russian court confiscates Kolomoisky’s assets: 500 plots and real estate in Moscow
6 March 2024 10:07
A district court in the Russian republic of Adygea has put Ukrainian businessman and media owner Ihor Kolomoisky on the ‘extremist list’ and ordered the confiscation of his assets. This is reported by the Russian service of the BBC, Kommersant Ukrainian reports 
The case was considered behind closed doors.
At the suit of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Ihor Kolomoisky and the former owner of the Smolensk Bank Pavel Shitov were recognised as extremists. A number of companies, a business centre and a building in the centre of Moscow, and almost 500 land plots in the Moscow region, Vladimir, Kaliningrad and Smolensk regions were confiscated from the financiers. Their area exceeded 5,500 hectares, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Kolomoisky and Shitov, as well as the London-based JKX Oil & Gas Limited, “belonged to the same extremist group whose actions were “clearly anti-Russian in nature”.
What is Kolomoisky accused of in Russia?
The court accused Kolomoisky of supporting the new government of Ukraine after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, working as the head of the Dnipro Regional State Administration and providing financial support to “Ukrainian armed groups”.
It is noted that through the Kolomoisky-controlled JKX Oil & Gas Limited, he allegedly owned significant assets in the oil and gas sector of the Russian Federation, receiving “constant and high incomes” from them. The management of the London-based company itself has publicly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine and supported sanctions against Russia.
According to the Russian prosecutor’s office, banker Pavel Shitov had joint business projects with Kolomoisky: back in 2013, he transferred more than $700 million stolen from Smolensk Bank to Privatbank, and a year later he moved to Ukraine and was allegedly “responsible for Kolomoisky’s crypto assets”.
What Kolomoisky’s assets were confiscated by the Russian court
“Having recognised Kolomoisky and Shitov, as well as JKX Oil & Gas Limited, as extremists, the court ordered the confiscation of their assets in Russia,”
– the media reported.
Thus, the court confiscated Pivdenhazenergi LLC, a large enterprise in the fuel and energy sector that produces gas at the Koshekhabla gas condensate field. The main owners of the company are Adygea Gas BV, registered in the Netherlands, and London-based Page Gas Ltd. Both are owned by JKX Oil & Gas Limited.
In addition, Adygea Gas BV owned 100% of the shares in the authorised capital of Catering-Yug LLC, registered in Adygea and providing catering services. The defendants’ stakes in the companies, according to court documents, exceeded RUB 5 billion. In addition, the real estate owned by Ukrainian residents of JKX Oil & Gas Limited and other defendants in Russia was confiscated.
According to the court decision, the Russian Federation gained control in the centre of Moscow over six premises in a business centre at 11 Samoplyvny Lane 3 and a building at 5 Zvonarsky Lane, with a total area of 5,500 sq m. The Russian Federation confiscated 494 agricultural land plots with a total area of 5,573 hectares in the Moscow, Vladimir, Kaliningrad and Smolensk regions. Their cadastral value exceeded RUB 6 billion.
What Kolomoisky is accused of in Ukraine
Ihor Kolomoisky is currently in a Ukrainian pre-trial detention centre. Ukrainian law enforcement officers have served him with three notices of suspicion under several articles and cases.
on 2 September 2023, the SBU notified Kolomoisky of suspicion under two articles: fraud and legalisation (laundering) of the proceeds of crime. According to law enforcement, between 2013 and 2020, Kolomoisky legalised more than half a billion hryvnias by transferring them abroad and using the infrastructure of controlled banking institutions.
on 7 September, NABU detectives served another suspicion on Kolomoisky and five members of the group he organised – of misappropriating PrivatBank’s funds worth over UAH 9.2 billion.
on 15 September, the SBU served Kolomoisky with a third suspicion – of illegal actions with bank documents, seizure of property by an organised group through abuse of office, and money laundering. According to the investigation, between 2013 and 2014, Kolomoisky illegally seized UAH 5.8 billion through a criminal group consisting of employees of his PrivatBank.
on 3 September 2023, the court for the first time imposed a pre-trial restraint on Kolomoisky: detention with an alternative to bail in excess of UAH 509 million. However, already on 15 September, after a new suspicion was announced, the court re-selected the measure of restraint and increased Kolomoisky’s bail to UAH 3 billion 891 million.
After that, the court extended Kolomoisky’s detention four times, while reducing his bail twice – on 28 November to UAH 3 billion and on 21 December to UAH 2.7 billion.
on 28 February, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv extended Ihor Kolomoiskyi’s detention for another two months – until 25 April – and reduced his bail to UAH 2.4 billion.
