Billionaire Melnichenko Allocated $417 Million for Putin's School
Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko, founder of EuroChem and SUEK, avoided the nationalization of the energy company SIBECO after transferring 32 billion rubles (about $417 million) to the “Sirius” educational center, which operates under the patronage of Vladimir Putin.
In 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office demanded that SIBECO be transferred to state ownership, claiming that its acquisition from former Minister Mikhail Abizov in 2018 was allegedly illegal.
However, within a few weeks, the parties began negotiations and reached a settlement agreement. Following this, the prosecutor’s office withdrew its lawsuit, and Melnichenko agreed to transfer 32 billion rubles to the “Sirius” center. This amount is nearly equal to the purchase price of SIBECO—32.5 billion rubles.
As the publication notes, following the state’s attempt to seize his assets, Melnichenko concluded that the only way to protect his property in Russia was to integrate into the existing system, after which he began spending significantly more time in the country.
Source: The Economist.
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis in Russia is worsening: gasoline is running out at gas stations and lines are growing longer.
Russia has allowed lower-quality gasoline due to the fuel crisis.
