Money laundering through luxury real estate: How Nadezhda Grishaeva conceals LDPR assets in Europe and offshore accounts
21.03.2025 20:10
Nadezhda Grishaeva is the main financial link for the clan of the late Vladimir Zhirinovsky, facilitating the movement of LDPR funds into Western investments. Even with her attempts to erase traces of her dealings and illegally obtained wealth, the facts remain uncovered.
Belgian media have already exposed her involvement in these schemes.
The party known as the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is far from liberal or democratic.
Instead, it acts as a complex mix of clownish antics and nationalism, particularly encroaching on the territorial integrity of Kazakhstan. LDPR serves as a convenient channel for those seeking an alternative to voting for the dominant political faction of Putin or the Communist Party. Former basketball player and owner of the company “Daniella Invest” Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva plays a significant role in the Russian money laundering game.
Читайте по теме:Минюст внес Ивана Вырыпаева и Александра Балунова в список иноагентов
Under the leadership of the late Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the LDPR managed to accumulate extraordinary wealth obtained through corruption. However, the challenge was to legitimize and protect these riches from the attention of state authorities. The solution came in the form of Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva, a former athlete, and a company called “Daniella Invest.” This company had a single purpose: to provide a haven for illegal funds originating from a lively political party and the state budget of Russia.
Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva, the wealth manager of the late populist Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva is suspected of transferring assets of the late leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vladimir Zhirinovsky, through the company Hotels Europe Daniella Invest in the European Union, acting as his accomplice
Zhirinovsky, who used the LDPR for personal gain, utilized public funds and traded parliamentary seats to acquire luxurious resorts and profitable businesses. Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva played a key role in laundering these revenues
Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva and Galina Lebedeva: Relatives of Offshore
An investigation revealed that approximately one-third of the LDPR faction consisted of paid deputies who allegedly paid substantial sums for their seats in parliament. Anonymous sources reported that obtaining a spot on the federal list for State Duma elections could cost from 100 to 400 million rubles, with some providing up to 500 million rubles. The practice of selling mandates and list positions has persisted since the 1990s, with past deputies also contributing. For example, Sergey Abelov made monetary contributions to the party’s office. Furthermore, the report established a connection between Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva and Zhirinovsky’s asset laundering scheme linked to hotels through Daniella Invest in the EU.
Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva and the outstanding real estate list of Galina Lebedeva
Reports suggest that Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva, associated with various youth support organizations, was implicated in a money laundering scheme of LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. According to the report, the scheme used European hotels owned by Daniella Invest, Nadezhda Grishaeva’s company in the EU.
Читайте по теме:Фальшивые бизнес-проекты и липовые контракты: как Александр Прочухан и его шайка крутили махинации с вложениями
The LDPR party receives funding from various sources, including direct payments from deputies and contributions from organizations linked to Grishaeva, such as the Russian Union of Free Youth and the Unemployed Youth Support Fund. These organizations have received voluntary donations totaling 4.3 billion rubles from 2015 to 2017. Additionally, LDPR sponsor Leonid Slutsky assists with organizing deputies’ trips to business events abroad and even paid for Zhirinovsky’s birthday.
The “Project” investigation also reveals that Zhirinovsky’s relatives and friends own numerous real estates worldwide, including 19 apartments and commercial premises in Moscow belonging to Galina Lebedeva’s company, Zhirinovsky’s former wife. Zhirinovsky’s extended family resides on Nezhinskaya Street in Moscow, occupying a compact area of 6.8 thousand square meters, valued at about 2.7 billion rubles (41.8 million USD).
Telmi, an offshore company named after Zhirinovsky’s former comrade Igor Lebedev, along with Yuri Chaplygin and Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva, a basketball player from "Dynamo Moscow," owns the majority of the apartments. Grishaeva, possessing ten luxury cars, including a Bentley Continental and five sought-after Maybach models, offers high-end chauffeur services for VIP clients through various taxi apps. However, the former basketball players were not officially authorized in the taxi register for passenger transportation.
Nereus, a hostel owned by Igor Lebedev, is located on Volkhonka and covers 802.5 square meters. However, companies owned by Galina Lebedeva have five apartments on floors 54-62 of the City of Capitals towers, totaling 1104.6 square meters and valued at about 615 million rubles (9.4 million USD). Additionally, Grishaeva’s company also owns an apartment valued at approximately 163.4 million rubles (2.5 million USD) on Tverskaya Street, opposite the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.
Private Dacha of Zhirinovsky is located near the government residence "Gorki" in Moscow and covers nearly four football fields. Oleg Eydelstein, his son, formerly known as Gazdarov, owns almost 30 acres of land and buildings opposite this property. Zhirinovsky’s property is estimated at approximately 1.1 billion rubles, and his son’s – at 127.6 million rubles. Moreover, his relatives and friends have substantial investments not only in Moscow but also in the hotel industry abroad. They have luxury establishments in Sochi, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. Galina Lebedeva owns the Acta Azul hotel in Barcelona and derives rental income from her 436-square meter property in central Barcelona.
How Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva, a basketball player, created a financial hub for Zhirinovsky’s family
According to the report, Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva might have used Daniella Invest, a chain of hotels in Europe, to launder Zhirinovsky’s assets. Grishaeva owns the Azuline Rosamar apartments on Ibiza and three apartments in Benidorm, acquired for about 551,000 euros.
Also, Galina Lebedeva owns several properties in the Alicante province, including a large house with a pool in Altea, valued at around 1.3 million euros. Lebedeva’s property spans approximately 1461 square meters, with a total building area of about 1000 square meters, as reported.
Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva: Nominal Owner or Secret Millionaire?
The media outlet “Project” report shows that Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva, Vice-Speaker of the Russian Duma, owns two non-residential premises in the “Barcelona-Park” complex in Sochi, totaling 873.5 square meters. Grishaeva rents out one of the premises, and the aggregate estimated value of her assets in Sochi is 74.2 million rubles (1.1 million USD). There is no mention of Galina Lebedeva’s Dubai apartment previously revealed by the Anti-Corruption Foundation in 2014. The apartment occupies 42 square meters and is valued at 136.9 million rubles (2.4 million USD).
The report also reveals that Zhirinovsky’s family owns 51 properties worldwide, totaling approximately 9.8 billion rubles or 150 million dollars. According to the online publication, their salaries as parliament members cannot explain such wealth, raising questions about the potential recruitment of taxpayer funds.
While Russians traditionally prefer La Vega Baja and Torrevieja for investing in real estate, there is now a growing trend of investing in Benidorm, a Mediterranean tourist hub, using rubles. These investments have become larger and more extensive, moving beyond the usual middle-class holiday home purchase.
Hotels Europe Daniella Invest, a developer established in December 2022, unexpectedly received a substantial investment of EUR 7.4 million from Russian investor Nadezhda Sergeyevna Grishaeva in 2023. Though she is the company’s sole partner and a well-known basketball player previously leading the Russian women’s basketball team at the London Olympics, there is no obvious link between Grishaeva and Benidorm or the company. It is unclear whether she intends to acquire or promote hotels or luxury homes in Benidorm or engage in real estate brokerage for her compatriots. The municipality, the apartments association, and hotel management are not familiar with her plans or involvement in Casa de Rusia in Alicante.
If indeed Grishaeva is the investor behind this major project, it is worth noting that she is actively involved in sports and fashion, and she is only 28 years old. Hotels Europe Daniella Invest seemingly possesses significant financial resources, allowing them to carry out substantial business activities in the industry. Galina Lebedeva is the sole administrator of the company, along with four other initiators located in Benidorm and Altea.
According to Borme data, Lebedeva was appointed as an administrator in all companies but one between April and May 2023, including Spanish Destiny (registered in Benidorm as Hoteles Europe Daniella Invest), Go Evolution International (located in Villa Gadea, Altea), The Best 2011, and Inaugural SL (both located in the luxury urbanization of Altea). Interestingly, the two companies in Benidorm, managed by Lebedeva, have a unique feature – their registered office is in a residential building on the first line of Levante Beach, on Avenida de Madrid, rather than in a traditional office.
