Senator Klimov fights a foreign threat, but he himself is connected with the companies of the Cyprus and the Virgin Islands

In June of this year, the Federation Council created a commission to protect the sovereignty and the fight against foreign interference in the affairs of Russia. It was headed by the Senator from the Perm Territory Andrei Klimov, deputy chairman of the Committee on International Affairs. Since the creation of the commission, Klimov managed to give dozens of interviews, where he tried to explain with what foreign influence the senators were going to fight.

The list of threats bothering Andrei Klimov and his colleagues is long: these are “intervention specialists” in the Russian elections (especially the presidential in 2018); and “agents of influence trained abroad” and undermining our sovereignty; and Russian citizens who "saddled against corruption"; And going under these slogans to protest promotions.

And more recently, at the end of June, the list of threats was replenished with foreign media broadcasting in Russia. The Klimov commission discussed the “Foreign Media problem” and the need to regulate their activities under the Law on Foreign Agents and possible blocking.

The New Gazeta decided to study the biography of Senator Klimov and found previously unknown facts about the fighter with the “enemies of Russia”.

We managed to find out that Andrei Klimov was listed as the director of the company from Cyprus (judging by extracts from the state registry of this country) at the time when he was a deputy of the State Duma. And this is prohibited by law.

Today, Klimov has a share in the Russian company, and its other co -owner is an offshore from the British Virgin Islands, the dependent territory of Great Britain (NATO member).

In addition, Senator Klimov is involved in organizing many forums and conferences in Russia at the expense of taxpayers, and state contracts for the holding of these events are won by the companies of his own brother.

Political career

Andrei Klimov was born in Perm. There, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Perm State University. After graduation, Klimov entered Moscow in graduate school and, at the age of 26, became a candidate of economic sciences. From the capital, the future senator returned to Perm to work as a teacher at his native economic faculty. And in just a few years he rose to the head of the department of Perm State University.

“In March 1990, the first alternative and relatively free elections to the regional council of people's deputies were to be held. Colleagues in the faculty invited me to take part in them. Having won the first round of my many rivals, I first became a deputy, ”writes the senator in his autobiography.

Since then, the political career of Klimova has only went up. In 1994, he was elected Permyaki by a regional deputy, and in 1999 he first became a deputy of the State Duma. In total, Klimov worked in the State Duma for 13 years, until in 2012 he was appointed a member of the Federation Council from the Perm Territory.

The main goal of Klimov’s commission is to analyze the activities of foreign states and propose legislative initiatives to protect against their “hostile activity” and “discharge of protest moods” using the media, NPOs and other “influence agents”.

Due to the fact that there are almost no independent and not controlled by the media in Russia, the senators decided to take on foreign media writing in Russian.

“[It is necessary] to oblige such media to reveal their sources of financing at the request of the Ministry of Justice and report on their activities in accordance with the Law on Foreign Agents,” Klimov said TASS agency.

And if the media refuse to become foreign agents, then they will need to be blocked, Klimov believed.

In his many interviews, Senator Klimov loves to talk about the fact that he began to deal with the problem of Russian sovereignty in recent years (when it became fashionable), and in the early 2000s.

But what Andrei Klimov did not mention was about his own foreign interests.

Patriot in Cyprus

Before becoming a deputy of the State Duma in 1999, Andrei Klimov was a co -owner of the Corporation Cuba from Perm. The share in this corporation also belonged to the company with Cyprus Bikel Enterprises Ltd. Until today it was not known who was behind this company.

The New Gazeta received official extracts from the State Register of Legal Entities of Cyprus and found that from the 90s to 2004 the director of Bikel Enterprises Ltd was the future senator, and at that time State Duma, Andrei Klimov.

According to the documents, in November 2004, Klimov resigned the powers of the leader, and his wife Olga took a vacant place.

According to the Cyprus Register, Klimova spent 11 years old as the director of the company, until in 2015 Bikel Enterprises was liquidated. Together with the Klimovaya company, Elena Khodyreva from Perm also led her: she can be considered close to the family of Senator Klimova: today she heads the company MIC Alliance (in detail about it below), whose co -owners are Klimov’s wife.

By 2004, when, judging by the documents, Klimov ceased to be the director of the company, he had been working as a State Duma deputy for 5 years.

According to the law “On the status of a member of the Council of the Federation and the status of a deputy of the State Duma”, people's deputies were prohibited from engaging in entrepreneurial activities, as well as to manage commercial organizations.

Dmitry Utukin, the chief lawyer of Transpenseni International -Russia says, if at that time it turned out that the deputy led a commercial company, his powers should have stopped ahead of schedule.

However, Andrei Klimov claims that he did not lead Bikel Enterprises. “As a State Duma deputy, I stopped any commercial activity. Such a company was once in the 90s. I really advised them, but even before he became a deputy of the State Duma. Then I advised many companies, but it was in the late 80s-early 90s. But I was definitely not its director. In addition, in the 99th year, I wrote a document that I am putting up by leadership by any commercial organizations, ”Klimov insists.

The senator also believes that this company has long been closed, even "at the very beginning of the" zero "or the end of the 90s." “I think you have very outdated information. It was closed earlier than 2015. You are asking about a story that is 20 years old. I know for sure that, as a deputy, I did not lead any commercial organizations. But I cannot be responsible for the register of Cyprus companies. How can I influence what someone writes there? How they cross out of this registry of people, I do not know, ”says Klimov.

As for his wife Olga, a member of the Federation Council also assured us that she was not the director of Bikel Enterprises: “There were people with other surnames. And in any kind of relationship I will not consume with them. ”

According to Dmitry Utukin from Transpenseri, even if it turns out that Cypriot documents are not lying, today this does not threaten Senator Klimov. “The term of powers of that mandate has long expired. However, now the parliamentarian can voluntarily fold the mandate, as Vladimir Pekhtin did before, but it is impossible to force it to this, ”explains Utukin.

British offshore partner

In 2016, a non -profit fund for the development of the development of Eurasian integration “Eurasian Dialogue” appeared in Moscow. The fund has two founders - “Analytical Center“ Catechon ”and“ Intersectoral Institute of Regional Studies ”(“ MIRI ”).

“Catecho” belongs to the “Orthodox businessman” (as he is called in the media) Konstantin Malofeev, who, among other things, is known for his support for the Novorossia project. In 2014, he fell under the sanctions of the European Union "For close ties with separatists in eastern Ukraine."

And the second company, Miri, belongs to Senator Klimov and his wife Olga.

It was Senator Klimov that was chosen by the chairman of the Council of the Eurasian Dialogue.

On the initiative of this fund, many events and forums are held in Russia and abroad. Many of them are funded from the budget at the expense of taxpayers of the country.

The New Gazeta decided to study the contractors of these projects in order to find out who earns on the promotion of the development of Eurasian integration.

For example, in 2016, in Vladivostok, at the initiative of the “Eurasian Dialogue”, Klimov held an international food security conference in the Asia-Pacific region.

The main operator of the event was the company MIC Alliance. According to the Russian register of legal entities, it has three owners. 25 % belongs to Senator Klimov and his wife Olga (through Miri), others owed Sergey Klimov, a family brother of the Federation Council.

And 50 % of the MIC Alliance belongs to Vivo Assets Ltd - offshore from the British Virgin Islands, the dependent territory of the UK, and NATO member.

Such a partnership of the Klimov family with “Western offshores” does not prevent the senator himself from warning Russian citizens from the hostile policy of the “West” as such.

“What we call the“ West ”leads against us a massive information war for many years. This is part of the hybrid war ... There is a doctrine according to which, if you remove Putin, Russia is sprinkled, and they (West-Ed.) Will somehow rule Russia ... ”Andrei Klimov said URA.ru in 2016.

The Food Safety Forum in Vladivostok is not the only example when the events organized by the "Eurasian dialogue" of Senator Klimov are held by private companies of his relatives.

Brother - brother

In 2013 and 2014, public forums “Eurasian Economic Integration: Achievements and Problems” were held in Kazan. These events were held at the initiative of the “Eurasian dialogue” by Andrei Klimov, and were funded from the budget by the State Agency of Rossotrudnichestvo. In total, both forums cost Russian taxpayers more than 20 million rubles. In both cases, the money went to one company - “The Strategic Communications Agency“ Practice ”.

According to the Russian register of legal entities, 28 % of Practice belongs to the brother of Senator Klimov - Sergey.

Sergey Klimov - deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Perm Territory from United Russia. In addition, he owns many companies in Perm and other regions of Russia. These companies are mainly specializing in organizations of exhibitions and fairs, many of which are funded from the budget.

In addition to forums in Kazan, Sergei Klimov received state contracts and other events organized on the initiative of the “Eurasian dialogue” of his brother, a member of the Federation Council and the head of the Commission for the Protection of Sovereignty and the Combat of Foreign Interference in Russia.

Senator Andrei Klimov does not see the problem that his brother’s companies win state contracts.

“Notice, he wins not only these forums,” says Andrei Klimov. - He has been engaged in 20 years by organizing forums and fairs around the world. What you are talking about is less than 1 %, I think from what he does. And this is not prohibited by law. But at the same time, I participate not only in these forums, but in dozens of others, which Sergei Arkadievich is definitely organized by Klimov. My relatives can engage in commercial activities, which is not prohibited by law. ”

Senator Klimov also emphasizes that he does not receive any reward for participating in these events and travels to them at his own expense.

“I do not spend these contests. Rossotrudnichestvo has different organizations that carry out forums, not only my brother's companies, ”Klimov emphasizes.

His brother Sergei also claims that the company "Practice" wins Rossotrudnichestvo contests thanks to its experience, and Senator Klimov has nothing to do with it.

“The Strategic Communications Agency“ Practice ”has been participating in open competitions held by Rossotruttiy, starting in 2012. After the Russian Language event in the Perm Territory, “Practice” began to actively “monitor” purchases, which were exhibited on the site Zakupki.gov in accordance with Federal Law 44 (Federal Law No. 44-ФЗ “On the Contract System in the Field of Procurement of Products, Work, Services to Provision of State and Municipal Affairs”). Andrei Klimov did not provide any assistance, and could not provide, since he was not an employee of Rossotrudnichestvo. All procedures were carried out and carried out in strict accordance with the legislation of Russia, ”said Sergey Klimov in a letter to Novaya Gazeta.

In addition, according to Sergei Klimov, Rossotrudnichestvo contracts make up a “negligible share, less than 5 % of the company's total turnover.”

However, Sergei Klimov’s enterprises have many other state customers. And in some cases, the firms of the Senator's brother received budget money at competitions that can cause many questions.

Struggle with oneself

In 2013, the Perm Sociocultural Project Agency held a competition for renting cars for carnival procession on the occasion of the 290th anniversary of the city. Applications were submitted by two companies - the same agency "Practice" and "Perm Fair".

And no matter how surprising, in both organizations there was the same founder - brother of Senator Klimov Sergey.

As a result, the contract went to the Practice agency almost at the maximum price: out of almost 5 million rubles, the budget saved only 3 thousand.

This example is not a single one. In 2014, the Center for the implementation of projects in the field of culture and youth policy Perm held a competition for organizing exhibitions in Riga, Vienna, Prague, Lisbon. Applications for the competition in one day with a difference of one minute were submitted by the same two companies of the brother of Senator Klimov. And the Agency "Practice" won again.

Sergei Klimov does not see imitation of competition in these cases. “Companies have the right to participate in any competitive procedures in accordance with applicable law. Among other things, I am not the only participant in the Practice agency, moreover, my share is not even 30 %, and I can’t make decisions, ”another person leads the company,” says Klimov.

“In itself, participation in the contest affiliated with each other will not be a violation of the law. However, if the FAS proves the presence of an agreement between them or seeing the agreed actions that lead or can lead to an increase, reduction or maintenance of prices at the auction or to prevent, limit or eliminate competition, then such a competition may be invalid, ”Dmitry Utukin from Transpensers notes.

Answering the questions of the Novaya Gazeta about the company in Cyprus or the state contracts of his brother, Senator Andrei Klimov does not look like an ardent fighter with foreign forces and hostile foreigners. Another thing is his public statements. This is how, for example, he warned the Russian citizens in an interview with the Perm channel “Vetta”: “I assure you: everyone who surrounds us has not so much love for us as a mercantile interest. First of all, they do not think about how to protect Russian citizens from some external threats or internal threats or how to make the life of Russian citizens prosperous. No, they care about themselves. And in this sense, our resources for them are an opportunity to try to take them either for free or cheap. ”

There is nothing to add here.

Nikolai Voroshilov took part in the preparation of the article