Cool and point

Investigation of how the defendants of sanctions were received by the most famous Western companies

Russian networks of famous foreign brands, such as McDonald's, Starbucks and OBI, went to immigrants from the Caucasus-the former head of Kabardino-Balkaria Arsen Kanokov and the environment of the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov got their bypass. The “Project” tells how these people under sanctions with a dubious reputation became the beneficiaries of war.

Vitaly Soldiers, with the participation of Roman Badanin, January 29, 2024

1. Who is Arsen Kanokov

2. How Kadyrov and Kanokov took Starbucks and OBI

3. Who actually bought McDonald's

On October 7, 2006, Ramzan Kadyrov, then the head of the Government of Chechnya, literally hung on the railing of the newly restored hippodrome in Nalchik. He was very passionately ill for his horseman Jilin, who participated in the race, and on emotions promised to the satellites to put the entire budget of his region for the victory of the stallion. The President of Kabardino-Balkaria Arsen Kanokov, one of these satellites and part-time owner of the event, did not cordially use the proposal, although it was worth it-Kadyrov’s horse came the second. Moreover, Kanokov was so located to the young guest that he immediately made him a generous gift in the form of a new stallion . Formally, this could be a gift on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Chechen leader ×.

When, a few months later, Kadyrov headed Chechnya, the head of Kabardino-Balkaria also presented him with the Mercedes SUV worth about 80 thousand dollars. Since then, the whole world has learned about the luxurious life of Kadyrov, but many forgot about Kanokov, who in time presented a prospective young colleague, has forgotten. And in vain - today these two are together on the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

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Market

Kanokov, unlike the civil servant Kadyrov, has been engaged in business for many years. Back in the late 80s, he registered the Code of Code, and a few years later, he created Syndika holding company on its basis, which already controlled many markets, shopping complexes and hotels in Moscow and in the Caucasus in zero years. This structure was opaque , but this did not interfere with success - the annual turnover of Syndics reached about 30 billion rubles in 2007, Kanokov himself claimed in an interview ×.

Some assets of the family of Arsen Kanokov

Restaurants

Restaurants "Height 5642"

Together with Arkady Novikov

Cool restaurant

Together with Arkady Novikov

Nino restaurant

Together with Arkady Novikov

Restaurant Avocado Queen

Together with Arkady Novikov

AVA restaurant

Together with Anton Pinsky

Patriki restaurant

Together with Anton Pinsky

Restaurant "Sausage Workshop"

Together with Anton Pinsky

Burger FARSH

Together with Anton Pinsky

Hotel business

Bridge Resort

Sochi

Radisson Blu Paradise Resort

Sochi

"Arfa Park Hotel"

Sochi

SPA Hotel "Cyndika"

Nalchik

Cascade

Kislovodsk, for reconstruction

Trade networks

"Globe Gurme"

Product hypermarkets

"Moskvoretsky market"

Moscow

TC "South"

Stavropol

Shopping center "Gallery"

Pyatigorsk

Syndika shopping center

burned, prepared for development

Soon Kanokov decided to engage in politics. The best place for businessmen was the LDPR party, which willingly included rich sponsors in its lists-so, in 2003 he will become a deputy from the party of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, then he will go to United Russia, and in 2005 he will be appointed president of the poor Kabardino-Balkaria (KBR) -For example, in the late 90s, the republic in terms of average monthly income was among the most backward in Russia, occupying 73rd place ×.

Policy made it possible to expand the horizons of business, ironically the acquaintance of Kanokov. It was during the presidency - in 2011 - Forbes magazine for the first time included the head of the region in his rating, evaluating his fortune at $ 500 million. Together with Kanokov, his relatives were also enriched - for an attempt to illegally receive the building of the local Philharmonic, several of them would be condemned. In 2012, the head of the administration of the President of the CBD, Vladimir Zhamborov, and the deputy head of the republican minimumity, Ruslan Zhamborov, who were called the cousins ​​of Kanokov, were detained and sentenced to conditional terms. The scandal was preceded by the publication of wiretaps, at which they discussed the illegal privatization of the Philharmonic building in the historical center of Nalchik. The building was supposed to get a relative of Kanokov’s wife Madina Khatsukova without a competition. Kanokov himself connected these events with the “struggle for power” ×. “You come to discuss some issues, and he begins to promote all kinds of business projects: let's buy it, this market, let's go there,” the Presidential period of Kanokov describes the interlocutor of Project.

In general, during the reign of a businessman in Kabardino-Balkaria, many problems were not able to solve-previously a relatively calm region more than once became the object of terrorist attacks-in the first weeks of Kanokov’s reign, the detachments of the terrorist Shamil Basayev attacked Nalchik. Five years later, in 2010, according to researchers from the Southern Mathematical Institute, there were already more than a hundred terrorist attacks in the republic - ×, and the authorities in response arranged dubious trials, for example, the accused in the case of an attack on Nalchik in 2005 ×. Finally, the republic remained on the last lines of the ratings of the development of the regions, follows from the study of the RIA rating agency, created by RIA Novosti, so that in 2013, Kanokov resigned. But his political career did not end there - he was immediately transferred to the Federation Council. There he led a quiet and unremarkable activity, continuing to engage in business, although he did not have the right to do so, like any senator. But the change of work, as it turns out now, did not prevent him from maintaining old ties.

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A lover of Western companies

A full -scale attack on Ukraine in 2022 put large Western brands in a difficult position: many of them wanted to leave the Russian market, but it was difficult to do. For example, foreigners could not choose their own buyer on their own, they had to coordinate him with the Kremlin, the interlocutor of the “project”, familiar with the details of such agreements. Probably, one of such buyers agreed with the Kremlin was kanokov. At least, as the project found out, the former head of Kabardino-Balkaria got three famous Western brands at once. But he did this not alone, but with his old friend.

How canocons are related to the West

Kanokov is under numerous sanctions, but, despite this, he owned or still owns a business abroad - at least two companies in the UK were registered or were under the control of his relatives ×.

His eldest daughter Madina, for whom Kanokov issued almost 50 legal entities in Russia and at least one company in the UK, married American Jabah Kahado (Russian departments transcribe his name as Kagado Gabag Diyab). The couple bought real estate in New Jersey for $ 2.7 million, noted the Rupep.org × resource.

The eldest son of Kankov named Aytek also moved to the United States. After graduating from the RANEPA, he studied at University of California, and now he is engaged in ventricular investments in Silicon Valley, follows from his profile in Linkedin and confirms the source that saw him in California ×.

The youngest son Albert is often in London, studied at Sherborne School (English boarding school for boys).

It all started with failure. Soon after the outbreak of a full -scale war, the holders of the KFC fast food network declared the suspension of work in Russia, the restaurants of which were divided, including between American and Polish companies. The unknown company Almira, which owns Oksana Mokaeva (Kanokova) from Nalchik, tried to buy the Polish Amres. As it turned out, this is the daughter of the cousin of the former head of the KBR, also the ex-official of the Sultan Kanokov-he was the deputy head of the presidential administration of Kabardino-Balkaria and was Arsen Kanokova cousin. Apparently, Kanokova changed her surname to Mokaev after marriage, and, breaking up, recently regained her girlish name. Almira itself was registered at the same address as several other Syndics firms ×. The media wrote this related connection, and against this background the Poles abandoned the transaction, replacing the buyer to the Ural businessmen Konstantin Kotov and Andrei Oskolkov. They had already acquired the KFC business from the American owners Yum Brands ×. But more kanokov did not face failures.

Almost simultaneously with the KFC, the American Starbucks coffee houses have gathered to leave Russia. Then it was announced - it was bought by restaurateur Anton Pinsky, singer Timati (Timur Yunusov) and Kanokov. The latter, apparently, played a key role in the transaction, because the general director of the new owner of the network-LLC Arena-was Egor Solomatin, vice president of Cyndiki. This is also confirmed by Pinsky, who stated that Syndika has invested most of the funds ×.

Soon Pinsky filed an application for registration of traders Stars Coffee, Stars Kanokov Coffee and Stars Pinskiy Coffee:

Buyers then silent about another partner. 21.25% of the “Arena” first received an unknown businessman named Valid Korchagin (about him below, the journalists will establish who it is when Kanokov and his friends want to buy another western brand), and then this share was rewritten to a certain Sergey Kropachev. Since mid -January 2024, its share has declined to 10%, the rest passed to Pinsky ×. In the GetContact application, the application that gets access to the telephone books of its users and shows how people write this or that telephone number × from many subscribers of Crocachev is indicated as “Assistant Adam Delimkhanov”. Delimkhanov - State Duma deputy and the second most important person in Chechnya, suspected of numerous violent crimes and under Western sanctions. It has been under US sanctions since 2014 for communication with criminal groups, since 2022 under the EU sanctions for the war in Ukraine ×.

As divided Starbucks

Owners of the Arena company, which owns a network of coffee houses

But this was only the beginning of Kanokov’s secret partnership with Kadyrov’s people. After in March 2022, the German OBI GmbH holding announced the termination of work in Russia, a very difficult sale of business began. Foreign owners immediately turned off the key systems (mail, network discs, other software), but Russian managers arbitrarily restored them. In July, the Germans nevertheless transferred the business for the symbolic amount of the unknown company GISK MAKH, the founders of which were supposedly related to them the same persons-one of the owners Ilya Kolobkov previously crossed the business with Boris Lyubov, whom OBI GmbH attracted to the management of the Russian business of the holding before its sale, and the little-known businessman Liokumovich. He characterized as a person close to German owners, and as a “professional negotiator” ×. Then, at the end of 2022, OBI, 90%, went to the Module-2 Kanokov company-its formal owner is Marina Midova, associated with many Syndics companies-×, and another 10% received in connection with the acquisition of Starbucks businessman Valid Korchagin. Then the media found out that Korchagin is actually a new name, which is also confirmed through SNILS, which coincides for two names × Valida Geremeyev, relative of Adam Delimkhanov. Geremeyev’s father - Deputy Minister of Construction of Chechnya Vakhit Geremeyev, uncle - Senator Suleiman Geremeyev, another uncle - assistant Kadyrov Vakha Geremeyev, his other relative is a defendant in the murder of Boris Nemtsov Ruslan Geremeyev, and the Geremeyevs themselves are relatives of Adam Delimkhanov ×. After publications in the press, construction hypermarkets were fully rewritten to Kanokov’s structures - namely, to the company of ANGLLENGE JSC, the founder of which is Maryana Gilyasova, general director of a number of Syndiki companies ×.

What other assets did the natives of Chechnya get

Valid Korchagin (Geremeyev) before entering OBI became - in March 2023, the owner replaced Alash Dadashov, which will be discussed below the × nominal owner of the Ilyich Mariupol Metallurgical Combine - conquered - in Mariupol, including another member of the Geremeyev family - the alleged murder of Boris Nemtsov, the enterprise, Ukraine, the enterprise, the enterprise. Which is now guarded by the "Kadyrovites".

Alash Dadashov, the head of the branch of the Akhmat fighting club, founded by Kadyrov, became the owner of the company, which will probably be mastered by the Azovstal plant captured in the same Mariupol.

In July 2023, Vladimir Putin transferred the shares of the Russian “daughter” of the French manufacturer Danone to the temporary department of the Federal Property Management Agency. To whom she belongs now is unknown, but the 32-year-old nephew Kadyrov Yakub Krriev led her.

Incorrectly kanokov and, possibly, Kadyrov’s people entered McDonald's. The American network also suspended work in Russia immediately after the start of the war, and then announced the care. And in May 2022, McDonald's announced that restaurants were sold to an entrepreneur from Novokuznetsk Alexander Govor. This person had a specialized experience - since 2015, he managed 25 McDonald's restaurants in Siberia, and was also a co -founder of the Neftekhimservis oil refining company. However, his ability to buy McDonald's still raised doubts: only the statutory value of these restaurants in Russia amounted to 9.7 billion rubles, and all the dialect companies for the previous three years generated a loss of almost 19 billion rubles, the Russian BBC × service calculated. Nevertheless, in July 2022, Govor registered the legal entity of JSC Tvyato and Point, which is now controlled through the chain of owners by the Russian McDonald's.

The dialect would continue to be considered the owner of the McDonald's in Russia if the Times of Israel publication in December 2023 did not publish the recording of the telephone conversation of the Russian businessman Magomed Musaev. He, as follows from the record, informally participated in the deal, and even boasted:

“I helped him (Kanokov) get McDonald's, the coolest company.”

However, representatives of Musaevsaid that the publication "was based on compiled audio files."

The audit report studied by the “project” “Tasty and Point” for 2022 proves that the version of Times of Israel is close to the truth. For example, in the documents you can find an indication that the dialect owns only 51% of the Russian network of McDonald's, and the rest belongs to “other” shareholders.

Who owns the rest of the share, you can understand by studying the new composition of the board of directors of the restaurant network. It consists of the dialect itself, as well as the associated Anton Grishin - in particular, Grishin was a member of the Board of Directors founded by the dialect of Inrusinvest company ×. Another director is Oleg Poroev, who began working at McDonald's back in 2015, and in February 2022 he became the general director of the company, shifting Swiss Mark Karen. Probably, steam does not represent the interests of a particular shareholder, but can act as an independent director. But the fourth director is Oleg Eskindarov, President of the Kanokov holding “Syndika”. The fifth-Yegor Solomatin-holds the post of vice president of Syndiki. Thus, the interests of Kanokov and dialects in the Council of Directors “Tasty and Point” represent two directors, which may indicate that the restaurant network belongs to them almost equally.

The fact that Kanokov is indeed a buyer of McDonald's, the “project” on the terms of anonymity was confirmed by one of the people familiar with the transaction. He also claims that Adam Delimkhanov also showed interest in the future McDonald's, but he did not know whether people received his share or not. There are almost no formal evidence that Delimkhanov or Kadyrov entered the capital and this third purchase of Kanokov. But one of the users of GetContact indicated in his phone book the number of the already mentioned Sergei Kropachev, assistant Delimhanov, who became the co -owner of Starbucks, as a “shareholder of Vit” - this is a short name “tasty and point”.

* * *

The German company OBI in the commentary to Project emphasized that she sold its Russian network “without coercion”. Starbucks did not answer on the merits. McDonald's, Arsen Kanokov, Alexander Govor and Adam Delimkhanov did not respond to the requests of the “project”.

Editor - Mikhail Rubinfakker - Katya Arenin