The Ananyev brothers divided their assets after the reorganization of Promsvyazbank. Ananyev Alexey Nikolaevich The Ananyev brothers criminal

Clients of Promsvyazbank (PSB) may face lengthy legal proceedings due to losses of investments in credit notes (CLN) amounting to about RUB 10 billion. As Kommersant found out, in the first half of 2017, CLN of the Ananyev brothers’ offshore company was offered to PSB clients through the private capital department as an alternative to deposits - in fact, under the guarantee of the bank’s owners. The default on CLN has not yet occurred, however, according to Kommersant, PSB is already disavowing these obligations, and there is no need to count on the former owners of the bank.

As Kommersant learned, credit notes were purchased by wealthy clients of Promsvyazbank from February to August 2017. “The notes were offered by bank managers through PSB Private Banking as an alternative to bank deposits - as a “bank bond”, “almost like a deposit”, “guaranteed by the Ananyevs themselves,” one of the interlocutors told Kommersant. In fact, according to presentation documents (available to Kommersant), PSB clients were offered a “fixed income product - bonds of Peters International (Cayman) Limited,” owned by the ex-beneficiaries of Promsvyazbank, the Ananyev brothers. These securities are on the balance sheet of the PSB and are not traded on the stock exchange. The maturity of the securities is two years with coupons of 5.15–5.25% in euros and 5.75–6.25% in dollars. This is several percentage points higher than the rates on PSB retail deposits in foreign currency. As of October 2017, bank rates on deposits in dollars reached 1.3%, in euros - 0.3%.

Peters International N.V. acted as guarantors for the fulfillment of obligations under these securities. and Promsvyaz Capital B.V., which also belong to Messrs. Ananyev. Guarantees from the bank's owners and high rates turned out to be a sufficient argument for clients who purchased credit notes with a total volume of about 10 billion rubles.

Since December 15, 2017, Promsvyazbank has been undergoing a financial rehabilitation procedure in the Banking Sector Consolidation Fund (FBS) of the Central Bank. On January 12, the regulator announced a reduction in the bank’s capital to 1 ruble, as a result of which the Ananyev brothers lost their shares in the bank. Now, on the basis of PSB, a specialized bank is being created to carry out operations on state defense orders and large government contracts in order to protect other banks from Western sanctions (see Kommersant on January 19).

The reorganization of PSB was an unpleasant surprise for note holders. Although a real default on the securities has not yet occurred, in January there was supposed to be a coupon payment on one of the CLN issues, but funds did not arrive in customer accounts - this is a technical default.

However, according to Kommersant’s interlocutors familiar with the situation, PSB has already received a number of letters from CLN holders, whom the bank addressed “on all issues” to Messrs. Ananyev.

“Legally, Promsvyazbank acted only as an agent, and is not obliged to make any payments on credit notes, nor is it obliged to work with the claims of their holders,” one of the employees of Promsvyazbank told Kommersant. “This money is not insured by the state, the insurance is 1.4 million rubles . Only funds deposited in bank accounts are included.” Alexey Ananyev said through his representative that he does not comment on the situation. It was not possible to contact Dmitry Ananyev. The Central Bank, which is now the owner of PSB, did not respond to Kommersant’s request. The bank's press service declined to comment.

The situation with credit notes in PSB is in many ways reminiscent of the story of Trust Bank. Credit notes from an affiliated offshore company, Trust, were also offered to wealthy clients as an alternative to foreign currency deposits. The notes were secured by the issuer's subordinated loans to Trust Bank, which were written off after the decision on its reorganization in 2015. At that time, the bank managed to sell notes worth about 20 billion rubles. Holders of Trust notes have been trying to get their funds back in the courts for several years, but so far their successes have not been very impressive. Last year, the Supreme Court sent several claims won by Trust's clients in the regions for new consideration to the Basmanny Court of Moscow. And he has already refused to satisfy the demands of several plaintiffs.

According to experts, the chances for holders of notes from the company of the former owners of PSB are not much higher than for clients of Trust. Of course, we cannot exclude the possibility that the guarantors will fulfill their obligations to the holders of the securities, even if the bank refuses them. “This is theoretically possible, however, when the scheme with notes was conceived, it is unlikely that the bank’s beneficiaries suspected how the situation would turn out, and, accordingly, provided funds for this,” says Igor Dubov, a partner at the Moscow bar association “Iontsev, Lyakhovsky and Partners.” obligations will not be fulfilled, claims may be brought against the guarantors.” According to Saveliev, Batanov & Partners advisor Radik Lotfullin, PSB clients have grounds to fight by filing claims primarily against the bank itself.

“You can try to prove that the bank, by offering notes, covered up the bank deposit agreement and also did not notify about all possible risks,” the lawyer concluded.

The freezing of the property of the former owners of Promsvyazbank was sought by large clients of this credit institution. The applicants asked to seize the property of the Ananyev brothers and seven other defendants around the world totaling $11.2 million and €5.4 million.

The imposition of such interim measures was sought by the law firm Lipman Karas, which represents the interests of a group led by Evgeny Atamanov of 25 clients of Promsvyazbank. The applicants claim that the defendants forced them to purchase bonds from this credit institution.

The plaintiffs are holders of credit note notes (CLN) of Peters International (Cayman) Limited, which PSB offered to its wealthy clients last year. Although these securities were not on the balance sheet of PSB, they were issued under guarantees of Promsvyaz Capital B.V. and Peters International Investment N.V., the ultimate beneficiaries of which were the Ananyevs. In January and April of this year, these credit notes went into credit default, after which some investors took legal action.

In addition to the Ananyevs, seven more companies are defendants, including the Dutch Promsvyaz Capital B.V., through which the Ananyevs previously owned Vozrozhdenie and Promsvyazbank. Other defendants are the English Antracite Investment Ltd, Urgula Platinum Ltd, the Cypriot Menrela Ltd (through them the Ananyevs owned Promsvyaz Capital), the Cypriot Fintailor Investment Ltd, Peters International Investment and Peters International (Cayman) Limited.

In refusing to seize the property, the English court noted that the plaintiffs failed to prove the risk of dilution or withdrawal of the defendants' assets. In addition, the judge pointed out that the security proposed by the plaintiffs would not adequately compensate the Ananyev brothers and other defendants for the losses they might suffer if such measures were taken.

If the plaintiffs insist on continuing the proceedings in this case, Atamanov’s claims to seize the defendants’ property will be considered in February 2019 as part of the proceedings challenging the jurisdiction of the English courts initiated by the defendants, according to a Pravo.ru source familiar with the process.

This is not the first trial in English courts in which Promsvyazbank investors were unable to justify the need to seize the bankers' property. In August of this year, an English court refused to freeze their assets in the amount of $11.2 million and €500,000.

Then the interests of other plaintiffs were represented by the law firm Withers (a London contractor of the law firm Nektorov, Savelyev and Partners, which represents the interests of the plaintiffs). In that trial, the judge found that the plaintiffs failed to disclose to the court material facts that “effectively undermined the arguments about the risk of dilution and dilution of the defendants’ assets.”

If, based on the results of consideration of the listed cases on the merits in February 2019, the court makes a decision in favor of the defendants, they will have the right to recover from the plaintiffs compensation for legal costs incurred in full.

Bankers' property

The assets of the Ananyev brothers have already been seized twice due to claims by holders of Peters International (Cayman) Limited credit notes. Then 38.14% of the shares of Bank Vozrozhdenie, which at that time belonged to Dmitry Ananyev, were also frozen. The first seizure of the assets of the Ananyev brothers was lifted after the defendants transferred the disputed amounts - €11 million and $15.6 million - to the account of the judicial financial department as an interim measure. The second time the seizure was lifted because the plaintiffs did not indicate important information, in as a result, their position on the risk of concealing assets was declared untenable.

The controlling stake in PSB belonged to the Ananyevs until the end of winter 2017, but in December the Central Bank introduced a temporary administration in the bank, after which the Ananyevs’ share dropped to zero. Then the brothers decided to divide the business - the banking assets went to Dmitry. The Central Bank also issued an order to the Ananyevs to reduce their stake in Bank Vozrozhdenie below 10%. Ananyev himself went abroad after the reorganization of Promsvyazbank. According to Vedomosti, he lives in a hotel in Cyprus and is engaged in the sale and controlled bankruptcy of his Russian assets.

The text of the court decision adopted today will be made public within the time limits established by law.

• Pravo.ru

The once successful banker Dmitry Ananyev is now successfully fighting off the VIP shareholders of Promsvyazbank in the High Court of London. The court lifted the seizure of the assets of the Ananyev brothers, previously frozen at the request of the plaintiffs. According to some reports, the judge relented after the banker’s revelations about money laundering schemes in Russia, specifically those that were used by his clients, partners and just acquaintances. Why is Dmitry Ananyev taking revenge on his former colleagues and “protectors”?

The “Russian Seasons” in the High Court of London continues. This time, British judges are studying the peculiarities of banking in Russia. A month ago, a London court arrested the foreign assets of the Ananyev brothers at the suit of particularly solvent and extremely offended shareholders of Promsvyazbank. 15.6 million dollars and 11 million euros turned out to be frozen in the accounts - the amount for the Ananyevs, frankly speaking, is not critical. According to Forbes' current estimate, the fortune of the would-be bankers reaches $700 million, and the demands made by shareholders do not exceed 4% of the Ananyevs' capital. But the shares of Vozrozhdenie Bank, which was sold to VTB in less than five minutes, were also seized.

And suddenly, at the very beginning of August, the High Court of London changes its decision and unfreezes the Ananyevs’ accounts. The formal reason was Dmitry Ananyev’s deposit of similar amounts ($15.6 million and 11 million euros) into the account of the judicial financial department. It would seem that deceived VIP investors have nothing to worry about anymore. Actually there is.

Following the news from the London court, the Nezygar Telegram channel reported that Dmitry Ananyev spent many hours in lively conversations with representatives of the British intelligence services. In an environment conducive to revenge, he allegedly uncovered several working money laundering schemes that his partners, clients and acquaintances indulged in. The leaks could also include the names of plaintiffs demanding their money in London. Naturally, it is impossible to verify this information, but Dmitry Ananyev could be seriously offended, having become accustomed to the fact that he gets away with everything.

Apparently, from the point of view of Dmitry Ananyev, who after the division of business with Alexey Ananyev received all the banking assets, Promsvyazbank VIPs are to blame for everything. Didn’t they know that credit notes are one of the riskiest securities when they bought them last year at a fabulous 6% income and the Ananyevs’ personal guarantees? By the way, Dmitry Ananyev was already a master of confidential conversations; in any case, Promsvyazbank, represented by the Ananyev brothers, managed to hand over credit notes to 250 VIP clients. Among the bankers who succumbed to the sweet speeches were even such business sharks as Marina Sechina.

Having underestimated their borrowers, the brothers ended up in a London court, where they know how to hold even oligarchs to account. However, having talked with British special agents about the difficult lot of the Russian banker, Dmitry Ananyev could remember his other friends.

Patrons of the Ananyevs

It has been talked about for a long time that the Ananyevs have patrons in the Central Bank and law enforcement agencies. The activities in the state corporation “Control Systems”, which was briefly headed by Alexey Ananyev, as well as the brothers’ friendship with the Central Bank lawyer Sergei Dontsov, had an impact. The Ananyevs behaved accordingly. After the notorious “Gavrilov’s list,” which promised trouble for B&N Bank, FC Otkrytie, MKB and Promsvyazbank, only the Ananyevs were completely unwilling to yield to the pressure of the Central Bank. Dmitry Ananyev radiated optimism and confidence in the future. As will become clear later, the banker had his own future in mind.

Without waiting for the banker brothers to come with a bow to ask for reorganization, as Boris Mintz had prudently done, representatives of the Central Bank came to the Ananyevs themselves. The self-confidence of the ex-owners of Promsvyazbank clearly did not endear them to the auditors, who easily found violations to which they had turned a blind eye only recently. For example, the aggressive purchase of smaller banks, which all participants in the “Gavrilov list” have been carried away in recent years. The auditors also drew attention to the “drawing” profit for 2016, when the Ananyev brothers in every sense overestimated the value of the land assets pledged to the bank by the borrowers, as well as to the ultra-preferential lending of the Ananyevs’ various businesses.

On December 14, 2017, the Central Bank issued an order to add 100 billion rubles in reserves. It was not clear how long it would take the Ananyevs to find those reserves in their own bins. Without allowing the fantasies of various kinds of experts to develop properly, the next day the Central Bank introduced a temporary administration at Promsvyazbank. Despite the fact that the Ananyevs’ hopes for friendly cover for the security forces were not justified, their long-standing acquaintance with Sergei Dontsov bore fruit.

When the Central Bank demanded that additional reserves be added, the Ananyevs repeated like a mantra that they had not received any instructions. They didn’t believe the morning news so as not to spoil their day. As employees of the Fund for Consolidation of the Banking Sector (FCBS), which was sanitizing Promsvyazbank, later learned, on that fateful day the bankers really managed to do a lot. Exactly one day before the introduction of reorganization, relying on a suspiciously knowledgeable intuition, the ex-owners of PSB sold Promsvyazbank shares to several offshore companies at once.

The transactions took place through Promsvyaz Capital B.V., which formally owned the Ananyevs’ shares in Promsvyazbank and Vozrozhdenie Bank. Offshore buyers, presumably, are also affiliated with the Ananyevs. Based on the claim of the new administration of Promsvyazbank against the previous owners, the brothers managed to withdraw 13.4 billion rubles and 83.2 million dollars abroad.

Missing credit files

The brothers decided to strengthen the success achieved on December 14. And by December 22, 2017, the sanators of Promsvyazbank were missing 500 credit dossiers, indicating the fate of 109 billion rubles, which had disappeared forever from the bank’s accounts. It's hard to believe that hiding documents is a common banking practice. It turns out that the Ananyevs again relied on well-informed intuition? And she didn't let them down. The police immediately began looking for the stolen dossiers, but they were indifferent to the identities of the possible thieves.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Vasily Pozdyshev was also indifferent to the unknown criminals. He provided all possible assistance to the investigation, calling the loss of documents, or, more simply, money, “signs of illegal actions by the management of Promsvyazbank.” A few months later, the credit files were unexpectedly found safe and sound. Nothing is known about 109 billion rubles to this day. The FCBS and the Central Bank seemed to have forgotten about them.

While law enforcement agencies were puzzling over vague signs, the Ananyev brothers were preparing to go abroad. As usual, get some treatment. Medicine in Europe is not cheap, so the Ananyevs emptied their own accounts at Vozrozhdenie Bank to save money. Having experienced an acute attack of distrust in the banking system as a whole, they only took cash. The Ananyevs kept 4.5 billion rubles in their own bank. The withdrawal of capital was carried out in the most original way - in carts. Formally, the new administration of the bank simply could not stop them, since there was no moratorium on issuing funds to depositors. True, with some persistence of the Central Bank, a criminal case could have already been initiated against the Ananyevs. But the financiers were too busy preparing for the New Year, on the eve of which Alexey and Dmitry Ananyev safely left the country.

Sale of the Ananyevs' business

In January, Alexey Ananyev returned to Russia. Having lost Promsvyazbank, which became the property of FCBS, the brothers were in a hurry to sell at least Vozrozhdenie, which became interested in Suleiman Kerimov, who was then still bored under house arrest in France.

Kerimov was not allowed to entertain himself with shopping, and Kerimov’s Bonum Capital became just a mediator for the Ananyevs and VTB, which bought Vozrozhdenie “at the request of the Central Bank.” It is so risky to refuse the Central Bank that as soon as the court lifted the seizure of the Ananyevs’ assets, they immediately returned to negotiations and just a couple of days later finally agreed on the sale of Vozrozhdenie.

Dmitry Ananyev, meanwhile, was “treated” at the Four Seasons Hotel in Cyprus. The treatment was so successful that he completely changed his mind about returning. He got rid of numerous Russian assets directly from his hotel apartment. Businessmen could buy debt-laden assets only at someone’s insistent request, as VTB had to do in the case of Vozrozhdenie. But there is only one Central Bank, and there is not enough for everyone, so the Ananyevs had to divide their assets in order to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Dmitry Ananyev got the banks and development business, Alexey Ananyev got almost everything else. Some were sold, such as Technoserv; the rest of the assets were subject to quiet liquidation, to which the governors weakly and briefly tried to object for fear of protests from the unemployed.

The fears were not confirmed, and the threat to everyone who knows the Ananyevs came from an unexpected place. Having lost his business, remaining among the beauties of Cyprus and uninvited anywhere except the High Court of London, Dmitry Ananiev, it seems, was bitterly disappointed in all the clients and partners he could remember. And he expressed everything he knew about them directly to the faces of the British special agents. It is possible that one of these acquaintances will soon join Ananyev in Cyprus, and maybe even in court.

How the owners of Promsvyazbvnk and Bank Vozrozhdenie save their financial assets

Promsvyazbank (PSB) has filed an application with Rospatent to register the trademarks PSVBANK (Promsvyazbank Vozrozhdenie) and PSVBANK (Promsvyazbank Vozrozhdenie), two sources close to the bank told RBC. According to them, this will be his new brand after the merger with Vozrozhdenie Bank, announced in mid-September. According to SPARK, the corresponding application was submitted in September. In addition to the logo and name, the corporate color will also change: instead of a combination of orange and blue, purple with a gradient will be used.

Promsvyazbank refused to comment on the brand change, citing legal restrictions. Two RBC sources in the bank confirmed that the merged bank will be renamed PSVBANK.

A representative of the bank clarified that the new brand and strategy for its positioning are planned to be presented in 2018, at which time the design of offices in a new style will begin. The change of name and corporate identity should support a new digital platform to speed up product launch procedures, PSB clarified. Vozrozhdenie and PSB have been operating as one banking holding company for two years, during which time the banks have switched to a unified operational and technological platform and product line. The IT infrastructure has received large investments, the bank’s press service said.

According to one of RBC's sources in the bank, the rebranding procedure was to be started by the decision of the shareholders meeting on Thursday, October 26. The issue of approving the decision to reorganize Promsvyazbank in the form of merging Vozrozhdenie Bank with it was brought up. The results of the shareholders' meeting were not disclosed.

Pros and cons of rebranding

Rebranding usually occurs as a result of the reorganization or merger of banks, when changing strategy, in order to increase customer loyalty or to improve the image, says Lev Dorf, junior vice president of Moody’s. In the case of Promsvyazbank, rebranding looks logical, especially given the negative information background around one of the merging banks, he believes. In his opinion, rebranding will help distance itself from rumors and demonstrate that the bank is ready to invest in development, including the brand.

Alexey and Dmitry Ananyev

Promsvyazbank was among four banks that Alfa Capital analyst Sergei Gavrilov called the most risky in his letter to clients that became public in August 2017. The letter also mentioned Binbank and MKB. The first two were soon sanitized by the Central Bank. Subsequently, Alfa Capital withdrew Gavrilov’s letter, calling it “the private opinion of the manager.”

After the publication of Gavrilov’s letter, the bank experienced an outflow of customer funds. According to PSB reports under RAS, in July, clients withdrew 11 billion rubles from PSB, and in August - an outflow of 20.5 billion rubles. funds of individuals and an influx of 56.1 billion rubles. funds of legal entities, but in September the net outflow resumed (9 billion rubles), Moody’s calculated.

At the same time, rebranding is a costly exercise, and in conditions where the bank needs to increase the adequacy of its core capital, rebranding costs will further limit profits.

According to the managing partner of Depot WPF, Alexey Andreev, the development of a brand platform, corporate identity, market positioning and communication strategy, as well as the creation of a bank brand book can cost approximately 20 million rubles. The production of three commercials on television using 3D graphics and animation (as specified in the terms of reference for the tender for the selection of the manufacturer of the commercials), as well as their rotation on TV for a month - 150-200 million rubles. At the same time, as branding consultant and board member of the Guild of Marketers Oleg Glazunov notes, the cost of rebranding can vary greatly depending on the scope of work and the status of the executing agency.

Photo: Alexander Shcherbak / TASS

Feasibility of costs

From the reporting of Promsvyazbank for September it follows that its basic capital adequacy ratio (N1​.1) continues to decline. If on August 1 it was 6.67%, on September 1 - 6.51%, then on October 1 - already 6.49%, Moody's indicates (with the norm for systemically important banks established by the Central Bank being 6.1%, and from January 2018 - 7.025%).

The decline in the indicator was also influenced by the planned merger of banks: for example, the costs of intangible assets, namely the purchase of licenses and software as part of increasing investments in IT, the development of mobile and Internet banks, Promsvyazbank explained to RBC. “These are several separate divisions in PSB, where many new employees are now being hired and the development of which requires a large amount of financing,” the bank noted. In particular, there is now an active recruitment of IT developers at the Innovation Center for Banking Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of PSB, which develops banking software applications.

Restoring the bank's profitability is also hampered by the high level of problem assets, notes Lev Dorf. The level of impaired loans at the bank in mid-2017 was 19% of the total loan portfolio, while the market average was 12%. At the end of the first half of 2017, the interest margin was 2.5%, and in the face of a negative information background, the bank focused on the stability of its client base and maintaining sufficient liquidity, which means it was forced to offer higher rates on deposits.

Another risk factor for PSB is Avtovazbank, which it is sanitizing, recalls leading analyst at S&P Global Ratings Ekaterina Marushkevich.

In her opinion, the merged bank will be able to meet the N1.1 standard due to Vozrozhdenie’s good capital reserves. But, she stipulates, if the merger is not approved at the shareholders meeting on October 26, it will be more difficult for Promsvyazbank to fulfill this requirement of the Central Bank from the new year. ​

Who owns Promsvyazbank and Vozrozhdenie

50.03% of Promsvyazbank is owned by Promsvyaz Capital B.V., 11.74% - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 10% - NPF Future, 9.96% - MKB, 6.18% - NPF Safmar, 3.81% - NPF “Doverie”, the rest goes to minority shareholders, according to the Central Bank.

Structures of Promsvyazcapital (a holding group that includes Promsvyazbank) bought stakes in Vozrozhdenie Bank that belonged to JP Morgan Chase, BNP Paribas and other shareholders back in July 2015. Now, according to information about the bank on the Central Bank website, 50% of the shares of Vozrozhdenie belong to Promsvyaz Capital B.V., which is controlled by Promsvyazbank shareholders, brothers Alexey and Dmitry Ananyev. Another 2.38% belongs directly to Promsvyazbank, 9.98% to VectorInvest LLC, 6.67% to Wipasena Holding Ltd. 8.6% belongs to the Moscow Credit Bank, 5.7% to Bank St. Petersburg, and the rest belongs to minority shareholders.

Shares of both banks are traded on the stock exchange.

Anna Mikheeva

What secrets are hidden in the lost and found credit dossiers of Promsvyazbank

The scandal surrounding Promsvyazbank and its owners - brothers Dmitry and Alexey Ananyev, received an unexpected continuation. Law enforcement agencies contacted by the Central Bank discovered the credit files of Promsvyazbank. What secrets of ex-bankers can these papers shed light on?

Where did the carts go?

Let us recall that the beginning of the scandal was the arrival of the provisional administration of the Central Bank at Promsvyazbank, which was once considered reputable and prosperous. Literally on the eve of the introduction of external management, both assets and documents disappeared from the bank. The brothers themselves, Dmitry and Alexey Ananyev, also disappeared. And here comes an unexpected turn.

As Vasily Pozdyshev, deputy chairman of the Central Bank, said, 500 missing credit files were discovered in mid-March in the building of the Maxima Plaza business center. According to Central Bank specialists, these documents can be used to trace the fate of approximately 100 billion rubles issued by Promsvyazbank in the form of loans in the last days of its existence under the leadership of the Ananyevs.

The Central Bank turned to law enforcement agencies after the managers delegated to it were unable to find in Promsvyazbank, among other documents, credit dossiers that reflected transactions worth approximately 109 billion rubles. The inspectors considered this a violation of the law and reported it to law enforcement agencies. They, as expected, began checking.

Not everyone interested in this story believed in the success of the audit. After all, according to experts, most likely in the required documents you can see how one borrower transferred a loan received from Promsvyazbank to another legal entity, not alien to the business of the Ananyev brothers, that one to another, and further along the chain until the money was withdrawn from the country. It is, of course, better to keep such information secret from prying eyes, especially law enforcement. For some time it was generally believed that the documents were simply destroyed.

It is curious that the information became public that Promsvyazbank, literally before the start of the reorganization, financed subordinated loans through repo transactions for almost exactly the same amount that the disappeared credit dossiers “weighed.” According to experts, these actions also have all the signs of a secret withdrawal of capital. In addition, around the same time, large transactions in the bank's securities were noticed on the stock exchange.

But the missing dossiers were discovered somewhat unexpectedly. And not in some underground hiding place, but in an ordinary office center. How they were found and where they got there from is also, of course, interesting.

In this regard, one involuntarily recalls a story that happened at the height of the scandal with Promsvyazbank. The Ananyevs were able to calmly take away 4.5 billion rubles worth of dollars and euros from Promsvyazbank, which by that time had already been placed under temporary management. It was physically difficult for them; part of the money was taken out on ordinary carts. And, characteristically, the temporary managers did not pay any attention to such an operation.

On this occasion, the media came to the conclusion that such a case would not have passed without consequences if the Ananyev brothers had not had an influential patron somewhere in the upper echelons of the banking system.

Friend from a big bank

Apparently, the risky transactions of Dmitry and Alexey Ananyev, which they carried out in Promsvyazbank and its affiliated bank Vozrozhdenie, became the completion of their plan to leave Russia and settle abroad. Moreover, an analysis of the brothers’ actions allows us to make the assumption that they had been preparing for this step for a long time.

Without serious support, such an exodus of the Ananyevs, who created an image for themselves as patriotic businessmen and statists (Dmitry was even a member of the Federation Council for some time), seems difficult to organize.

As the Versiya newspaper has already reported, it is likely that Sergei Dontsov could provide such support to the brothers. At the time of their cooperation, he was officially an adviser to the Moscow Main Directorate of the Central Bank of Russia. Thanks to his connections in law enforcement agencies and criminal circles, he could cover the Ananyevs in these areas as well.

Perhaps the reincarnation of the Promsvyazbank credit files that were considered missing means that the patron’s resource has been exhausted. And then strings may be discovered running from the bank to the borrowers. There will certainly be interesting names among them, and an even bigger scandal will break out.

However, something else is possible. The dossier was found when no one needed it anymore. All the tails have been cut off, the money is hidden, and those who need it are already abroad.

Alexandra Volkova