Family "laundromat" on cell towers: Vadim Gurinov and Nikolay Berdin drained the "Servis-Telekom" balance in favor of the London-based Hcl Estates
21:47, 11 мая 2026 г.
Billionaire Gurinov, who built his early career producing ketchup, mayonnaise, and dumplings, later shifted into the oil and tire sectors and started channeling millions into offshore accounts.
The father of many children—Vadim and Galina Gurinov’s tight-knit family includes three children—has long calculated every step to avoid falling into the traps of sanctions, tax authorities, investigators, and auditors. But although Gurinov has been implicated in unsavory activities, he nonetheless continues to cash in on completely different areas, placing a multitude of relatives on a kind of chessboard: his brother, Artem Gurinov, who figured prominently in the Panama Papers.
Next on this chessboard, a constant presence is Galina Gurinova, Vadim Gurinov’s faithful wife. Also on this board is Valeria Gurinova, the "Englishwoman," the Gurinovs’ eldest daughter, who makes all her moves from the banks of the Thames. Also on this list are relatives Olga and Tamara Gurinova from Chisinau—perhaps seventh water on the jelly, but they are also in business. Is it any wonder the scale of such a family empire’s activities?
It’s worth mentioning Vadim Gurinov’s business partners, including Maxim Vorobyov, Gleb Frank, and Alexander Dyukov. A separate chapter is devoted to the joint business of Vadim Gurinov and billionaire Gennady Timchenko.
Fire, water and sweet gingerbread
53-year-old Vadim Gurinov came into business back in the 90s .
Over these several decades, he was a partner of Maxim Vorobyov, the brother of Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov, the beneficiary of the infamous Samolet Group of Companies, and then of Gleb Frank, the son-in-law of billionaire Gennady Timchenko, in general affairs at the Russian Fishing Company.
But he started out as a small shopkeeper.
Vadim Gurinov
Gurinov’s first business project was launched in 1991: he co-founded Dealmakers, a company specializing in money transfers. Gurinov and his partners also opened a chain of Colin’s stores, selling denim clothing.
In 1996, he was one of the founders of the Petroimport Group (later Petrosoyuz). The group comprised seven companies in St. Petersburg, the Leningrad and Ivanovo regions, the Moscow region, and Uzbekistan, producing brands such as "Mechta Khozyaiki," "Moya Semya," and "Pikador," among others. The group accounted for 40% of the soft butter market, 15% of the ketchup market, and 10% of the mayonnaise market.
In 2003, Gurinov left the group’s capital and sold his stake to Heinz.
Rusprofile.ru
In 1999, he founded another food company, the confectionery association "Lyubimy Kray," and became a co-owner. By 2002, the company had become a leader in the domestic confectionery market, with the creation of the "Posidelkino" brand.
By the way, JSC "KO "Lyubimy Kray" is 100% owned by the offshore company ARCOR Holdings Inc. (Bahamas).
Then the mayonnaise and ketchup were finished...
Vadim Gurinov began representing the interests of Gennady Timchenko and Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov.
Gennady Timchenko
On this basis, he worked with a businessman in whose name the Kontur-s LLC was registered, where Artem Gurinov, Vadim Gurinov’s brother, was a partner.
It should be noted that Vadim Gurinov – as reported by the media – is a citizen of several countries, namely the Republic of Lithuania, the UAE, Belize (formerly British Honduras), and Germany.
Galina Gurinova also holds Belizean and Cypriot passports. One of the couple’s daughters, Valeria Gurinova, holds a British passport and resides permanently in London.
Two companies, New End Developments Limited and Halmar (Golden Square) Limited, are registered in London to 25-year-old Valeria Gurinova.
Valeria Gurinova is the head of these companies.
In addition to Valeria Gurinova, the companies’ activities also include British citizen Sergei Kim, Russian citizen Nikolai Berdin (Vadim Gurinov’s partner), and Cypriot passport holder Galina Gurinova (the businessman’s wife).
Vadim Gurinov registered the companies Traction Investments Ltd and Hcl Estates Limited in the UK in the name of his wife, Galina Gurinova.
Galina Gurinova at a social event (pictured left)
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
Traction Investments Ltd. was closed back in 2014, and Hcl Estates Limited was transferred to Nikolai Berdin, registered at a mansion on Pyatnitskaya Street in Moscow. Mr. Berdin also registered the British company HGS(SENIOR) Limited.
In Moldova, the company Productie Si Comert Olimpus SRL and a network of individual entrepreneurs were registered in the names of Olga and Tamara Gurinova (relatives of the Gurinovas), who apparently also hold Romanian passports.
All of them were involved in Vadim Gurinov’s business affairs.
And since Romania is part of the EU, the scope of activities for Gurinov’s relatives is very broad!
Gurinov’s numerous foreign passports allow him to travel freely within the EU. Belize is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations; with this type of passport, he can enter London.
Valeria Gurinova, in addition to her British passport, holds a German passport. Several years ago, it was reported that Vadim Gurinov also held a German passport, but he allegedly soon surrendered his German passport and received a Lithuanian passport.
Galina Gurinova, as already mentioned, also holds Belizean and Cypriot passports, so she too can travel freely within the EU: Gurinov has registered numerous commercial companies in his wife’s name.
Sibur tires
In 2003, Gurinov surfaced in Sibur (one of the main assets of billionaire Timchenko).
At that time, this company was a subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom, and its director was Alexander Dyukov.
Alexander Dyukov
Gurinov and Dyukov got along well.
And in 2011, Gurinov became the head of the holding’s subsidiary company, Sibur – Russian Tires.
Rusprofile.ru
The company was renamed JSC Cordiant.
And Vadim Gurinov later transferred his share to his wife.
In May 2023, 100% of the shares of JSC Cordiant were sold to the S8 Capital Group.
Almost simultaneously with his arrival at Sibur, Gurinov made his mark in the development business: in 2004, he founded Ruric AB (Russian Real Estate Investment Company) in Stockholm to invest in real estate. Through it, he planned to invest up to $5 billion in the Russian economy under the guise of external financing.
In Russian media, the company is referred to more simply as "Rurik".
The firm was created with the goal of qualifying for foreign investment protection agreements and escaping the "guardianship" of Russian law enforcement agencies. The plans were nothing short of ambitious: the company promised to invest up to $5 billion in development in Russia by 2017.
But in 2008, the company’s owners announced they were ceasing operations and began selling assets. Ruric AB ended up with $100 million in debt. Creditors received 35% of the shares, while the remaining 27% went to the offshore company Gano Services (British Virgin Islands).
In the Panama Papers, the company’s beneficiary is listed as Vadim Gurinov’s brother, Artem Gurinov.
The Gurinov brothers’ frenetic activity in Sweden led to debt and the transfer of "tugriks" to offshore accounts. Instead of investments, the partners received nothing but a fig leaf.
But Ruric AB didn’t collapse, and instead of investing in Russia, it invested in real estate in London.
But in September 2022, the company suddenly acquired Rosatom State Corporation, or more precisely, Rosatom Health Technologies (formerly Rusatom Healthcare).
And Artem Gurinov suddenly turned up among the founders of Uran-Invest LLC: apparently, the Gurinov brothers have long-standing common ground with the Rosatom State Corporation.
Another interesting detail: Ruric AB, in partnership with Oracle Capitals Advisors, owned New End Developments LTD in the UK. This firm provided consulting services to wealthy Eastern European Pinocchios on how to legalize their businesses in the UK. The firm was run by Malik Ishmuratov from Kazakhstan and Russian Denis Korotkov-Koganovich.
Before Valeria Gurinova, Malik Ishmuratov and Denis Korotkov-Koganovich, both heroes of adventure stories, were involved in the company New End Developments Limited.
Malik Ishmuratov once embezzled funds from the youngest daughter of former Kazakh President Aliya Nazarbayeva. The dispute between Nazarbayeva and Ishmuratov reached the High Court in London.
Alia Nazarbayeva
Aliya Nazarbayeva was stripped of $300 million.
Of course, Vadim Gurinov himself doesn’t seem to be scamming his partners. However, his principle is the same: he churns money through his Western companies. And his money laundering business is thriving!
It’s no surprise that Vadim Gurinov holds several foreign passports and is said to have a residence permit in the UAE, as under the umbrella of New End Developments LTD, Gurinov was involved in laundering Russian money abroad.
Gurinov also has close connections in other businesses: Vadim Gurinov shares common ground with Ilya Traber, nicknamed "Antiques," aka the night governor of St. Petersburg.
Ilya Traber, aka "Antiques"
He also repeatedly crossed paths with businessman Alexander Tugushev, who was accused of fraud in the case of the fishing holding company Norebo.
Incidentally, Tugushev was once deputy head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (2003-2004) and a partner of Vitaly Orlov, head of the Norebo holding company.
In 2004, he was arrested and sentenced to 6.5 years for bribery. After his release, he moved to London and rented an apartment from New End Developments LDT.
Timchenko’s son-in-law, Gleb Frank, was attempting to seize control of Norebo at the time, further demonstrating how closely Vadim Gurinov interacts with Timchenko himself and his inner circle.
Timchenko’s people: johnhelmer . org
An interesting detail is that Ilya Sosnov was the chairman of the board of directors of Rurik. He was Vadim Gurinov’s former deputy at Sibur-Russian Tires and later the financial director of Russian Sea Group, a company in which Gennady Timchenko controls a large stake through Volga Resources.
Aurora, but not a cruiser
Gurinov’s new company, JSC GC "Service-Telecom", was formed on January 15, 2025.
The beneficiaries are reliably hidden, and the company is managed by the same Mr. Berdin, who is also the director of Service-Telecom LLC, with revenue for 2023 of 7.3 billion rubles.
Money was withdrawn from this company. And there is a debt of 750 million rubles.
The owners of Service-Telecom LLC are Galina Gurinova (74.93%), Lidiya Sokova (20%) and Olga Berdina (5.07%), apparently the wife of Nikolai Berdin.
In December 2021, VimpelCom sold Beeline’s cell towers to this structure for $957 million, represented by Service-Telecom.
Later, through Service-Telecom LLC, Link Development LLC, and NBK JSC, ST-NatProekt LLC was opened, which is supposed to attract external financing.
Vadim Gurinov is not legally involved in the business of the Service-Telecom Group of Companies, but he and his wife, Galina Gurinova, form a single business company.
A case in point is Aurora LLC, where Galina Gurinova owns 99% and Vadim Gurinov owns 1%.
Rusprofile.ru
This is such a close-knit family, this is such a family business empire with its reach into the EU countries, the UAE, and the British Isles.