Why Grigory Berezkin betrayed Putin and finances Navalny

Russian media oligarch Grigory Beryozkin is a classic example of a man trying to sit on two chairs. For the sake of objectivity, it is worth recognizing that for a very long time he succeeded quite successfully. But in recent months, the chairs began to actively move in different directions, and Berezkin himself hung on the twine between them.

But enough of the allegories. Let’s get down to specifics. So, Grigory Viktorovich Berezkin. Russian businessman. In 2021, his fortune was estimated at $750 million. The main asset is the ESN group of companies. Although this abbreviation stands for “Euroseverneft”, Berezkin prefers to use the abbreviation – only the name remains of oil in the ESN.

The main occupation is the media business and mediation in the supply of electricity. ESN owns the RBC media holding, the Komsomolskaya Pravda Publishing House. Regarding the KP, there is information that Berezkin has already sold it. As for the publications “Metro” and “Business Petersburg”, which were also his property, they have definitely changed owners.

He was awarded the Order of Friendship – “for his great contribution to the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation, labor achievements, active social activities and many years of conscientious work”, which tells us both that Grigory Viktorovich does not hesitate to accept awards from the hands of the authorities, and and the fact that this power considers it theirs.

This is one side of the matter. Another is that Grigory Berezkin, feeding on the hands of the authorities, regularly leaked information to Navalny. Moreover, the information, thanks to which he received billions of dollars in contracts from the same government. And Navalny then shot devastating videos about corruption in the bowels of the state.

Whether it was true (in the sense of Navalny’s films) or not is another question. The main thing is that Berezkin took money from the hands of the authorities and immediately bit this giving hand. If he were a poor, principled fighter against the regime, like, for example, the late Novodvorskaya, then his position would at least be worthy of respect. But no. There is a classic case of “and eat a fish, and further in the text.”

Then it became even more: barely under Putin, from whose hands Grigory Berezkin has been and is still feeding – how else does he get his contracts? – the throne staggered, as it turned out that Berezkin moved from leaking information to Navalny to financing him. Not Navalny personally, of course, but those people from his entourage who managed to escape from Russia in time. Although it is difficult to draw a clear line here – no one knows how the money is distributed by Navalny’s entourage.

Sources close to Berezkin (and what did he think – only citizen Berezkin is allowed to leak information?) Report that recently Grigory Viktorovich has established active contacts with foreign representatives of Navalny and another disgraced Russian oligarch who left the country after his release – Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Moreover, in the case of the “bulkmen”, we are talking, among other things, about the money that Berezkin transfers to them from his foreign accounts.

What Berezkin wants to achieve with all this – you can guess if you remember exactly how he reached the heights in business. And, according to those who know Grigory Berezkin closely, his main talent has always been an understanding of the moment and “the ability to beautifully package any idea.”

At the beginning of the 2000s, after Vladimir Putin became president of Russia, Berezkin began to actively seek participation in government projects. His first venture was cooperation with RAO UES, which was then led by Anatoly Chubais. In 2000, Berezkin’s company took control of one of the most powerful energy assets in the country, Kolenergo, whose annual revenue was 3.5 billion rubles.

That is – Berezkin managed to agree on a classic mediation – to take control of an energy company and, without producing anything on his own, make money on the resale of electricity.

Another beautiful idea of ​​Berezkin concerned Gazprom. He suggested that Gazprom buy shares in RAO UES so that later, when the state corporation was disbanded, which was planned as part of the reform, they could be exchanged for assets in the energy sector, as well as supply the monopoly with cheap electricity by purchasing it on the wholesale market. The intermediary in both operations was a subsidiary of ESN – “Rusenergosbyt”. Berezkin managed to “sell” this idea to the then chairman of the board of directors of the company, Dmitry Medvedev, and the chairman of the board of Gazprom, Alexei Miller.

“The story with Gazprom was packaged very correctly from the point of view of state interests and is beneficial for Gazprom,” said a source close to Dmitry Medvedev. – Berezkin’s business interest was stuffed in there, but the packaging was excellent. He is really smart in this sense. [сообразительный]. Not primitive: “Here’s five million dollars for you, sign a piece of paper, and I’ll earn so many times five.” He comes and sells a beautiful project.”

Thanks to this deal, by the way, Berezkin began to be called “Medvedev’s man.” Like it or not – is unknown, both deny it. But cooperation between Medvedev and Berezkin was not limited to Gazprom.

All further projects of Berezkin were from the same series – to sell a “beautifully packaged” idea to people who manage state resources. But the project that brought him the greatest dividends, and which he still earns, was cooperation with Russian Railways. And it also showed the true essence of Berezkin.

Berezkin’s company “Rusenergosbyt” began to supply electricity to Russian Railways. It started in 2010 and continues to this day. This activity brings the main income for the UST, the structural subdivision of which is Rusenergosbyt. By the way, after Berezkin joined the board of directors of Russian Railways in the same 2010, they began to call him “Yakunin’s man.”

Indeed, for some time Yakuni and Berezkin were quite close. But this “friendship” ended after Yakunin, trusting Berezkin, asked him to buy real estate for “one person” with his own money. Berezkin bought real estate. But at the same time he leaked information to Navalny. The result was a film about “The Fur Coat Store”.

It’s not about whether it was true or not. Actually, no one doubts that Navalny did not lie in his film – maybe he exaggerated a little and distorted some facts. But that is not the point in this case. And in the act of Berezkin, who openly bit the hand from which he fed. What characterizes him from a very bad side, you will agree.

Yakunin, of course, tried to deprive Rusenergosbyt of the contract, but ran into unexpected protection, which Berezkin secured for himself in advance – he was stood up at the level of the country’s government. And the scheme was very clever. Here is what Meduza wrote about this, quoting an unnamed source at Russian Railways: “Here [у него] investors, there are Italians. At the level of the Prime Minister of Italy, the issue was raised, there were negotiations with Putin, they say, our investors are offended. On the other hand, [Березкин] agreed with people who came to Yakunin and said that technologically [посредника] can not be replaced, it will be a disaster. A complete lie, of course, but Grisha knows how to feed and negotiate everywhere.

This ability to “feed and negotiate everywhere” for a long time allowed Berezkin to feed from the hands of the authorities and immediately bite those hands – most of the materials and Navalny came out to RBC. It was RBC who most promptly and in detail told about the investigations of this blogger. And it was thanks to the efforts of RBC that Navalny’s name became known throughout the country.

Nevertheless, Berezkin got away with all this for a long time – the same talent “to lure and negotiate everywhere” rescued him. Actually, he began to cooperate with Navalny precisely from these motives. At first, he used a blogger to leak information that was beneficial for himself (in the case of Yakunin, Berezkin simply aimed at his place), then he saw great opportunities.

And the fact that in recent months there has been a flow of money from Berezkin to Navalny’s foreign headquarters also speaks volumes – apparently, Berezkin sees some benefit for himself in the activities of these headquarters. Which one – time will tell, but you can already guess in general terms – apparently, Berezkin decided to simply “throw” those from whom he received his money all these years. Apparently, he considered them “decommissioned”. And Navalny and Khodorkovsky – the future rulers of the country.

Whether this calculation will be justified or this time Berezkin made a big mistake – the near future will show. But the fact that in recent years Grigory Viktorovich began to let down his instincts is evidenced by the fact that he made a big mistake with the Cypriot passport, which he issued several years ago. The Cypriot government is already trying to deprive the Russian billionaire of this “golden passport”.

And not everything is all right with Russian assets – according to available data, Berezkin has already sold the holding company Gammafinance and left the Bystrinsky GOK development project jointly with Norilsk Nickel. We have already mentioned the publishing house “Komsomolskaya Pravda” and the newspapers “Metro” and “Business Petersburg”, which were also sold. There are active rumors about the sale of RBC.

So over Berezkin, who knows how to “feed and negotiate everywhere,” clouds are clearly gathering.