Under the European boot

The largest manufacturer of shoes for the Russian army earns a fortune in the war with Ukraine, and his family has European citizenship and continues to move freely around the European Union

Shoes for the military "Faraday" are praised by Vladimir Solovyov and military commissars in telegram channels, it is worn by Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. This is one of the flagship Russian brands, symbolizing import substitution and successes of Russian industry in the conditions of the pressure of the West. However, as the “new newspaper Europe” was convinced, Western countries do not provide much pressure on military manufacturers of military shoes: the owners of Faradei are not included in the sanctions lists, supply materials from Italy and Spain, they themselves freely move around Europe, and their family members have European citizenship.

Svetlana and Oleg Andrianov - Power Couple of Russian manufacturing. He is tall and broad -shouldered, a former Kremlin cadet with a shock of gray hair. She is a blonde with the right features of her face and a business manner, at equal terms she participates in meetings with the President of Russia, and accepts the Minister of Industry in his factory near Tambov.

For 30 years, the Andrianov built a family business in Russia and achieved certain successes. From scratch, they created their production of shoes for outdoor activities and specialized shoes for power structures. A thousand people work in their two factories, there you can produce up to 5 million pairs per year. Together with the Andrian production, their son, Alexander, controls. His wife Olga leads the social networks of the company and, for example, he herself responds to the comments of customers, even dissatisfied.

The Andrianov family business became truly large-scale thanks to the procurement from the state. In 2017 - the last, when the company published reports on its financial results - all their revenue was less than the amount of state contracts won this year. For several years, Faraday was an exclusive supplier of shoes for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Guard, since 2001 he supplied the army of Russia.

The secret of such a crushing success among state bodies may be that the family’s close friend is Igor Medoev, a native of the FSB, who has been an assistant to the Minister of Defense since 2001. But perhaps the point is not only this.

Market participants speak of "Faradya" with respect. One of the manufacturers of shoes with great experience told Novaya Gazeta Europe that back in the early 2000s, Faradey’s positions on the market were not so stable and the company firmly competed for state orders with other Russian companies, for example, Donobuevo and Paris Commune. The Andrianov allegedly refused to dumping, that is, to maximize the price to the detriment of the quality, and made a reputation precisely due to this.

The Faraday company was able to establish relations not only with Russian power structures, but also with world leaders in shoe production. For example, Faraday was the only Russian company where the Gore-Tex membrane material or a unique BOA lacing system was used. To get the right to use these technologies, manufacturers usually undergo a complex certification system. Among the clients of these companies Adidas, Camper, Timberland, Patagonia. And the Russian Faraday.

Despite the fact that the company served the interests of the Russian power industry, it seems that its owners did not share the idea of ​​the country as a fortress in the ring of enemies. They skillfully established relations with foreign partners. And they themselves acquired real estate in the very heart of the European Union. In 2018, the New Gazeta found Andrianov’s real estate in Slovakia.

As the New Gazeta Europe was convinced, the war did not violate either personal or even business communications of the largest manufacturer of shoes for Russian soldiers.

There was a war tomorrow

In the February days of 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin began a full -scale invasion of Ukraine, several anti -war posts were published in the Pharadey Plika, VKontakte. What exactly was written there is now impossible to find out. But in March, a few weeks after the start of hostilities, the community administration said that the page was “under the control of“ enemy forces ”, and apologized for“ political and extremist content on our page during this time ”.

If someone had doubts that a large supplier of military boots would oppose those who wear them, they quickly dissipated.

With the beginning of military operations, all the deliveries of the Ministry of Defense are classified , but there is a lot of evidence that Faraday supplies the shoes of Russian soldiers in the front line in Ukraine.

For example, on the Voentorga website - an organization that is responsible for the life of a soldier - it is still indicated that Faraday is their contractor, providing services for "sewing and supply of clothing property". Several mobilized soldiers howling in Ukraine told Novaya Gazeta Europe that Faraday shoes were given to them as a charter.

This was also written by the Telegram channel “Military informant”, comparing “Faraday” with Turkish shoes for the military, which they received earlier: “By the first impression, two heads higher than the Turkish analogues of lovaria (Vaneda, YDS). <...> Soft, seams of qualitatively made. " In one of its broadcasts, propagandist Vladimir Solovyov appeared in one of its broadcasts. “What, but ours have learned to do tactical clothes, fantastic shoes that are used by special forces. So straight handsome people, ”he commented.

With the outbreak of war, the company only expanded production, including using a preferential loan issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

“With the help of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, we allocated money last year - we successfully purchased the equipment, because at the end of the year the euro fell, and we bought very well, almost 450 units. This year we completely rebuild, re -equip the factory, ” said Svetlana Andrianova to the President of Russia during a meeting on industry development in the Kremlin in August 2023.

Euro for European Union

According to customs data, over the two years of the war, Faraday imported goods from Europe for 1.2 billion rubles. Including equipment from Europe to re -equip the factory:

• Forms for casting rubber for the manufacture of soles from the Czech Republic for 35.5 million rubles,

• Forms from Italy for almost a million rubles.

Equipment for 54 million also came from South Korea, which, like European countries, condemned the war in Ukraine and joined Western sanctions against Russia.

“Soft, seams of qualitatively made, there is no Gore-Tex technology, but rivets are made in the Venetian style, in a golden inlaid,” admired the telegram channel “Military Inverse”. These rivets, to the joy of Russian soldiers, supply the Italian manufacturer Sammi Export - one of the main players in the market of shoe and haberdashery accessories.

Over the two years of the war, a manufacturer of shoes for Russian soldiers purchased textile and non -woven materials in Italy and Spain for almost a billion rubles, and as of December 2023 (recent available data), purchases continued.

Novyevropa turned to several Faradey suppliers, including BOA, which developed a unique rapid lacing system for sports boots. They replied that Faraday was one of the few Russian companies with which BOA collaborated, but ceased its relationship since March 7, 2022. (On the website of the Russian manufacturer, they are still indicated as partners.)

The Italian company SireTessile also denies the supply of materials for the production of shoes and crew, the company's management assured the “new-Europe”, which “philosophically supports the resolution of any war, dispute, disagreement or quarrels only through communication”. But the customs data show that Iver JSC, associated with Faradey, received materials from Italians in 2022 and in 2023 of the war years.

Life in the besieged fortress

Olga Andrianova, a daughter -in -law of the creators of Faradei, leads the patriotic VKontakte: on the avatar it is depicted against the background of the Russian flag. But in the social network of Instagram, there are many foreign landscapes in Russia.

In July 2022, six months after the start of the war, she posted a photograph from Slovakia. Together with her, her husband Alexander came to Europe: together they spent time on the shore of the picturesque lake Neuzidler-Ze on the border of Austria and Hungary-the lake and its environs are included in the UNESCO world heritage list.

In March 2022, Slovakia, like some other countries of the European Union, introduced a moratorium on the issuance of visas to Russian citizens. Slovakia was also among the European countries that refused to give humanitarian visas to Russians running from mobilization. But the manufacturers of army boots retained access to their European real estate.

Olga and Alexander Andrianov have four children, according to information from the leaked database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, from which it was possible to confirm additionally, at least two of the four children have Slovakia citizenship.

According to Slovak laws, children can get it if at least one of the parents also has the citizenship of this country. It was found at the daughter -in -law of the Andrian Olga.

At the disposal of Novaya Gazeta Europe there are documents that confirm that the family has several land plots with a total area of ​​almost 30 hundred parts and two houses in the village of Lumba. This place is located near Bratislava, wealthy Slovaks live there, for example, according to the local press, the former president of the country Ivan Gasparovich.

One cottage at 400 square meters. Meters are hidden behind a high hedge, a garden is broken around the house, and a large pool is equipped in the backyard, where the children and grandchildren of Svetlana and Oleg Andrianov love to spend time in the summer. Another house of 376 square meters is located 10 minutes walk next to the Catholic Church.

All real estate was recorded on the owner of Faradea Svetlana Andrianov, she acquired real estate back in 2013. But if you compare the extracts received by the New-Europe in 2024 and 2019, you can notice an interesting detail: since the start of the war in the documents in one letter, the name of the owner, Adrianov instead of Andrianov changed. All other data, for example, the year of birth and the girl’s surname, remained the same. “It cannot be ruled out that this is done to save from sanctions. Will this really save from the sanctions of the European Union if they want to introduce them? Well, no, ”says the head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation sanctions department (foreign fund, created by Supporters of Navalny- approx. Ed. ) Alexander Pomazuev.

More recently, in April 2023, the family spent a month in Cyprus, where they have another house. In Storis, Olga Andrianova wrote that the family has her own “private beach”, where “there is never anyone but us, even in the beach season.”

“I believe that the sanctions pressure, when it is point and affects the beneficiaries of war, should intensify,” says Alexander Pomazuev. - This is the charm of personal sanctions. Random people will not fall under them, and these sanctions can be used more efficiently. ”

As an example, Pomazuev is given by the FBK case on the introduction of sanctions against the chief designer of the Avia Motor-Technical Complex "Soyuz" Mcurtichka. “He actually helps to make rockets, that is, directly weapons. But even he was not under sanctions and found himself under them only as a result of a large political campaign, ”the lawyer complains. - Not just investigations, but had to ride, convince that he has assets, that he should be on sanctions lists. And in many ways this eventually happened because the case was too egregious. That is, there was a direct relationship between missiles and property abroad. But all these countless entrepreneurs who work for the Ministry of Defense are below the radar. ”

Novyevropa turned to the European service of the external relations of the European Union, the EU representation in Slovakia and the Slovak Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Foreign Ministry. Journalists asked to answer questions about why the Faraday company, despite the supply of them to the Russian military uniforms, is not on sanctions lists, as well as how EU representatives relate to the Andrian real estate family in the EU countries and their free movement in the countries of the Union.

“EU sanctions are an internal process that is confidential,” the main representative of the European Foreign Relations on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Peter Stano, told Novy-Europe.

“Lists of sanctions are subject to unanimous approval of all member states,” Ingrid Ludwikov recalled in her response in his response, adding that such issues are in the competence of Slovakia.

Neither the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia responded to the requests of the New-Europe.

Novyevropa contacted Oleg and Olga Andrianov to find out what they think about trips to unfriendly countries during the war. The man hung up the phone at once, he heard that the journalist was calling him, Olga listened to the question, hung up and did not answer the calls anymore.

With the participation of Andrei Serafimov