Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Once a well-known Belarusian model, Ekaterina Koba is currently settling down in Switzerland. Just a decade or a decade and a half ago, she was widely referred to as the Belarusian Barbie because of her attractive appearance.

Over the past decade, the Minsk native’s life has changed dramatically: she found a new husband, visits the world’s best resorts, and can afford the most expensive brands. Her new spouse, however, harbors many secrets—ranging from ties to the criminal underworld to blatant "animal abuse" and global-scale political corruption.

Ekaterina Koba’s first husband, Vitaliy, runs a car business, but he is certainly no millionaire. The family had a son named Timur, who is now 18. Even after divorcing Ekaterina, the father continues to stay in touch with his son, boasts about his achievements, and claims "it’s all thanks to his mother."

In a 2016 interview with Belarusian media, Ekaterina Koba shared her plans to conquer the modeling business in the US. She claimed that Minsk had become too small for her, and that American modeling agencies saw her potential from their very first meeting. According to Koba at the time of the interview, legal firms were preparing documents for a US work visa, and as soon as they were ready, she would fly straight to Los Angeles.

However, things did not work out with the City of Angels, and fate "tossed" her to the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland, where the former model currently resides. Koba did not choose this country simply for its picturesque landscapes. Her current husband, Russian businessman Aleksandr Smuzikov, lives here.

A scandalous detail: Smuzikov is much older than Koba and has three children from a previous marriage. By coincidence, the businessman’s older children also reside in St. Gallen. Since 2023, his two sons and daughter have been managing SOSEDA Holding AG, a company operating in the finance and investment sector.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

At the same time, Smuzikov’s daughter and son have been registered as individual entrepreneurs in Moscow since 2024.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Smuzikov’s ex-wife, Svetlana Loginova, also resides in St. Gallen. She manages a company in the transportation sector. Previously, she owned two other Swiss firms that provided taxi services.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Notably, Ekaterina Koba follows one of Smuzikov’s older sons on Instagram.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Ekaterina Koba’s son from her first marriage also studied in Switzerland, at the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz school. Information about this was posted by the young man’s father, who noted his achievements.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

A year of study at this educational institution costs around 50,000 euros. The school is ranked among the top ten most prestigious in Switzerland. It is located near the world-famous luxury ski resort of St. Moritz in the Swiss Alps.

Ekaterina’s first husband and the boy’s father, no matter how successful a car dealer he might be, could hardly afford the cost of tuition at such a school. Therefore, it can be assumed that Koba’s current husband, Aleksandr Smuzikov, paid for the studies.

Smuzikov is a rather controversial figure. In the Russian press, he is presented as a well-known art collector who does not grant interviews and leads a private lifestyle.

However, journalists managed to uncover scandalous facts from Smuzikov’s life that characterize him in much greater detail than just a painting enthusiast.

In the 90s, Aleksandr Smuzikov was involved in the oil business and owned a network of gas stations. Over time, he sold his gas stations to the TNK-BP company. In this way, he amassed a fortune and even made it onto the Forbes magazine list of Russia’s richest people.

His long-time business partner is Aleksandr Kaplan, who previously worked at TNK. Smuzikov and Kaplan appeared in the scandalous Pandora Papers document leak as the beneficiaries of XSTAR INVEST CORP, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Another beneficiary of the firm was Aleksandr Gorodetskiy, who also worked at TNK. The biography and work experience of Gorodetskiy, a Kyiv native, contain many interesting details. For about five years, he oversaw TNK’s operations in Ukraine. It is precisely to his credit that the launch of the reverse flow along the "Mozyr – Brody – Pivdennyi terminal (Odesa)" route is attributed. Allegedly, Gorodetskiy convinced the government of then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych that oil should be pumped not via the direct route to Europe, but in reverse. This naturally lined the pockets of the already wealthy Russian company TNK.

Later, Gorodetskiy moved to work at "Interpipe," owned by Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Pinchuk, and then to its parent company, EastOne.

Notably, in 2016, Gorodetskiy appeared in the management of Zoltav Resources, an oil company belonging to the son of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. It is Abramovich who is currently named as one of the possible negotiators between Ukraine and Russia to achieve peace.

It should be noted that in 2016–2017, Aleksandr Smuzikov wanted to remain in the oil business. In particular, he became a co-founder of the London-registered company Balkan Petroleum Holding Limited.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Virtually right after its registration, the company submitted a bid to purchase Makpetrol, the leading distributor of oil and petroleum products in North Macedonia. Smuzikov’s company offered the Macedonians a price 35% higher than the market value of its shares. This raised suspicions at the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the deal was ultimately blocked. In 2018, Smuzikov’s London company was liquidated, and he walked away from the oil business.

His business partner Aleksandr Gorodetskiy, who had built a major career in Ukraine, did the same. Together with Smuzikov, he moved into the microcredit business in the Russian Federation.

From 2019 to 2023, Smuzikov was a co-founder of the financial companies "Bystrodengi" and "Eqvanta" in Russia. The former was referred to in the Russian media as the market leader in microlending. Apparently, the businessman passed his experience in this business on to his children from his first marriage, since it was in 2023 that they became founders of a financial company in Switzerland.

Smuzikov himself did not stay long in Russia either and moved closer to the Alps. From 2019 to September 2023, he was a co-founder of seven firms in Switzerland. An extract for one of them indicates that Aleksandr Smuzikov holds Israeli citizenship.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

ReGallGroup is a large holding company operating in the real estate sector. The official website indicates that the company was founded in 2015 and is primarily focused on operations in St. Gallen, where Smuzikov and Koba reside. The company’s portfolio includes around 20 projects, including villas, residential complexes, and office and warehouse spaces.

In St. Gallen alone, ReGallGroup owns seven apartment buildings. It also possesses a villa on the French Riviera in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and a chalet in St. Moritz, near where Ekaterina Koba’s son studied.

In 2023, Smuzikov stepped down from the management of the Swiss firms, but he clearly did not lose his prime real estate in this wealthy country.

Given her husband’s vast financial resources, Ekaterina Koba could easily avoid working altogether and simply travel the world, sunbathe at the best resorts, master skiing, and engage in active sports. In general, that is exactly what she does, fishing included.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

As a bonus, she promotes Smuzikov’s business in Russia. This refers to the Edimonovo Village holiday resort—a country club in the Tver region on the banks of the Volga.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Smuzikov is the founder of the "Kzhatskiye Prostory" Hunting Club Association, located in the same Edimonovskiye Gorki area of the Tver region.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

The director of "Kzhatskiye Prostory" is Aleksandr Mikhilishin. He also manages the "Lan" hunting estate in the Smolensk region. The founder of this estate is the Cypriot company Forest Hill Valley Holdings Ltd, which is linked to Smuzikov and through which the corrupt component of the businessman’s activities was uncovered.

The Cypriot firm Forest Hill Valley Holdings Ltd is managed by Aleksandr Morgan. He was also listed as the head of Holdem Holding Limited.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

This firm was implicated in financing the wife of the former president of Albania, who is suspected of passive corruption, money laundering, and concealment of income. Monetary transfers were recorded from a company close to Smuzikov to her accounts. In March 2026, the case regarding potential corruption in high offices was referred to court.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

But let’s return to the hunting grounds. Aleksandr Smuzikov is a big fan of hunting. Photos of him alongside slaughtered animals, including some quite large ones, can be found online and on forums.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Photo from the web

It is worth noting that in Switzerland, where Smuzikov and model Ekaterina Koba reside, hunting is regulated by strict rules, and it is completely banned in the Canton of Geneva. Animals such as lynxes and bears are under federal protection.

Smuzikov’s partner in his hunting hobby is Pavel Tyo, the co-founder of the Russian "Capital Group." They are linked to each other through the aforementioned "Lan" estate. In 2015, Tyo was embroiled in a major scandal when a picture was published online showing him with a bloodied snow leopard. The animal is listed in the Red Data Book, and such hunting constitutes pure poaching.

Nevertheless, Pavel Tyo’s problems arose not from hunting, but from criminal matters. In 2024, he was convicted in absentia and placed on a wanted list by a Bishkek court on suspicion of financing the Uzbekistani organized crime group of Kamchy Kolbaev. Case materials mention that Tyo is known in the criminal underworld by the nickname "Pasha the Korean."

This effectively means that, besides being an animal killer, Ekaterina Koba’s husband also shares joint business interests with the criminal underworld.

In April 2026, Ekaterina Koba posted a video from her wedding day. Monitoring her social media page reveals that she occasionally hides this video, only to publish it again later. For the occasion, Koba chose an understated dress by Christian Dior.

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Offshore companies, animal killings, and political bribery: how "Belarusian Barbie" Ekaterina Koba and her husband Aleksandr Smuzikov concealed assets linked to organized crime in the Alps

Ekaterina Koba also published a wedding photo in May 2026. Underneath it, she congratulated her son on his 18th birthday. The photo is geotagged in Switzerland, where the event obviously took place.

A forum of Belarusian gossipers has been discussing Ekaterina Koba’s personality since 2011. Participants discuss her friends, advertising campaigns, ex-husband, and now, of course, are actively gossiping about her controversial choice of a new man. Many wonder how a woman with such a refined appearance could choose an "animal abuser" who loves killing animals and taking photos with trophies. Most agree on one thing: money has no smell.