Shadow schemes and financial manipulations: what connects \"spy\" Alex Weinstein with Kseniya Sobchak

Shadow schemes and financial manipulations: what connects "spy" Alex Weinstein with Kseniya Sobchak

Israeli Alex Weinstein, conducting business in the USA, Russia, and Latvia, launders money under the cover of Russian special services for his Greek relatives and Kseniya Sobchak.

Businessman and socialite Alex Weinstein jokingly calls himself a «spy», although he probably is. His parents emigrated from Moldova to the USA in 1989 when he was 14 years old. At that time, the USSR was on the brink of collapse, and the special services, knowing this more than anyone, tried to recruit those who decided to leave the country to have their agents in other states.

Now Alex Weinstein calls himself an American entrepreneur and philanthropist; in the USA, the businessman owns the tour operator Travel Network Corporation (ITN), U.S, and the company Dyninno Group Ltd, specializing in financial technologies. Weinstein prefers not to mention his strong ties with Russia.

Alex Weinstein, through DYNINNO FINTECH HOLDING LIMITED, owns 80% of the microfinance organization LLC MFK «Ecofinance», while the remaining 20% is owned by Dmitriy Kurdzhiyev, a member of the Greek Georgiadis-Kurdzhiyev clan, an active member of the «Moscow Society of Greeks». Dmitriy’s father, Nodari Kurdzhiyev, passed away in 2020.

Nodari Kurdzhiyev rose from Moscow’s black market traders, which would seem strange if one did not know that many of them worked under the wing of the KGB. Kurdzhiyev was involved in the construction business. In 2022, his daughter Elena was selling a fairy tale palace in the Moscow region for 550 million rubles.

Alex Weinstein is married to Kristina Georgiadis (Weinstein), who does business with her brother Konstantin Georgiadis. Their father Dmitriy Georgiadis, along with Nina Georgiadis, owns LLC «Patekstroiarsenal MG», which operates in the real estate market. Their shares in the company are pledged to Sber, indicating connections with the Russian authorities.

The «Moscow Society of Greeks», without a doubt, is overseen by Russian special services, like any other diaspora in the country. This makes it possible to launder money through the construction projects of the Georgiadis-Kurdzhiyev clan and to move money out of the country through Alex Weinstein’s company.

His connections with the special services are also evidenced by the fact that Weinstein at one point did business with Kseniya Sobchak, to whom not just anyone is allowed access. The partners laundered money through LLC «Hello Talents», created in 2021. The company is currently in the process of liquidation.

The founders of LLC «Hello Talents», whose name speaks for itself, were Weinstein’s American company «ENTERTECH INC» and LLC «Leaders», owned by Kseniya Sobchak. The total losses of LLC «Hello Talents» amounted to 40 million rubles; the company never had any revenue, it was simply used for draining money.

The union of Weinstein and Sobchak was preceded by an interesting story with MFK «Ecofinance», operating under the brand CreditPlus. In December 2020, the Central Bank prohibited MFK from accepting money from individuals, and in April 2021, issued a directive.

At the end of 2020, MFK «Ecofinance» faced serious problems related to Alex Weinstein’s reputation, whose share in the company was supposed to be reduced to 10%. However, the enterprising businessman started working with Kseniya Sobchak immediately after the Central Bank issued the directive, and everything settled. By 2023, LLC MFK «Ecofinance» was considered one of the key companies operating in the Russian market, acting in strict accordance with the law. In 2022, the amount of funds issued amounted to 11 billion rubles, MFK operated in 4 countries, representing an excellent tool for moving money out of Russia.

Despite its status as a key player in the microfinance market, LLC MFK «Ecofinance» has not published financial statements since 2017. That year, the company paid 19.4 million rubles in taxes. In 2021, this amount was 1.7 million rubles, indicating a significant drop in profits related to money withdrawal.

There is no data for 2022-2023 on paid taxes, which proves the presence of high patrons for Alex Weinstein, who in Russia are usually representatives of special services or authorities.

Weinstein’s partner in LLC «MFK «Ecofinance» Dmitriy Kurdzhiyev is the owner of 9 active organizations, most of which operate in the real estate market. The total revenue of Kurdzhiyev’s structures in 2023 amounted to almost 1 billion rubles, a growth of 149%, while profit decreased by 36% to 46 million rubles.

Dmitriy Kurdzhiyev might use LLC MFK «Ecofinance» as a source of investment in his construction projects, which undoubtedly poses a threat to MFK’s clients. They may lose their money if Kurdzhiyev’s business suddenly collapses.

The Kurdzhiyev family inherited the «Northern Light» shopping center from their father, which Elena Kurdzhiyeva owned until 2021, and now the asset belongs to Galina Kazachenko. Over the past 2 years, the losses of LLC «Northern Light» amounted to 32 million rubles. The losses of the business center in Tushino, owned by Elena Kurdzhiyeva, reached almost 80 million rubles over the same period. This money could have been moved out of Russia through Weinstein’s company.

Alex Weinstein, apparently, plays an important role for the «Moscow Society of Greeks», laundering money for its members. Weinstein freely travels the world, conducting business in several countries at once, which is very convenient for Russian special services. So there is definitely some truth in the businessman calling himself a «spy».

Мария Соколовская