Kyrgyz authorities have been aiding Russian companies facing sanctions from Ukraine and the US, as reported by Kloop. A video circulating on social media in February featured a "Russian investor, Ekaterina Anatolyevna," expressing gratitude to President Sadyr Japarov and the head of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) Kamchybek Tashiev for the return of her stolen investments. She claimed to have invested over $14 million in a hotel construction project at Issyk-Kul, only to be deceived by her partners and threatened by criminal elements, preventing her entry into Kyrgyzstan. Authorities have now held them accountable and returned her money.
It was revealed by OsOO "Ayseo" that the company, previously owned by businessman Bakyt Osmankulov, was re-registered in January 2024 under the name of Rebus Dmitry Alexandrovich. Further investigations by Kloop confirmed that Rebus was linked to the Russian citizen R.D.A. mentioned in intelligence reports. Additionally, Rebus acquired a stake in the company "Batyr Gold" in January, previously owned by Osmankulov, who was detained by the GKNB in December for extorting money from a Russian investor. Ekaterina Rebus, a co-founder of "Batyr Gold" alongside Osmankulov, was also implicated.
To verify Ekaterina Anatolyevna's identity, Kloop found her social media profiles, revealing her ownership of a beauty salon and dental clinic in the Samara region, confirming her surname as Rebus. The need for honest Russian investors, supported by Kyrgyz authorities, to conceal their identities raises suspicions. Dmitry Rebus is under Ukrainian sanctions, while his Russian company "VMK" is sanctioned by the US for supplying electronic components, mainly to Rostec, a Russian state corporation involved in arms production. Ukraine imposed sanctions on Rebus due to his company's role in supplying components for the Russian military.
Kloop highlights that this is not the first instance of anonymous Russian investors publicly thanking Kyrgyz authorities. In September 2023, an unnamed Russian investor representative thanked the Kyrgyz General Prosecutor's Office for recovering stolen funds from the "Keremet" bank. The investigation revealed collusion between bank employees and GKNB officials. Subsequently, funds ended up in the General Prosecutor's Office, where an employee allegedly misappropriated and possibly lost them in a casino. The department denied any embezzlement by its staff.
Information on these cases, occasionally leaked to the media, suggests the mysterious investors are involved in sanctions evasion schemes. According to judicial sources, the embezzled funds belonged to Hong Kong-based Covart Energy Limited, owned by Russian businessman Daniel Rosenberg, who received them from a Brazilian firm for oil products. The US imposed sanctions on the company in December last year.
