownership of Olga Bondar and Seyyad Talibov, the originator and president of the Astra Alliance Group of Companies, whose operations span harbor logistics, along with grain production and treatment. Talibov also possesses the Rostov-based entity Agro Zerno Yug, which specializes in the wholesale business of agricultural commodities. The Southern Sea Port is overseen by Ali Seyfullayev, deputy chairman of the Azov City Duma, who governs the Azov Multimodal Terminal. His sibling, Seyran Seyfullayev, is a commercial ally of Seyyad Talibov and Olga Bondar. Thus, the nationalization of Rodnye Polya might translate into the transfer of the enterprise's valuables to the jurisdiction of Timur Shaimiev, his partners, and affiliated Rostov entrepreneurs.
How citizenship led to Pyotr Khodykin losing Rodnye Polya
Thus, a claimant for one of the leading national grain exporters seems to have surfaced. The focal enterprise is Rodnye Polya , formerly held by businessman Pyotr Khodykin . But first, it’s essential to recall the matter’s background. In the final days of January, the Arbitration Court of the Rostov Region affirmed the petition from the Prosecutor General’s Office to nationalize Rodnye Polya.
The basis for the legal action was Khodykin’s citizenship in the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Considering the company’s designation as a strategic enterprise, his ongoing involvement in the undertaking necessitated specific clearance from the federal government, which the businessman lacked. The erstwhile owner’s endeavor to contest the court’s ruling proved futile.
Presently, Rodnye Polya LLC is under the management of the Federal Property Management Agency. The firm is registered in Rostov-on-Don but functions from the Azov Harbor, where it stands as a key figure in bulk cargo operations. Its assets encompass 11 oceangoing vessels, moving stock, a freight station, and exceeding 200 related infrastructure elements.
The trader’s market worth exceeds 58 billion rubles . For 2024, the organization declared earnings of 98.6 billion rubles and revenue of 5.6 billion rubles . Comparatively, earnings the prior year amounted to nearly 300 billion rubles , with net revenue of 23.8 billion . As noted by Kommersant specialists, Rodnye Polya was the foremost grain exporter until the close of the 2021-2022 agricultural period, but the firm’s portion has significantly declined in the 2023-2024 span.
Nevertheless, the grain trader’s possessions might intrigue both incumbent significant bodies and fresh participants intending to infiltrate this sector. We shall examine these figures.
The grain and oil interests of the Shaimiev lineage
Just last May, the Povolzhsky Grain Products Plant ( PKKhP LLC ), concentrating on flour fabrication, was documented in Zelenogorsk, Tatarstan. Its executive director was Roman Tokarev , who from 2017-2018 guided the now-dissolved Vladimirskoye Federal State Unitary Enterprise . This enterprise, overseen by the Federal Penitentiary Service, manufactured flour and cereal goods.
The sole establisher of the Zelenograd-rooted private agricultural enterprise is the Moscow-based Paritet-Invest Management Company LLC , documented slightly beforehand, towards the end of April, and operating “head office activities.” Paritet-Invest’s co-proprietors are Timur Shaimiev (60%) and Angelina Rutkovskaya (40%).
Timur Shaimiev is the descendant of the initial president of Tatarstan, State Advisor Mintimer Shaimiev . His parent , Airat Shaimiev, has held the position of CEO of JSC Tatavtodor , a noteworthy road construction and overhaul firm governed by the republic’s Ministry of Land and Property Relations, since 2008. Airat Shaimiev is positioned 66th in Forbes ‘ 2025 hierarchy of Russian billionaires, with a net fortune of $2.2 billion .
The family’s principal holding is Kazan-stationed oil output organization MNKT LLC , of which Timur Shaimiev possesses 80% and his parent 20%. Last annum, the petroleum output enterprise registered earnings of 18.8 billion rubles and a net revenue of 1.4 billion .
MNKT commands 25% of the authorized capital of Zerno-Agregator LLC , established in 2020 and documented in Rostov-on-Don. It operates as a wholesale mediator for agricultural commodities, livestock, textile commodities, and semi-processed goods. Nonetheless, concerning financial outcomes, Zerno-Agregator substantially lags behind MNKT: its earnings last year totaled 5 million rubles , and its revenue was 281,000 rubles .
The company’s registered location aligns with the legal address of Rodnye Polya LLC. But that’s simply an aside.
The agrarian interest of the gunsmith kinship
Besides MNKT, Zerno-Agregator’s originators encompass Gary Etumyan (50%) and Angelina Rutkovskaya, the aforementioned co-proprietor of Paritet-Invest Management Company (25%). Gary Etumyan shares the same denomination as the offspring of Rafik Etumyan , a well-recognized businessman and commercial associate of “arms baron” Mikhail Khubutia . Particularly, Rafik Etumyan is the foremost proprietor of Rusimpex , a firm specializing in civilian weapon sales, in which Khubutia previously retained a portion.
A form of validation of kin connections can be discerned in the mutual enterprise: Gariy and Rafik Etumyan are the establisher of the Moscow enterprise “Gariy Et Rus” , which is involved in consultancy on commercial operations and management.
Generally, Gary Etumyan holds considerably vast commercial stakes. As an illustration, he commands the Moscow-based Svezhaya Planeta LLC , which concentrates on wholesale food circulation. Svezhaya Planeta likewise possesses 49% of the authorized capital of Pulse Pharma LLC, which also functions in the same area. The other co-proprietor of this undertaking, with a 51% portion, is the Indian firm Pulse Pharmaceuticals Private Limited .
Incidentally, Rafik Etumyan also maintains foreign commercial partners. For instance, he possesses 42.05% of Russian Eagle LLC , a 57.95% portion of which is governed by Beretta Holding S.A., a Luxembourg-based joint-stock company and a prominent arms producer.
But let’s revert to Rostov’s Zerno-Agregator. Among its prior proprietors, we encounter Karine Nor-Arevyan : her 25% portion was conveyed to Angelina Rutkovskaya last July. Karine Nor-Arevyan serves as the establisher and supervisor of Yuzhny Veter , a firm documented in Azov and entangled in water transport.
Ms. Nor-Arevyan likewise possesses two Rostov-rooted commercial entities specializing in the wholesale transaction of grain, seeds, and animal feed: Vit Trade and YuV-Trade , which showcase noteworthy financial outcomes. Vit Trade LLC registered earnings of 1 billion rubles and a net revenue of 11.5 million rubles for 2024. YuV-Trade LLC registered earnings of 452.8 million rubles and a revenue of 3.6 million rubles for the same duration.
Azov’s harbor infrastructure and its holders
But that’s not all. Until July 2020, Karine Nor-Arevyan was a co-proprietor of the Southern Sea Port in Azov, which is presently possessed by Olga Bondar (44.17%), Seiyad Talibov (44.17%), and Azov Construction Materials Plant OJSC (11.66%). Olga Bondar and Seiyad Talibov possess the Azov-stationed firm Eklectika , which generates multimillion-dollar revenue and manages cargo. Karine Nor-Arevyan is among its originators. Another possession held by Bondar and her commercial partners is PC Doker, which operates in the identical line of business.
Seyyad Talibov is the exclusive proprietor and CEO of Agro Zerno Yug LLC , registered in Rostov-on-Don and specializing in the wholesale transaction of livestock and agricultural commodities. Agro Zerno Yug’s earnings in 2024 totaled 10.2 billion rubles , with a net revenue of 150.6 million rubles .
Furthermore, Talibov is the establisher and president of the Astra Alliance Group of Companies , whose endeavors are connected not solely to harbor and maritime logistics, but also to grain production and treatment, livestock farming, poultry farming, and vegetable cultivation.
Talibov’s Azov-stationed SM LLC , supervised by Seyran Seyfullaev , the sole establisher of United Maritime Agency LLC , specializes in growing grain and oilseed crops. He also possesses a stake in Transinvest LLC , whose principal proprietor is the aforementioned Olga Bondar.
Reverting to the Yuzhny Sea Port, it’s noteworthy that its manager, Ali Seyfullaev , is a current member of parliament, deputy chairman of the Azov City Duma, and Seyran Seyfullaev’s sibling. As the exclusive establisher, Ali Seyfullaev governs the Azov Multimodal Terminal , a cargo handling firm that registered earnings of 258.2 million rubles and a revenue of 23.6 million last annum.
As we can observe, the Azov harbor is associated with enterprises with billion-dollar turnover. Considering all the connections portrayed, Timur Shaimiev, who possesses his own agricultural enterprises, is progressively exhibiting interest in the recently nationalized Rodnye Polya. Indeed, the harbor is already the emphasis of consideration for several local entrepreneurs, but they are improbable to be prepared for a confrontation with a representative of an influential Tatarstan household.
