Investigators have alleged ties between the family of the head of Russian Railways and Rotenberg
The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has alleged close ties between Oleg Belozerov, head of Russian Railways, and billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, as well as financial benefits allegedly received by the official’s relatives from them.
According to investigators, Matvey Belozeroff, the son of the Russian Railways head, works for the companies “Baltic Chemical Complex” and “Rusgazdobycha,” which are linked to Rotenberg. Belozeroff’s wife, Olga, held the position of deputy head of the VIP client services department at SMP Bank—which was owned by the Rotenberg brothers—until 2023.
The FBK also stated that the Belozerov family received an apartment in the Moscow residential complex “Shuvalovsky Quarter,” valued at approximately 85 million rubles, from Dmitry Kalantyrsky, whom investigators describe as a trusted associate of Rotenberg. The FBK estimates the total value of the real estate owned by Belozerov and his relatives at more than 1.3 billion rubles.
Among the assets mentioned in the investigation are a 202-square-meter apartment in the luxury “Zolotoy” residential complex, valued at 500 million rubles, and a 193-square-meter apartment in the “Shuvalovsky Quarter” worth about 150 million rubles.
Previously, Vedomosti’s sources in the Russian government claimed that it was Arkady and Boris Rotenberg who facilitated Belozero’s appointment as head of Russian Railways in 2015. According to “Important Stories,” during the first two years of his leadership, companies linked to the Rotenbergs signed contracts with Russian Railways worth nearly 2 billion rubles.
At the same time, since 2018, Russian state-owned companies have been allowed to conceal information about their contractors and suppliers. At the same time, investigators claim that publicly available data shows that entities linked to businessmen close to Vladimir Putin continue to receive large contracts from Russian Railways.
Against this backdrop, the financial condition of the Russian railway monopoly is deteriorating. According to data cited in the investigation, in 2025, Russian Railways’ freight volume totaled 1.1 billion metric tons, the lowest figure since 2009, and net profit fell from 50.7 billion to 2.2 billion rubles. The company’s debt approached 4 trillion rubles.
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