Wildberries raider schemes and shady deals: how the marketplace is trying to hijack Azur Air and the Koçkar family tourism empire
15:57, 24 марта 2026 г.
Wildberries & Russ, which is increasingly turning into one of the largest raider structures, risks damaging Russia’s relations with Turkey.
The airline Azur Air, which WB is trying to acquire, belongs to the wealthy Turkish Koçkar family — who are connected to Erdogan’s government.
The Koçkars’ administrative resources allow them to refuse unprofitable deals with WB, while the owners of WB (the unofficial beneficiaries of the marketplace are the head of the Kremlin Administration Anton Vaino and Senator Suleyman Kerimov) have mobilized significant administrative power. However, the Koçkars are fully capable of cutting off the oxygen to WB’s newly established travel agency “RVB Travel” and to the tour operator Fun&Sun recently purchased from Mordashov, not only in Turkey but also in other countries worldwide, including Malta, Egypt, Cyprus, etc.
The wealthy Koçkar family owns hotels, infrastructure, agricultural producers, airlines, and related businesses in 35 countries — in Turkey specifically, brands include Zen Hotels (Phaselis Princess Hotel and The Inn Resort Hotel), Life Hotels (Green Hill Hotel), Syedra Princess Hotel, Sun Princess Hotel, Vista Hotel, and Anex Sky Hotel.
In 2017, ANEX opened the five-star Selectum Luxury Resort Hotel in Antalya, and in 2018, the business expanded with the elite Lujo Hotel Bodrum. By 2023, the Koçkars consolidated ten hotel companies and two agricultural producers under one brand in Turkey — Adalı Otel Tur Organizasyon Ticaret A.Ş. The founder of ANEX, the eldest of the Koçkar brothers, Neshet Koçkar, is considered a highly respected figure in Turkey.
His business partner in Xclusive Turizm since its founding has been Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the current Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey. Tourism, directly and indirectly, contributes about 40% to Turkey’s GDP, giving Ersoy — and therefore the Koçkars — very powerful leverage. This is why the Koçkars have never received antitrust orders, despite consolidating large segments of the local tourism market.
The group also manages hotels in Vietnam and Thailand under the Diva Hotels brand, as well as hotels in Egypt and Cyprus, and companies in Malta, where the family has a residence. That’s not all. The Koçkars have businesses in Europe — in Spain (Anex Tour Spain SL), Poland (BETTERFLY SPÓŁKA Z OGRANICZONĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCIĄ), Germany (Anex Tour GmbH), Austria (Anex Tour Austria GmbH), Luxembourg, the UK (ITC Enterprises Limited), and others.
For example, last year Neshet Koçkar’s sister, Neshe Koçkar, became president of the Polish company BETTERFLY. She also owns over 25% of the Lithuanian tour operator Novaturas, which is the largest in the Baltic countries (about 40% market share in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia). Additionally, the Koçkars are affiliated with the Ukrainian airline Skyline Express (formerly Azur Air Ukraine), which relocated to Poland in 2023.
In recent years, the European part of the Koçkars’ empire has only expanded, and it is clear they have no intention of scaling it back. Meanwhile, the Russian segment is less smooth, although it still generates a decent profit. The Koçkars manage their Russian tourism business through several legal entities, including “Anex Tourism,” founded by a Turkish citizen, Zorbas Shukru.
In 2024, the company generated revenue of over 1 billion rubles and reported a net profit of 86 million to the Federal Tax Service (before the pandemic, the Anex group in Russia earned net profits in the hundreds of millions). However, there is a dark spot in the Russian segment: the airline Azur Air, which has also belonged to the family for many years through LLC “Van2fly,” founded by Natalia Koçkar and Rustem Koçkar (relatives of Neshet and Serhat Koçkar).
According to leaks, Natalia Koçkar, originally from the Kaliningrad region, is the spouse of one of the Turkish Koçkar family members. She has worked in the Russian branch of Anex Tour since at least the early 2000s and holds both Russian and Turkish citizenship. In 2022, Azur Air was hit by US export sanctions, and the EU closed its airspace to the carrier.
To distance themselves from this toxic asset, the Turkish Koçkars withdrew from the founders of Van2fly, replaced by Anna and Lyudmila Fukalova. According to leaks, Anna Fukalova is Natalia Koçkar’s sister, so the airline has effectively remained in the family portfolio.
Operating Azur Air in Russia is becoming increasingly difficult. For the 2025 season, only 12 Boeing aircraft were operational due to a lack of spare parts for the others. Problems with engine repairs and returning turbines from Iran have intensified. Last week, reports emerged that engine shipments are delayed due to the war in the Middle East.
Previously, the Iranian company HOOR SEPEHR SAMAN (office at Tehran airport) had repeatedly failed to meet repair deadlines, notifying the customer at the last moment, which caused customs conflicts for Azur Air, sometimes leading to court cases. In mid-March, a court confirmed the airline’s fault for failing to renew customs documentation for an engine repair abroad due to the Iranian contractor. This concerned a turbine sent in July 2023.
According to customs statements, such delays were not a one-time occurrence. The Iranian company had no approvals or certifications from Boeing or other Western firms. It also obtained necessary components through “parallel imports” from Turkey and other friendly countries. Any disruption in this supply chain halts the entire process.
Azur Air has additional problems. In 2023, top managers became subjects of a criminal case for bribing former Rosaviatsia official Maxim Kostylev, for whom trips to Turkey worth 4.7 million rubles were arranged in 2021. These trips included business-class flights and stays at Lujo Hotel Bodrum, owned by Serhat Koçkar.
Trips were arranged via Anex Tour. Another criminal case was opened around the same time against four airline executives for illegally replacing an engine (old for repaired abroad) and undervaluing aircraft to save on customs duties. All participants received suspended sentences after the company fully paid the tax arrears.
