TV presenter Ivan Urgant has turned up in Russia – as beloved due to his talent, as odious because of his negative position in relation to Russia’s special military operation to protect Donbass. And he showed up at a corporate party with the same “patriot” as himself, an Omsk businessman, co-owner of grocery chains Viktor Shkurenko.

How two talented people found each other, and what is happening now in Shkurenko’s business – in the material of The Moscow Post correspondent in the Omsk region.

With the start of Russia’s special military operation in the Donbass, part of the show business elite did not support their country in the fight against Nazism in Ukraine. Why is a question for them. However, it is easy to guess that Western “sanctioners” could simply cut off the oxygen for them: after all, a significant number of them have assets and real estate abroad. What is worth only the Prima Donna and Maxim Galkin, who almost from the beginning of the NWO has been ridiculing Russia from the stage of Tel Aviv.

Good food at home

One of the show business stars who did not support the CBO was Ivan Urgant. His famous show “Evening Urgant” also closed. For some time there were rumors that Ivan left the country, which was confirmed by the TV presenter himself. However, he was afraid to burn bridges: they say he drove off on a planned vacation.

We understand that it is difficult to immediately determine the level of profitability of a new location, and, as you know, houses help too.

Such – and along with Urgant and Galkin, this is a whole galaxy of artists and businessmen, in the Russian Federation they are called “frightened patriots.” But if Ivan tried his luck abroad, he didn’t find much – he returned to the corporate party with Shkurenko.

The latter was also clearly not happy with the fact that Russia decided to protect the inhabitants of Donbass from incessant shelling – more precisely, from possible sanctions by Western countries in relation to their assets.

They say that like is drawn to like, so Shkurenko himself explained Urgant’s invitation in social networks as follows: this is “not a deal with an artist, but support for the position of a Man.” His words are quoted by the publication “Courier Sreda”.

What kind of position is easy to guess. And it’s hard to call it pro-Russian either. By the way, the corporate party organized by Shkurenko turned out to be one of the largest in the history of Siberia – 2.5 thousand participants from eight regions of the country took part in it. Rumor has it that the cost of the celebration exceeded 20 million rubles – about the same amount as the city treasury allocated for the celebration of the day of the city of Omsk. “Curly” live “frightened patriots”?

Of course, both were subjected to fierce criticism from the Russians and the professional community. Here is what Yevgeny Chirvin, a member of the Central Council of the Consumers Association of Russia, said about Viktor Shkurenko:

“A traitor supports a traitor and is proud of it – this definitely cannot be forgiven. Shkurenko, as a businessman, signed his own sentence in Russia, Siberians will not forgive him for this, I have no doubt. To hit your army in the back is vile and unworthy.” His words are quoted by the online edition “BK55”.

Chirvin openly called for a boycott of Shkurenko’s stores and not to buy goods from him. Whether to follow his advice, everyone must decide for himself.

By the way, how much the support of Urgant by the businessman Shkurenko cost, remains a mystery – the amount of the artist’s fee is not disclosed. But it is known that before the SVO, Ivan allegedly asked for almost 50 thousand euros for participation in corporate parties.

It is unlikely that such prices from Ivan would have been accepted in Europe, the USA or Israel, where Galkin asks almost ten times less for a ticket than he asked from compatriots in the Russian Federation. And again – is the food better at home?

Viktor Shkurenko and Ivan Urgant. Photo: https://t.me/iron_feliks/1327

Such is the budget “patriotism”, and obviously for a considerable fee. At the same time, ill-wishers are trying to label Urgant as a “Russophobe”. Based on this logic, does Shkurenko sponsor Russophobia?

selfish interest

And he is also used to earning money in Russia: together with his partner Dmitry Shadrin, Shkurenko created a whole network of retailers in the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions that sell consumer goods to people. On this money and “walk”.

They own TD Shkurenko LLC, their main legal entity, on a parity basis. At the same time, both are the founders of another mass of legal entities – Shkurenko – 20, Shadrin – 14. In many of these offices, signs of fictitiousness can be traced.

A photo: Rusprofile.en

If you take the big picture, Shkurenko is a co-owner of the SPAR Omsk, Pobeda, Nizkotsen grocery chains (32 hypermarkets in the Omsk region, 16 in the Tyumen region, 17 in the Novosibirsk region, 4 in the Altai Territory, 1 in the Sverdlovsk Region, 2 in the Kurgan region).

According to the results of 2021, the revenue of the trading house Shkurenko amounted to 12 billion rubles, which is 3.3 billion more than a year earlier, the profit was 44 million rubles. Actually, those who are a little versed in economics understand where such a difference could come from. Is reporting in Shkurenko’s holding drawn in order to pay less taxes?

A photo: Rusprofile.en

At the end of 2020, Viktor Shkurenko took 12th place in the ranking of the richest people in Omsk. And the 7th place was taken by his business partner Dmitry Shadrin – from 2007 to 2011 he was a deputy of the city council of Omsk, from 2011 to 2016 – a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the region (United Russia faction).

That is, a person who is clearly not a stranger to the local authorities. Perhaps this will explain the fact that the trading house partners have government contracts worth more than 120 million rubles? And this is money that went to the company of a man with a clearly non-pro-Russian position in the current Ukrainian conflict.

A photo: Rusprofile.en

In turn, Viktor Shkurenko himself in 2018 was a confidant of Ksenia Sobchak in the presidential elections. Needless to say, this young lady did not support the Russian position either, and, like Ivan Urgant, went abroad almost immediately after February 24? However, she was already returning to her homeland. Also, like Ivan Urgant, she “rested”.

It is also interesting that Mr. Shkurenko just in February 2022 announced the acquisition of the Tomsk distribution company Bas-ton. Why didn’t he go on a “vacation” with star artists? Your shirt is closer to your body…

Even before that, in 2020-2021, he also bought the Tomsk confectionery distributor Salyut and the Novosibirsk distributor TD ABK – New Siberia.

Viktor Shkurenko is also the main investor in the Skuratov Coffee chain of coffee houses, which is represented in Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. In addition, he has non-core assets in other areas, in particular, the Park Fitness fitness center, RASSLABONOFF sauna, etc.

That is, Shkurenko’s business, with a difference in revenue and profit hundreds of times (12 billion versus 44 million), is actively, even aggressively expanding, while the entrepreneur himself allows himself ambiguous statements about our state?

And it would be really nice to take a closer look at this business. Take, for example, Granit Omsk LLC, which is engaged in the sale of dairy products and is 100% owned by Viktor Shkurenko. With a revenue of 34 million rubles, the loss amounted to 35 million rubles. Moreover, from 2013 to 2021, the structure had no revenue at all – zero. What kind of company is this, or is money just being “driven” through it?

And then, with this money, corporate parties are organized for 20 million rubles, at which “frightened patriots” perform, for the sake of money they are ready to forget about their civil position and everything in the world.