Trusted aide to Russian oligarchs Vadim Gurinov helps pass imported generators off as “made in Russia” to get around sanctions

10 вересня 2026 р., 14:55

Igor Shulga   854   0  

Trusted aide to Russian oligarchs Vadim Gurinov helps pass imported generators off as “made in Russia” to get around sanctions

An addition to the investigation of Vadim Gurinov, a trusted aide to Russian oligarchs who helps them circumvent Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

One company inside Gurinov’s business empire is LLC Alfa Balt Engineering (ABI) in Russia. On paper it assembles diesel generators and gas-piston power plants for Russian energy giants Novatek, Rosneft and others. In practice, the investigation says, imported machines are sold as Russian-made.

The scheme was designed before the war and put into operation by ABI co-owner Vladimir Solovyov. ABI brought diesel generators from well-known foreign brands — including Lamborghini — into Russia. The goods cleared Russian customs at an undervalued price. At a site on Kievskaya Street a heavy metal frame was fitted to the engine. After that a ST-1 certificate was obtained on a semi-official basis, stating that the power plant had been manufactured in Russia.

The same method was used for projects in Sochi and in occupied Crimea. It is still in use. Many sensitive sites in Russia require FSB clearance and accept only equipment labelled as Russian. That is how, according to the investigation, Solovyov and his partner Gurinov get around both Russian localisation rules and the spirit of Western sanctions.

The books are handled by Elena Vasilyeva, described as a “magic accountant.” The same account says she splits income under these schemes and recovers inflated VAT while staying in the shadows.