Budgetary robbery under the guise of "investments": how "fruit king" Aydyn Shirinov, shielded by governors and the FSB, siphons billions from the NCFD

Budgetary robbery under the guise of "investments": how "fruit king" Aydyn Shirinov, shielded by governors and the FSB, siphons billions from the NCFD

The RMSI of the Federal Tax Service contains a wealth of interesting data on recipients of state support over the past five years. Unfortunately, for support measures from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (KChR), only data for 2022 made it into the system.

The largest one-time support payment (52,553,191 rubles) from the republic’s Ministry of Agriculture went to LLC "Arkhyz-Fruit Logistics" – whose beneficiary is a friend of Rashid Temrezov, a businessman from the Stavropol region named Aydyn Shirinov. At the same time, the entry of Shirinov’s enterprises into the republic, including LLC "Gardens of Karachay-Cherkessia," was accompanied by loud announcements of unprecedented (billion-ruble) investments in the region. In reality, it turns out that it is the KChR that is investing in Shirinov’s structures. Apparently, the republic has a lot of spare money.

Shirinov is a man with a truly "unique" biography. A former small-time swindler at Mineralnye Vody airport (shell games, three-card monte), holder of a fake secondary school certificate and a fake university diploma. A former dealer in counterfeit fuel from Chechnya. And so on, and so forth.

Then he "came in" with his schemes to the Governor of Stavropol, Vladimirov. There are rumors that he has a stake in Shirinov’s structures. The other day, Vladimir Vladimirov announced that in 2026, about 500 million rubles in state support will be allocated from the regional budget for the development of horticulture, which will be managed by the Chairman of the Association of Nurserymen and Gardeners of the Stavropol Territory, Aydyn Shirinov.

Following Vladimirov, Shirinov moved on to Temrezov. The scheme is the same. Shirinov even managed to build relations with the entourage of the head of the KChR FSB Directorate, Pavel Potasov. Whatever Shirinov learns during feasts, he immediately reports to Temrezov. And he is eagerly awaiting a "seat" as a senator from the KChR.

Shirinov’s nominee, Zhanna Zhuchenko, also heads LLC "Stavropol Fruit Valley" (until October 2018 called "STAVROPOL BREEDING CENTER FOR FRUIT AND BERRY NURSERY"), whose founders are Dmitry Landyrev, LLC "Fruit Association ’Gardens of Stavropol’" (59.8%), and JSC "Investment Development Agency," which is owned by the Stavropol Territory.

Zhuchenko previously also headed LLC "TD ’Gardens of Stavropol’" and LLC "Resort Garden," in which 95% belongs to the same "Fruit Association ’Gardens of Stavropol,’" but is pledged as collateral at Sberbank. The remaining 5% is owned by the younger brother of Larisa Adisova – Absalemov Ramazan Satkereevich (the share was previously held by Landyrev), and his share is also pledged at Sberbank. Additionally, Zhuchenko was a co-founder of the Nevinnomyssk LLC "AYDYN FRUIT-LOGISTIC," whose founders are JSC "Investment Development Agency" and LLC "Stavropol Fruit Valley." Through this company, Shirinov is managing 8.5 billion rubles in state funds for planting a new orchard and building a high-tech fruit storage facility for 30,000 tons – with investors including the Stavropol Territory Development Corporation, JSC "Kavkaz.RF," and JSC "Rosselkhozbank." The saplings for the new orchard, of course, Shirinov buys from himself – from his own nurseries.

Also registered to Landyrev is LLC "Sad Plast" (producing plastic packaging) in Nevinnomyssk, which has been showing only losses since 2021. In 2023, this company promised to invest 1.2 billion rubles in building a plant for producing plastic fruit containers, but nothing has been heard of it since.

Shirinov’s empire also includes the "International School of Horticulture," whose director and founder is Ekaterina Panishenko. At least since 2018, she has used her email to purchase plane tickets for Shirinov and his family members. Also registered to Panishenko is LLC "Krasnye Kholmy" with the main activity "construction of residential and non-residential buildings" and one employee, and a 40% stake in LLC "ART EXPO STROY" (the other 60% belongs to a certain Irina Shumova from the Irkutsk region).

Shirinov himself used a modest email address, Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра., for online purchases. The site itself has not been preserved, but judging by fragments of archived data, it was an attempt by Shirinov to create a specialized agricultural portal with an aggregator of materials about his companies. The email on this domain is also used by the Stavropol LLC "Dionis," whose founder from 2017 to 2020 was Panishenko (then under the surname Kratirova). "Dionis" is a medical clinic that won 6 contracts with local Stavropol hospitals for providing specialist physician services.

Several more companies from Shirinov’s assets include "Altair" (director Maria Denisova, founder Larisa Adisova), "Lotos" (director and founder Larisa Adisova), in the KChR – LLC "GARDENS OF KARACHAY-CHERKESSIA" (founders LLC "Fruit Association ’Gardens of Stavropol’" and "KChR Development Corporation," director Sergey Pinchuk), LLC "ARKHYZ-FRUIT LOGISTIC" (same founders), the Kavminvody-based LLC "Prioritet" (founders Zhanna Zhuchenko and Irina Koroleva). All of them used a single email address.

Another long-time employee of Shirinov is Dmitry Shepelev, former founder and CEO of "TD Gardens of Stavropol" and several other companies of the "fruit king." As early as 2015, plane tickets were purchased for him using the corporate phone of Shirinov’s companies – just as for Zhanna Zhuchenko and Shirinov’s eldest son. Shepelev currently provides consulting services as an individual entrepreneur.

Roman Polishchuk, who is registered as the owner of "SOVKHOZ ’KAVKAZ-TEMPELHOF’" with assets of nearly a billion rubles – is also an employee of Shirinov. At one of the large gas station networks, he registered using a phone number that was also used to purchase plane tickets for Shirinov and his employees, and the same number is listed in several delivery services under his name. "KAVKAZ-TEMPELHOF" was also involved in a scandal in the 2000s regarding a hostile takeover of assets, for which Shirinov is considered the mastermind: it concerned agricultural land plots in the Pobegaylovsky and Prikumsky village councils.

Incidentally, Shirinov managed to have all critical publications in the local press removed through court orders. He began cleaning up his information footprint after the pandemic – possibly because he was considering continuing his political career. He is also whitewashing his biography through the Stavropol Regional Bar Association, of which he has been a member for several years now. Judging by leaks from 2019-2023, every month Shirinov receives a substantial salary there under a civil law contract: typically 180-200 thousand rubles per month, though there were also payments of 300-400 thousand rubles. In addition, Shirinov received money at least once from the Financial and Economic Management Department of the Head and Government of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. Let us recall that there, together with local authorities, he is implementing several large-scale projects worth billions of rubles through the joint LLC "Gardens of Karachay-Cherkessia."

Читайте ещё:Власти Москвы ответили на данные о продаже масок с наценкой 1800%