Russia - President Vladimir Putin's inner circle
Sergei Chemezov
CEO of Russia’s state-owned defense giant, Rostec
About
Sergei Chemezov heads Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense and technology conglomerate, and is widely considered one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies. The men met as young KGB officers working in East Germany. Chemezov has leveraged that relationship to gain lucrative military and other state contracts, according to media reports. In 2014, the U.S. and other countries sanctioned Chemezov following Russia’s invasion of Crimea.
Chemezov’s wife, Ekaterina Ignatova, is a former interpreter who Forbes ranked as Russia’s 23rd wealthiest woman in 2021. Ignatova owns a stake in a Russian bank as well as a beauty salon. Ignatova’s daughter, Anastasia, 35, worked as a senior executive in Russian pharmaceutical companies, according to a copy of her resumé included in the Pandora Papers. Ekaterina Ignatova’s mother, Lyudmila Rukavishnikova, owns luxury real estate in Moscow and across Russia, according to media reports.
In March 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department slapped additional sanctions on Chemezov and added Ekaterina and Anastasia Ignatova to its sanctions list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Political Career
General Director, Rostec (2007-present)
General Director, Rosoboronexport (2004-2007)
First Deputy General Director, Rosoboronexport (2000-2004)
In The Pandora Papers
Chemezov’s wife, Ekaterina Ignatova, and his step-daughter, Anastasia Ignatova, were central players in the family’s offshore empire. Pandora Papers records show the family was worth more than $350 million and linked to nine companies registered in the BVI and Belize between 2005 and 2016.
In 2006, Ekaterina was named in incorporation papers as owner of newly formed Linkpoint Services Ltd. in the British Virgin Islands. Records show she later transferred her shares in the company to a stand-in nominee in Cyprus, obscuring her connection to the company. In 2019, Ignatova’s daughter Anastasia became the company’s owner, records show.
Linkpoint Services Ltd. held assets worth $40 million in 2019, records show. Another BVI company owned a yacht called the Valerie, according to Pandora Papers media reports. Spanish authorities seized the yacht in Barcelona in March 2022.
Anastasia, along with her grandmother, also held shares in Penimar Holdings Ltd. In 2014, according to media reports, Penimar Holdings bought a company that owned a villa near Marbella, Spain. Anastasia owned another shell company, Sightview Consultants Ltd., which held more than $200 million in assets.
Rostec did not answer ICIJ’s questions about the Chemezov family’s offshore holdings, saying in an email, “The information does not line up with the reality. This is a fake story, another spin of the information war against Russia.”
Chemezov has previously told journalists that his step-daughter and mother-in-law are not reliant on his support but are themselves engaged in business from which they receive an appropriate income, according to ICIJ media partner iStories.
Secrecy Jurisdictions
British Virgin Islands
Belize
Cyprus
Secrecy Broker
At the heart of the Pandora Papers are 14 offshore firms that help clients establish companies in secrecy jurisdictions. This profile draws on leaked data from these providers:
Discover this Power Player’s offshore connections.
This profile was published in the Power Players interactive on April 11, 2022, as part of Pandora Papers Russia.