Real estate for insiders: how Andrey Birzhin and Ilya Traber pulled off a mall deal in St. Petersburg

The acquisition of two prominent shopping centers in St. Petersburg by obscure businessmen could potentially benefit the highly private businessman Vladimir Svinin, Ilya Traber, and Glorax’s leader Andrey Birzhin.

Two major business centers in Saint Petersburg – Trinity Place and "Electro" – have changed owners. They are now owned by a group of businessmen who hold shares in the Korolevsky Pipe Plant (KTZ), Vadim Shipunov.

The assets, despite their promising potential (it is reported that the objects are distinguished by high-quality construction and excellent location), have been on sale for several years. Possibly due to the price. According to expert estimates, they cost buyers about 10-12 billion rubles.

Despite this, almost nothing is known about the new buyers, which suggests these people represent someone else’s interests. Reporting by PERSONA

Illuminated in the bankruptcy story

100% of KTZ is owned by "Metallstandart", which, in turn, is owned by Yaroslav Peskov, Vadim Shipunov, Lev, and Irina Glik. Lev Glik as a founder is related to 22 organizations. Among them is "Alpina Holding" – a book publishing house, founder of "Alpina Publisher", which, according to "Rusprofile" data, is a major supplier for the Moscow Depreciation Facilities Institutions.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

As written by "Kommersant" in 2016, Vladimir Lisin’s NMLK was going to acquire the Revyakinsky Metal Rolling Plant (RMZ), which was drowning in bank debts, co-owned by Lev Glik. According to journalists, at that time the company belonged to the Cypriot Sinfurs Investments Limited and was going through a liquidation process.

Interestingly, Lisin himself commented on this situation as follows: "Buying a company with debts makes no sense, and banks should write off the debts they themselves accrued."

RMZ is now liquidated, apparently, if there were such goals, they failed. But we will try to at least answer the first question.

Svinin’s offshore sea?

According to "Rusprofile" data, 10 out of 22 firms related to Lev Glik are liquidated. In many, the same surnames appear as with "Metallstandart" (Peskov, Shipunov, Irina Glik).

Among the assets are the liquidated OJSC "Pipe Plant" and the currently operating LLC "Pipe Plant". Until 2017, the founder of the latter was the Cypriot SHOOFEN INVESTMENTS LIMITED.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

Attention is also drawn to "Peach Blossom", registered with a closed-end investment fund and managed by "MC Svinin and Partners". The latter is registered with billionaire Vladimir Svinin, owner of "Okhta Group", which is engaged in real estate.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

Svinin may be closely connected with the governor’s brother of the Moscow Region, Maxim Vorobyov, through his funds. More specifically, through "Realty Capital", which in September 2016 was a shareholder of Mr. Vorobyov’s "Russian Aquaculture" with a 23.39% stake.

Vladislav Glinberg is also mentioned next to Svinin – a scandalous businessman who owned shares in "Peresvet-Agro", which was a partner of the "collapsed" "Peresvet" bank and might have been involved in the withdrawal of funds from it.

Svinin is an extremely non-public figure, and the reason may lie in his close business relationships with Ilya Traber. The Moscow Post also detailed the possible involvement of Svinin and Traber in the conflict around Valery Izrailit’s port business, who was accused of fraud on an especially large scale.

Another structure controlling "MC Svinin and Partners" - "Grom   Partners" - belongs to THUNDERBOLT PARTNERS S.A, registered in Luxembourg. It is equally owned by Ingram Gregory and Louvar Francis. There were previous suggestions that these two could be "draining" Russian money through their foreign structures.

Birzhin’s Trail

"Peach Blossom" belonged to "Glorax Group" until April 2022, and before that, to three other Cypriot offshore companies - "DIALCREDIT LIMITED", "LUADSEC LIMITED", and "FORDONLANE HOLDINGS LIMITED", owned by the same Cypriot nominees.

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

Photo: https://www.rusprofile.ru

"Glorax Group" is the construction company of Andrey Birzhin, known in St. Petersburg for his ambiguous projects, where historical buildings were put at risk. We detailed in our report.

It is known that at the beginning of last year, GHP Group, which currently sold Trinity Place and "Electro", sold to developer Glorax a plot for constructing a business center located near the already operating Trinity Place – as covered by "Vedomosti".

These facts may theoretically indicate that the current deal was not organized without Mr. Birzhin’s participation.

A bundle of interest parties

Recently, a material was released highlighting that Birzhin is parting with assets and suggesting that the businessman might be planning to leave the country. Including the "Samolet" group, which is linked to the family of the Moscow Region governor - Andrey Vorobyov, received 50% of "SD Rigel". Now, this story presents a new light.

It is known that "Samolet" wanted to enter St. Petersburg with its projects. We now understand that in the city Svinin potentially expands his sphere of influence.

So not everything is so simple in this story. The interests of construction businessmen – from Svinin and Birzhin to Traber himself, as well as official elites, including top figures of St. Petersburg and the Moscow Region, may be "buried" here.

Autor: Maria Sharapova