Obid Yasinov, chief executive of Moscow’s development company Mosstroymekhanizatsiya or MSM-5, has no problems in combining the realities of the civilized 2000s with the criminal style of the 1990s. Menaces, intimidation of competitors, blackmail and even murder have become hallmarks of his way of doing business. Obid does not forget about oiling the palms of officials from the very top. Only that honest people refuse to deal with the Tajik native businessman while his former business partners deeply regret having made use of his services.      

 

90s style

Petr Ivanov, director of FCSR Closed JSC, a major Moscow development company, asked president Dmitry Medvedev and the top security officials to take him under state protection after he was severely beaten about a month ago. According to his statement, corrupt police officers are now making every effort to shelve his case. Investigation into the attack is dropped, and the prosecutors try to make the situation look as if Ivanov was attacked by ordinary street hooligans.    

The attack happened on 24 May: criminals brutally beat chief executive of FCSR Ivanov and fired a few shots at him from a traumatic weapon. Ivanov claims that the perpetrators were hired by Kirill Meshcheryakov, a representative of MSM-5 company, who has connections in the government through his father-in-law Mikhail Barshchevsky, who represents the government of the Russian Federation in the courts of higher jurisdiction. Incidentaly, on 1 June 2011 the police searched the office of FCSR as part of a criminal case, which agents hastily concocted on non-existent charges. The search seems to be an attempt to put pressure on FCSR from influential patrons of MSM-5. 

Ivanov is sure that the attack on him, pressure and intimidation is just another episode in the on-going war waged by bankrupt billionaires Polonsky and Yasinov for the lucrative construction project called Kutuzovskaya Milya or Kutuzov Mile (Fili-Davydkovo neighbourhood). Polonsky and Yasinov, kickback-givers at the time of former Moscow mayor Luzhkov, use libel, blackmail, menaces, forged documents, concocted criminal cases and even annihilation of competitors, typical for the 1990s in Russia.  

Residential complex in Fili-Davydkovo district was co-invested by Avanta LLC, full subsidiary of Polonsky’s Mirax LLC. Due to the bankruptcy of Polonsky’s companies, Mirax stopped financing construction works on the object which gave serious cause for concern among both the shareholders and the officials of Moscow government.

 After having failed to comply with the conditions of agreement, Polonsky demanded that Ivanov should turn over the development contract of Ivanov's company and accept unremunerative terms. When Ivanov refused, Polonsky demanded to reassign the contract with menaces and then fulfilled his threats.

MSM-5 company interfered in the conflict over Kutuzovskaya Milya. Late in March Tatyana Chalykh and Kirill Meshcheryakov, officials of MSM-5, began talks with the executives of FCSR on behalf of Yasinov. They said that Moscow authorities were positive about MSM-5 joining the project. However, they did not make any detailed proposals. Chalykh said that there was not enough space for all shareholders and it was necessary to move a certain number of shareholders «somewhere else».

Kirill Meshcheriyakov has the reputation of an influential power broker among Moscow’s development companies. He has good connections both in judicial bodies and the government of Moscow. He is Mikhail Barshchevsky's relative. It is no surprise, then, that MSM-5 employed him to takeover the Kutuzovskaya Milya project. Yasinov’ company have hired such sort of mediators for a number of business activities.

On 5 April MSM-5 issued an ultimatum over Kutuzovskaya Milya against Sergey Polonsky and Petr Ivanov. Here are the terms of the ultimatum. Firstly, FCSR Closed JSC loses its right to carry out construction. Secondaly, MSM-5 Closed JSC obtains the right to carry out construction and finances the completion of the building works. Avanta LLC and FCSR LLC turn all building and financial documents over to the new developer. Thirdly, Avanta LLC and FCSR LLC withdraw their lawsuits against one another. Forthly, Avanta LLC loses its right of an investor, according to the investment agreement.

In exchange, FCSR was offered 3% of residential square in the complex. The size of Polonsky’s compensation remains uncertain, but it is obvious that Yasinov and Polonsky reached the agreement, because from now on they began to coordinate their actions.

On 26 April at the meeting in the mayor’s office deputy mayor of Moscow Vladimir Resin informed Petr Ivanov, that Mirax turned over its rights, stipulated by the agreement, to MSM-5 (Obid Yasinov is a director general of MSM-5). The news came as a surprise for Ivanov, because Mirax had no legal right to to do so without the consent of FCSR. But no one asked him.

Soon after the meeting Yasinov began to frighten Ivanov. On 3 May Petr Ivanov sent a letter to Vladimir Resin. The businessman wrote that MSM-5 was engaged in a «risky venture» and «misinformed the city officials» about the construction works in Kutuzovskaya Milya residential complex. Ivanov observed that interference of MSM-5 would result in postponing the deadline of the completion of building work and affecting customers who had already paid for the flats.

On 5 May Ivanov notified director general of MSM-5 Obid Yasinov that he turned down the offer to concede the contract. Vladimir Resin was also notified of the rejection of offer by FCSR. Later Ivanov told the investigators that he received numerous telephone calls from Kirill Meshcheryakov (Ivanov has known him for about 5 years). Meshcheryakov was authorised by MSM-5 to carry on talks about Kutuzovskaya Milya residential complex. Meshcheryakov also claimed that he was close to the office of the mayor of Moscow. Since 5 May this official of MSM-5 made at least 5 telephone calls to Ivanov. Having frightened Ivanov with reprisal attack, Meshcheryakov insisted on the conditions put forward by MSM-5. For instance, Ivanov received the e-mail from Meshcheryakov, dated 23 May, with threats that Ivanov would face serious troubles.

The same day, Ivanov says, he stopped his car at the entrance of his office in Filevsky Boulevard. A white cabriolet Audi TT stopped close to Ivanov's car. Two people of Caucasian appearance asked Ivanov if his car belonged to him. They said that they had a friend with the automobile of the same brand. Ivanov said «yes» and the strangers drove away. Next day the buisnessman was attacked.   

On 24 May at 12.30 (Moscow time) Ivanov stopped his car at the office of FCSR, went out of the car and bent over to take the document from the front seat. At this moment he was hit by a heavy object in his head. It emerged later that the perpetrators used a bag with a hammer and different metal objects. The assaultants turned out to be two men from the Caucasus Ivanov met yesterday. They beat Ivanov and told him, that he «ought to have agreed with an offer».

Senior engineer of FCSR Aleksandr Zykov was passing by when he saw his boss' beating. The former soldier pounced on the criminals but they fought back. Zykov seized the hammer from the ground but one of the Caucasians pulled out a gun and made 5 shots.

The criminals walked in the street in front of the office of FCSR, showing off their weapon. Ivanov and Zykov managed to get to the office. The office workers called the police and ambulance. Ivanov was hospitalized. He had wounds of lips, arms, head, cheekbone fracture and lost frontal teeth. Zykov had gunshot wounds of ear, shoulder and waist and numerous bruises.

Crime investigation department of the OVD for Moscow’s Filevsky Park district opened criminal case no.586402 under Article 213.2 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism). Ivanov has no doubts that he was about to be killed.

It is worth noticing that on 25 May, a day after the attack, the deputy mayor received copy of the agreement between FCSR LLC and MSM-5, signed by Petr I. Ivanov and Obid M. Yasinov. The document said that FCSR turned over the rights to carry out construction of Kutuzovskaya Milya to MSM-5. However Ivanov did not sign the document. He claims that it was the same people who organised the attack and forged the documents - their aim was to prevent FCSR management from counteraction when the government of Moscow would consider the issue of Kutuzovskaya Milya.    

 

Master of bribe giving

 

Obid Yasinov has aquired a reputation as most unreliable partner among Moscow construction firms. For a number of times he has let his fellow companies down and did more harm than good to the authorities which entrusted him with carrying out major state contracts. Plainly speaking his actions caused reputational damage to the top governmental officials.

New Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin has drown a conclusion from previous experience that there is no point in doing business with Obid Yasinov. He not only stopped giving MSM-5 new contracts but decided to reconsider the existent contracts which previous mayor Yury Luzhkov stroke with the company. Currently, works on a number of construction and building sites are stopped, the majority of MSM-5 projects are frozen. The businessman who fall from grace said: «We are completing our old objects with no new ones in Moscow».

Yet governor of the Moscow Region Boris Gromov goes on pushing MSM-5 interests in the government. His effort deserves better application, as the Russian proverb says. For instance, MSM-5 failed to fulfill its obligations under a major contract to provide victims of forest fire in the Moscow Region with new houses (this task was under Vladimir Putin's «personal control»). Indeed the houses have been built. But the quality of housing raises many question: the forest fire victims can not describe this houses in a polite terms. The building works of Obid Yasinov and his MSM-5 drew attention of the Public Chamber of Russia that authorized the commition of experts to work in Mokhovoye village (Lukhovitsky district of the Moscow region). The locals complain about flooded basements in their houses, warped foundations, rotten floors and ceilings. Naturally, Vladimir Putin read the report of the commision. Officials of the Moscow Region had to answer difficult questions - although their answers were not an act of altruism.  

According to the building experts, out of 10 billion roubles aimed at reconstruction of houses damaged by forest firest hardly a billion went directly to the building works. The rest of the cash was figuratively «sawed off» and used for kickbacks and bribes.

The same scheme, involving kickbacks and bribes, will be used for the major project of supplying peatbogs with water. Without tender MSM-5 received over 1.5 billion roubles for such works in the current year. Another 4 billions will be «sawed» in the next 3 years.

MSM-5 has no expertise in carrying out such works. The building experts has already called the decision of the governor of Moscow region illegal and predicted serious sanctions from the Prosecutor General's office and the Federal Anti-monopoly Service. Why was there no tender? It is an enigma. Last summer Vladimir Putin raised the question about supplying peatbogs with water. President Dmitry Medvedev also paid special attention to the problem and promised to sack top officials in case the  problems is not delt with properly. 

But MSM-5 has not yet prepared engineering documentation. This means that summer and autumn will be dedicated to papers. Then snow will interfere in the works. Again, peat bogs will not be supplied with water, and Boris Gromov, the governour of the Moscow region, will face another hard talk with his bosses in the Kremlin.

 

 

Like father, like son

 

It is not all very nice in the seemingly desent family of businessman Obid Yasinov. His son Parviz has gained notoriety as a womanizer. He has been at the centrer of scandals for a number of years which does not add to the reputation of his father as the defender of family values. 

Parviz’s life in the public started with the affair with young singer and an “alumnum” of TV show Star Factory Masha Veber. He left the singer when she was in her last months of pregnancy for her famous rival, member of the controversial duo TATU Yulya Volkova. She left her parents to care for daughter Vika and plunged into the new life with Eastern prince. She gave him a son Tamir. Soon the fairy tale ended and the couple broke up.  

To tell the truth, Parviz Yasinov has had a lot of adventures besides amours. On 19 July 2006 20-years-old Parviz attacted the director of the Museum of the Moscow History Vitaly Reshunov. The attack followed ordinary conflict in the road - Reshunov's modest Skoda did not give way to Parviz's exclusive Mercedes SL500 in Rusakovskaya Street. What happened next can be characterised as inadequate behaviour. Young man pulled out a gun, pointed it at the director of the largest Moscow museum and promised to shoot him. Reshunov went to a police station in Moscow’s Krasnoselsky district and wrote a statement. He wrote that he considered the threat of Yasinov Junior as real, had fears of his life and asked the police to institute criminal proceedings under Article 119 of the Criminal Case (murder threat). The police detained Parviz. It was Obid who helped his son to get off with a whole skin: the charges against him have never been brought.

Obid was more proud of his daughter Firuza than of his son. At the beginning he found her a job in the building company called PIK (the company was close to the mayor's office). After that the head of MSM-5 made a very nice present for his daughters. He set up an insurance agency called Polis-Garant.

But in January 2010 Polis-Garant stopped paying subrogations to other insurance companies, including Ingosstarch. Since December 2010 Polis-Garant has been unreachable by phone or internet. In fact the company defrauded its clients and partners.