Vladislav Burov biography. Vladislav Burov: “The main thing is to always remain human”

In December, the media reported on the sale of the plant growing business by Synergy (one of the leaders in the alcohol market). The buyer was a group "Bouquet", which includes oil and fat holding " solar products". As of the date of submission of this number, the transaction was not closed, and the parties, referring to this, did not comment on its details. The deal will be finalized within a month, Synergy's PR director Prokhor Malyutin suggested in mid-January. “Then we will announce the details in an official press release,” he added. The representative of "Bouquet" Vasily Bormatin declined to comment.

It's a question of time

Synergy's agricultural assets — crop production, production of poultry, dairy and meat products — in 2010 were spun off from the alcohol business into Penta Agrogroup (PentAgro). According to RBCdaily, "Bouquet" bought the plant-growing direction "PentAgro" - "Russian hectare". The company's management announced this in December at a meeting with analysts from the investment company Sberbank CIB. In January, when Agroinvestor inquired about the deal, they were not available for comment.

The transaction amount was estimated at 600 million rubles. The proceeds, the main owner of Synergy, Alexander Mechetin, plans to invest in the development of the alcohol business - the construction of warehouse complexes and replenishment of working capital, RBCdaily wrote. Market participants familiar with the deal told the publication that "Bouquet" buys 38 thousand hectares of land "Russian hectare" in the Saratov region. In this case, this is less than a third of the company's bank - it controls 125 thousand hectares, it is written on the PentAgro website. Of these, about 90% are owned. But the share of agricultural production accounts for a volume of land similar to that included in the deal - 42 thousand hectares out of 125 thousand hectares.

Synergy has so far retained its poultry business — the Mikhailovskaya poultry farm and the Tsarevshchinsky-2 breeding plant in the Saratov region, dairies and a meat processing plant in the Far East. Their sale is a matter of time: the company planned to get rid of non-core assets by the end of 2013, the Vedomosti newspaper wrote in September. “We are in the process of negotiations with several players [...] We are at an advanced stage of discussion, which indicates a high probability that the agribusiness will be sold in the second half of this year,” Mechetin shared on a conference call with investors.

In March last year, in an interview with Kommersant, Mechetin said that the company does not have "an urgent task of implementing a business related to food products." According to him, planned investments were made in PentAgro, it was supposed to increase production efficiency. He estimated the value of agricultural assets at more than $100 million. Earlier, in 2010, Mechetin expected to earn $100 million by placing 50% of PentAgro shares on the stock exchange, that is, he valued the company twice as much. But the IPO did not take place.

The buyer of the Saratov lands of Synergy is closer to the interests of agriculture than their seller: “ solar products» is one of the key assets of the group of companies "Bouquet"— is engaged in the processing of oilseeds and has assets in the Volga region. The Volga Federal District also leads in terms of sunflower cultivation. Another enterprise of Buket is connected with oil and fat production - the Moscow cosmetic association Svoboda, a 49% stake in which the group acquired in 2012.

Bouquet President Vladislav Burov previously said in an interview with Vedomosti that the oil and fat division is a priority for the company. Two sources in the market who are familiar with the group's business, without elaborating on details, say " Agro-investor”, which is before the deal with Synergy "Bouquet" already acquired a small agricultural asset. The acquisition of land is a logical step for building up the land bank. But there is no talk about the large-scale entry of Bouquet into agribusiness yet, one of the interlocutors adds.

Add stability

RBCdaily writes that on the purchased land "Bouquet" will grow sunflower and camelina for its Atkarsky MEZA. Wheat, barley and legumes present in the crop rotation will be sold by the trading division of the holding.

Experts and market participants interviewed by Agroinvestor do not have a unanimous opinion on the expediency of the deal for Buket's oil and fat business. The presence of own raw materials reduces the dependence of oil extraction plants on fluctuations in sunflower prices, increases the profitability of enterprises, says a partner in the Agro-Industrial Complex practice of the consulting group " NEO Center» Anastasia Zalutskaya. According to the managing director of the company BEFL Vladislav Novoselov, "Bouquet" forms a raw material zone for its oil extraction plants: in a situation of price volatility and a recurring shortage of sunflower, the group eliminates or significantly reduces raw material risks.

The expediency of combining processing and agricultural production depends on the price environment, the analyst of the investment company adds. Finam» Maxim Klyagin: if sunflower prices rise significantly, then the profitability of processing will decrease, and its raw material cluster will largely offset this risk. However, when the market situation remains stable for a long time, the maintenance of a large bank of land generates costs - the asset is still non-core. “But, given that fluctuations in oilseed prices can be significant, including due to the weather factor, large processors usually try to play it safe,” the analyst continues. “They enter into long-term contracts for the cultivation of sunflower, form their own agricultural production, or combine these two models.” Making a deal with Synergy, "Bouquet" is also moving towards a mixed model of providing its enterprises with raw materials.

Not all processors have land for the production of raw materials, says Yury Morozov, executive director of the Oil and Fat Union of Russia. He considers the presence of agricultural assets a factor in business stability: his raw materials allow him to control all stages of production. “This makes it possible to carefully select seeds and technologies, and as a result, to produce products of the required quality, minimizing fluctuations in the market price of oilseeds,” adds Morozov. Risks can also be hedged by advancing independent farmers, entering into contracts for the cultivation of target crops and purchasing oil seeds on the market during harvesting campaigns, he lists.

The problem of crop rotation

Having bought a crop-growing asset, the buyer must solve a rather difficult task - to organize operational activities, decide on a business strategy, and select target crops for cultivation (except for sunflower), says Novoselov. A significant drawback of sunflower is the inability to sow it in one place more often than once every seven to eight years, recalls Zalutskaya. Morozov says that modern technology makes it possible to cultivate sunflowers in the same field more often — every five to six years. “Now many people replace them with winter grains when they need to be resowed,” the head of the union gives an example.

In the structure of crop rotation, sunflower occupies 10-12% of cultivated land, Zalutskaya calculates, so companies are forced to produce a significant amount of other crops. “Distraction on them may be inappropriate for MEZs,” the expert thinks. Buying land, the oilseed processor will be forced to grow grain, agrees Vladimir Nyukhlov, corporate development director of the Nizhny Novgorod Oil and Fat Plant (). “For a large holding, such a development path will be natural only if it is planned to diversify production through related businesses,” he believes. “At the same time, it will be necessary to take on all seasonal risks - crop failure, droughts, etc.” Therefore, the expediency and efficiency of investments in land depend on the scale of the processor's business, he believes. There are no agricultural assets. However, in September last year, Vedomosti wrote that the company was thinking about entering the agribusiness. Nyukhlov does not comment on this.

Vladislav Novoselov, BEFL Managing Director
Based on the valuation of the transaction at 600 million rubles, in terms of a hectare of land, Buket paid about 15.7 thousand rubles. If we rely on the information of the PentAgro official website, then most of the plots are owned by Russian Hectare [which united the crop production of PentAgro - AI]. In the western part of the Saratov region, the price of such land is up to 18 thousand rubles/ha, the right of long-term lease costs 5-8 thousand rubles/ha. Obviously, the price of the transaction includes the rights to land, agricultural machinery and infrastructure. Most likely, the buyer, having paid for corporate rights, assumed the obligations of Russian Hectare to creditors.

Not only oil
Confectionery Association, B2B Development Development Company, Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank and the Trolza trolleybus plant.

Evgeniy Lyashenko, General Director of Efko
Agribusiness can be profitable with the use of modern crop production technologies, government support and the right choice of crops. For example, soybeans can be such an agricultural crop. Firstly, it has a high yield: with a two-field crop rotation in the fields with a modern irrigation system, you can get 2 tons / ha of oilseeds annually. Secondly, Russia is a country focused on the import of soybeans and soybean meal. Therefore, domestic producers have a significant potential for the growth of its production.

Rusagro" ex-senator Moshkovich will acquire the assets of the former company of Vyacheslav Volodin. The company was sold by Volodin's "purse" Vladislav Burov. The agro-industrial holding Rusagro (Ros Agro plc) announced the purchase of a controlling stake in Quartlink Holding Limited, the owner of the Solar Products holding, the press service of the buyer company reports. “The holding includes the following assets: three oil and fat plants (Moscow, Saratov, Novosibirsk), which produce 500 thousand tons of finished products per year; three oil extraction plants (Atkarsk, Armavir, Balakovo) with a total capacity of 4,700 tons of oilseeds per day; elevators with a total grain storage capacity of 650,000 tons; agricultural land in the Saratov region,” the report says. In 2019, Rusagro intends to merge the acquired assets with its assets in the oil and fat business. It is worth noting that both legal entities - Ros Agro plc and Quartlink Holding Limited - are registered on the island of Cyprus. It is known that Ros Agro plc is headed by Vadim Moshkovich, who is also the owner of Rusagro. However, it is not known from whom the controlling stake in Quartlink Holding Limited will be acquired. Previously, the chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, was a shareholder of Solar Products. At the end of July of this year, Andrey Kovalenko was appointed General Director of the Solar Products holding. In the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Vladislav Burov is listed as the founder (participant) of the holding. Recall that three years ago, a serious emergency occurred at one of the enterprises of Solar Products. In August 2015, a powerful explosion occurred at the Balakovo Oil Extraction Plant "Volzhsky Terminal" (Holding "Solar Products"). As a result, two people died and 12 were injured in one of the workshops of the plant. The plant resumed work only in 2016. Earlier, Volodin himself told reporters that his sister Tatyana, like her mother Lidia Barabanova, participated in the development of the Solar Products holding, but did not register a share for herself, since she held a leadership position there. The Chairman of the State Duma said that, together with his sister, he sold the shares of Solar Products until 2009, having received about one hundred million US dollars with her. Earlier in the declaration, Volodin indicated ten times less profit from the sale of these assets, although journalists estimated his wealth at about one hundred million dollars. https://fn-volga.ru/news/view/id/91037 ******************************** Building Volodin's mayonnaise empire "Social money", "purse" Burov, "friendly" takeovers In No. 63, Novaya told about the participation of the First Vice Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Lyubov Sliska, in the affairs of Transmash OJSC from the city of Engels, Saratov Region. Lyubov Konstantinovna does not hide the fact that she owns 19 percent of the shares of this OJSC. According to conservative estimates, her stake could be worth between $50 million and $60 million. Today is a story about the business aspirations of a no less prominent member of United Russia and just a vice-speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, who owns shares in the enterprises of the Solnechnye Produkty holding. The state of Mr. Volodin is estimated by various experts at 10-95 million dollars. Mayonnaise empire was founded by Vladislav Burov from Saratov. They say that Messrs. Burov and Volodin met when they were still students. The first was in the trade union committee of the Saratov State University (he graduated from the Faculty of Physics), the second - in the trade union committee of the Institute of Mechanization. During his studies, Vladislav Yurievich worked as a watchman at a confectionery factory, which he bought fifteen years later. He graduated from graduate school, filed patents for four inventions, published about 20 scientific papers, worked at the Research Institute, the University Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth (NTTM). The first large amount - 10 thousand rubles - he got for the execution of an order for NPO "Signal". Similar NTTM centers in the late 1980s provided not only scientific experience: sometimes citizens with an ambiguous reputation spent impressive capital through them, leaving the “boys” a percentage for their understanding. Burov and Volodin were elected deputies of the Saratov City Council. Further, the career paths of young people diverged according to their interests. Vyacheslav Viktorovich became a clerk in the mayor's office. Vladislav Yurievich took up trade. He changed VAZ cars for cigarettes, cigarettes for gasoline, gasoline for sugar, sugar - again for cars. Newborn "Bouquet" sold anything: food, blinds, power tools. And in 1997, he bought a pasta factory for $100,000 (43 percent of the shares). In the same year, the Saratov Fat Plant (Alfa Group lost its stake). The next one is confectionery. Mr. Volodin at that time worked as a vice-governor in Ayatskov's team. Vyacheslav Viktorovich oversaw the economic block and tirelessly built roads, schools, hospitals. I don't want to say anything bad about the hero, but social money has traditionally been considered the most convenient for the shrinkage. Interestingly, back in the late 1990s, the future prominent United Russia quarreled with the current governor Ipatov. Pavel Leonidovich headed the Balakovo nuclear power plant, Vyacheslav Viktorovich - the commission for knocking out debts to the Pension Fund. Once, the "commissars" sent a television group to the Balakovo district to film Ipatov's cottage: this is how a man lives, they say, who squeezed the old man's money. - It is difficult for any businessman engaged in production to withdraw free funds from circulation to expand the business. Entrepreneurs have assets that still need to be evaluated, sold, etc. - this is a suitcase without a handle. And officials have clean money, kickbacks from the same business or from the budget. A fair amount of corrupt capital is returning to business, say Saratov experts. Again, according to experts, in the Volodin-Burov alliance, the first was much more fortunate. "Those in power often make mistakes in choosing" wallets ". I think Vladislav Yuryevich is a man of rare virtues for an entrepreneur: he does not like to shine, does not get into politics, does not say too much at business parties, does not become the object of scandals in the press. Burov is quite cautious and , as it seems, would remain at the level of a medium-sized business that does not bring much headache. And Volodin is an expansionist. A less accurate person than Burov could give him much more problems if the acquisition of property was less clean, "says the political scientist, Alexei Kolobrodov, editor-in-chief of the Public Opinion magazine. In Saratov "Bouquet" is considered one of the most closed empires. Lists of affiliates and quarterly reports are not available to the attention of the curious. To get a job at a fat factory, you need to go through a detailed test, including a psychological one - which is rare in mayonnaise production. The group of companies is constantly expanding, acquiring new enterprises every year. Only one conflict is officially known, which happened at the Moscow Fat Plant (MZhK). Usually, "Bouquet" buys dying enterprises quite cheaply (at least they become such by the time the owner changes). MZhK was an exception: its "Provencal" occupied up to 70 percent of the capital's market. Saratov residents and structures close to Mikhail Bezelyansky, a native of Alfa, fought for control of the plant. The conflict of shareholders turned out to be classic: buying up shares, extraordinary meetings, two general directors at the same time, arbitration claims, assaults, riot police. Vice-speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky spoke in the interests of Alfa, promising help to the "good guy" Bezelyansky. During the two years of the war, the enterprise almost lost a consumer and practically stopped due to the lack of raw materials and large debts to suppliers. At a special press conference, the parties announced the end of the conflict (they reconciled through the mediation of the Russian Funds investment company and the Moscow government). The Vector group of companies headed by Vladimir Khazanov sold shares to the Saratov residents and left the game. According to experts, the deal amounted to 3-4 million dollars. Mr. Burov calls the purchase of the Novosibirsk Zhirik a "sweet deal." Sources among former security officials present a slightly different version of events. 82 percent of the company's shares were purchased from the Siberian entrepreneur Igor Kuznetsov at the height of the conflict at the MZhK. According to the security officials, the authoritative structures of Novosibirsk were dissatisfied with the arrival of new market players. Representatives of the ethnic community in Saratov, who, according to rumors, approved the deal, were "robbed in full" for a kind of abuse of authority. Then the head of the Buket's security service, Mr. Yakimov, was shot. The killer was not found. According to sources, killing a security guard is a traditional tactic for thieves to intimidate their owners. Around the same time, the influential federal politician Volodin officially recognizes himself as a shareholder of the plant. This became known from the NZhK investment application posted on the Internet. As follows from the document, the shareholders are 586 individuals and legal entities. The controlling stake belongs to the enterprises of the Solar Products holding, 26 percent - to Vyacheslav Viktorovich personally. According to experts, the vice-speaker got a share previously held by Buket companies and minority shareholders (their stake fell from 14 to 9 percent in two years). Finance magazine estimated the deputy's assets at $95 million. The chairman of the board of directors of the holding, Vladislav Burov, added that Volodin also owns the shares of the Armavir MZhK (in 2003, the enterprise was transferred to the trust management of Buket with the right of subsequent redemption). According to Vladislav Yuryevich, both packages cost no more than 10-15 million dollars (it is interesting that the owner of Bouquet himself is 148 points ahead of his companion in the magazine rating, his fortune is estimated at 190 million dollars). "Vyacheslav Volodin had declared funds earned in previous years, with which he purchased shares of enterprises from minority shareholders," Mr. Burov said in an interview with Finance magazine. "I bought the blocks of shares several years ago, when they cost 6 million rubles, or about 190 thousand dollars," the vice-speaker specified in an interview with Vedomosti. As experts say, "taxes need to be paid only on the package, and it can be estimated at five kopecks. The food industry is characterized by very fast profitability, so the actual value of the shares does not decide anything." The Prosecutor General's Office has twice checked the legitimacy of United Russia's income. The former road minister of the Saratov region is on trial on charges of libel for stories about kickbacks allegedly received by Volodin (50 million rubles). Theft during the construction of the 11th building of the Saratov State University, as the Prosecutor General's Office states, was not revealed. Here, law enforcement officers had a "split personality". The prosecutor's office of the regional level opened a criminal case under article 160 of the Criminal Code "Waste". The 11th building was built under the patronage of "ER" from 2002 to 2005. The contractor was CJSC "Sartehstroyinvest" under the leadership of Alexei Berezovsky (deputy of the City Duma, chairman of the budget commission, of course, a "bear"). The client was the university. The money was allocated by the federal budget. This summer, Rosfinnadzor decided to return to the treasury 137 thousand rubles, erroneously paid to the contractor by the university management. Then the check was carried out by the regional FSB. When the materials were handed over to the prosecutor's office, the amount of damage increased to 1.5 million. As Alexander Kovalev, an investigator for particularly important cases, said, an inflated cost of materials was entered into the acts of work performed. The acts are drawn up by the contractor, the customer is obliged to check them before paying. Documents for 2003 are currently being considered. It is possible that the total amount will be much higher. Saratov political scientists predict three or four serious attacks on Volodin's business in the pre-election period. However, "it has already lost more than the combine." According to Saratov, Vyacheslav Viktorovich lost the support of the public and the press - at least in his native region. During the time of Dmitry Ayatskov, practically the entire local opposition in one way or another grouped around Volodin - and not for money, but, as they say, "on trust." But "the charisma dissipated, and people stepped aside." As evil tongues put it, "Vatslav (Volodin's nickname, common in his small homeland. - N.A.) has dropped the bar" - his political influence turned out to be much less than he would like. Hence - unbridled PR and a nervous reaction to petty attacks. Moreover, the retinue in this case copies the worst features of the king to a satirical degree. Reference "New" Holding "Solar Products" was founded in 2004. It includes ten enterprises in Saratov, Krasnodar Territory, Novosibirsk and Moscow. Produces more than a hundred items of goods - mayonnaise, margarine, vegetable oil, mustard, soap. Last year, Solnechnye Produkty came out on top among mayonnaise manufacturers. In the first quarter of this year, the production of oil and fat products increased by another 17 percent. Financial results regularly "exceed the expectations of top managers." The holding's turnover in 2004 amounted to 390 million dollars, in 2005 - 427 million. Profit information is not disclosed. No formal business valuation has been carried out. Experts name the amounts from 100 to 360 million dollars. In turn, Solnechnye Produkty are part of the Buket group of companies (together with a confectionery factory, the Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank and a trolleybus plant). The GC was established in 1998. In 2004, the turnover of "Bouquet" exceeded 12 billion rubles. It's not just about money. For example, almost half of Engels' industry depends on the substation of the trolleybus plant.

“How, then, to understand that the ‘Filchenkov case’ was initiated and is being investigated by Arenin’s subordinates, Stepanov’s subordinates fully agree with their conclusions, and Tarasov’s ‘wards’, without further ado, put Mr. Filchenkov in a pre-trial detention center for four months? And you need to understand this simply - as a monstrous coincidence!

Vladislav Burov (born August 11, 1963), like Vyacheslav Volodin (born February 4, 1964), studied at Saratov universities at about the same time. Burov - at the Faculty of Physics of the Saratov State University. N.G. Chernyshevsky, Volodin - at the Saratov Institute of Agricultural Mechanization. M.I. Kalinin, where, in addition to studying, he headed the trade union committee. In 1989, Burov, like Volodin, was elected to the Saratov City Council of People's Deputies.

The Buket trading company, which was engaged in the wholesale trade in food products, was created by Burov with a group of comrades in 1995. At that time, Volodin served as Deputy Chairman of the Saratov Regional Duma of the 1st convocation. And in April 1996, when Dmitry Ayatskov was appointed to the post of acting governor of the Saratov region, Vyacheslav Volodin took over as his first deputy.

Another quote from Nadezhda Andreeva’s article “Vyacheslav Volodin is involved in mayonnaise”, published in September 2006 in Novaya Gazeta: “While studying, Vladislav Yurievich[Burov] worked part-time as a watchman at a confectionery factory, which he bought fifteen years later. He graduated from graduate school, filed patents for four inventions, published about 20 scientific papers, worked at the Research Institute, the University Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth (NTTM). The first large amount - 10 thousand rubles - he got for the execution of an order for NPO Signal. Such NTTM centers in the late 1980s provided not only scientific experience: sometimes citizens with an ambiguous reputation spent impressive capital through them, leaving the “boys” a percentage for their understanding.

Burov and Volodin were elected deputies of the Saratov City Council. Further, the career paths of young people diverged according to their interests. Vyacheslav Viktorovich became a clerk in the mayor's office. Vladislav Yurievich took up trade. He changed VAZ cars for cigarettes, cigarettes for gasoline, gasoline for sugar, sugar for cars again. Newborn “ Bouquet” He sold everything: groceries, blinds, power tools. And in 1997, he bought a pasta factory for $100,000 (43 percent of the shares). In the same year, the Saratov Fat Plant (Alfa Group lost its stake). The next one is confectionery. Mr. Volodin at that time worked as a vice-governor in Ayatskov's team.

Vyacheslav Viktorovich oversaw the economic block and tirelessly built roads, schools, hospitals. I don’t want to say anything bad about the hero, but social money is traditionally considered the most convenient for the “shrinkage” .

It was during these and subsequent years that the company "Bouquet" developed at a rapid pace. So fast that in 1998 it was transformed into a group of companies.

In the summer of 2003, the Solnechnye Produkty holding was separated from the Buket Group of Companies into a separate direction through the creation of the Solnechnye Produkty Management Company LLC. It was during this period - 2003-2004 - that Vyacheslav Volodin was declared as one of the main shareholders of the so-called holding.

What is the Buket group of companies today, of which the Solar Products holding is an integral part?

The Solar Products holding includes:

CJSC "Fat Plant" (Saratov);

Branch “Moscow Fat Plant” OJSC “Fat Plant” (Moscow);

OJSC "Novosibirsk Fat Plant";

OJSC "Atkar Oil Extraction Plant" (Saratov region);

JSC "MZhK" Armavir "" (Krasnodar Territory);

Elevatorholding CJSC (Saratov; its structure includes seven branches, six of which are located in the Saratov region: Kalininsky, Arkadaksky, Balashovsky, Rtishchevsky, Samoilovsky and Khvalynsky, as well as the Kushchevsky branch in the Krasnodar Territory).

In addition, there are several trading divisions: Solnechnye Produkty Trading House LLC (Moscow), Solnechnye Produkty Trading House LLC (Saratov), Solnechnye Produkty Trading House LLC (Novosibirsk) , Solnechnye Produkty LLC (Saratov) and Yantarny Trading House LLC (Saratov).

Today, Solnechnye Produkty holding ranks second in terms of sunflower processing in Russia (13% of the total crop in the Russian Federation), is one of the three largest mayonnaise producers in our country (market share is 15%), ranks second in Russia for the production of margarine products, is the largest manufacturer of laundry soap in the CIS.

Among other things, the enterprises that are part of the Solnechnye Produkty holding are engaged in the production of sunflower oil for industrial processors, packaging of bottled vegetable oil; acceptance-storage-shipment of sunflower seeds and cereals, as well as grain trading.

In turn, the Solar Products holding is part of the Buket group of companies, which combines:

OAO Confectionery Saratovskaya (Confectionery);

OAO Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank (Saratov);

B2B Development LLC (Moscow);

CJSC "Trolza" (Engels, Russia's largest manufacturer of trolleybuses);

Svoboda OJSC (a well-known perfumery and cosmetics factory, Moscow; in March 2012, 49% of the OJSC shares owned by the Moscow Government were sold at an open auction to ESTEL LLC, seemingly part of the Buket Group of Companies, for 1.57 billion rubles).

The total revenue of the Buket Group of Companies for 2012, according to a certificate posted on the website of the Russian-language version of the Forbes magazine, amounted to 24.5 billion rubles.

ADDITION

One of the last major acquisitions of the Buket Group became known on April 18, 2013 from an article in the Vedomosti newspaper (“Bouquet will assemble houses and trolleybuses”), as well as a number of publications from other media. The Buket group of companies redeemed the debts of OAO Tushinsky Machine-Building Plant (TMZ) to the Bank of Moscow. The debt amounted to 6.47 billion rubles. The debt was sold at a discount and with an installment plan for several years.

TMZ can complete buses and trolleybuses, industrial complexes for the processing of used car tires, rubber tram crossings and equipment for low-capacity hydroelectric power plants. At the time of the sale, the company's losses amounted to about $1 million per month. The production capacity of the plant occupies 52 hectares in the Yuzhnoye Tushino industrial area.

Until recently, TMZ was the largest enterprise in the Russian aerospace industry. The plant was founded in 1932 with the aim of mastering the latest models of aviation and, later, space technology. In 1980-1990, the Buran manned orbital spacecraft was built at the enterprise. 28,000 people worked at the plant, now there are about 1,000 left.

Buket is going to develop mechanical engineering at TMZ. The plant, it seems, has already received the first order for the development of escalators for the Moscow metro, and in the future it is planned to complete trolleybuses on its premises by order of the Moscow Government. Part of the territory of the TMZ can be built up: documentation is being prepared for a plot of 1.6 hectares, where 50,000 square meters can be built. m of business class housing.

As of May 17, 2013, the official website of the Buket group of companies ( http://www.buket-group.ru/) was in a state of conception ...

Finally, another extremely curious quote from Nadezhda Andreeva’s article “Vyacheslav Volodin is involved in mayonnaise”, published on September 7, 2006 in Novaya Gazeta: “In Saratov, “Bouquet” is considered one of the most closed empires. Lists of affiliates and quarterly reports are not available to the attention of the curious [however I searched - I could not find the official website of this structure - AND ABOUT.]. To get a job at a fat factory, you need to pass a detailed test, including a psychological one, which is rare in mayonnaise production. The group of companies is constantly expanding, acquiring new enterprises every year. Only one conflict is officially known, which happened at the Moscow Fat Plant (MZhK).

Usually, “Bouquet” buys dying enterprises quite cheaply (at least, they become such by the time the owner changes). MZhK was an exception: his "Provencal" occupied up to 70 percent of the capital's market.

Well. And the agricultural holding headed by Oleg Filchenkov, as I said, according to the most conservative estimates, produces about 55% of eggs in the Saratov region. Considering the fact that its leader has been put in jail (and such events always have a negative impact on the situation around a particular large company), given the “soothing” speeches of the deputy chairman of the regional government Alexander Solovyov about the possible closure of poultry farms belonging to Oleg Filchenkov’s holding, it’s easy to make one assumption. If the owners of Saratov-Ptitsa (and at least one Oleg Filchenkov) really decide to sell their assets, they will probably offer for them somewhat less than their real market price.

The thoughtful reader may object in response to this: suppose that all this is so. But where is it, the real connection between the “Filchenkov case” and the hypothetically possible interest shown by the Buket Group of Companies in his agricultural holding? I agree. Formally, absolutely no connection is visible.

Formally, ESTEL LLC, which bought a 49% stake in the Moscow perfumery and cosmetics factory Svoboda, also has nothing to do with the Buket Group of Companies, no matter what is said about this in a short article about Svoboda OJSC in the Russian version of the Internet - Encyclopedia "Wikipedia". Formally, the only founder and general director of this company (located at the address: 109518, Moscow, 1st Graivoronovsky proezd, 3) is Yan Leonidovich Kubinsky, who lives in Saratov. But at the same time, as of the end of March 2013, ESTEL LLC owns 19.99% of the shares of Saratov OAO Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank, whose co-founders, in turn, include OAO MZhK Armavirsky and Vladislav Yurievich Burov (as an individual).

And here is another telling story. On July 15, 2010, in the midst of the latest financial crisis, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin signed a Decree approving the Rules for establishing maximum permissible retail prices for certain types of socially significant essential food products, as well as the List of these products, which includes 24 items.

The essence of the innovation was that the Government of the Russian Federation could set fixed prices for certain types of food products, but for a period not exceeding 90 days. Such a “freezing” of prices could be allowed if, for 30 consecutive days in the territory of a separate subject or several subjects of the Russian Federation, the growth of retail prices for these goods reaches or exceeds 30 percent.

This list included the following foodstuffs produced and sold in Russia: 1) beef; 2) pork; 3) lamb; 4) chicken meat (except chicken legs); 5) fresh-frozen fish; 6) butter; 7) sunflower oil; 8) milk; 9) chicken eggs; 10) granulated sugar; 11) salt; 12) long leaf black tea; 13) wheat flour; 14) rye and rye-wheat bread; 15) bread and bakery products made from wheat flour; 16) polished rice; 17) millet; 18) buckwheat; 19) vermicelli; 20) potatoes; 21) white cabbage; 22) onion; 23) carrots; 24) apples.

It is known that this list of “folk” foodstuffs began to be formed in early 2010. But the original version of this list, proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, included 33 food items. Naturally, the lobbyists of the "food industry" launched a vigorous activity to revise this list. This is understandable: fixed prices could easily lead to a decrease in the rate of profit. After that, several “socially insignificant” positions were excluded from the list of “folk” products at once, including ... margarine. In other words, at the highest state level, margarine was not recognized as a consumer product, which, as you know, replaces butter for the poor, and without which not a single pastry or frying can do. Paradox, but it is a fact!

Moreover, even in the original version, it was not included in the list of consumer food products, the pricing of which should be subject to state regulation - what? Correctly - mayonnaise! The Ministry of Industry and Trade considered mayonnaise a delicacy product that does not have a wide consumer demand. Therefore, it was not included in the list of food essentials. Brad, you say? No, this is a fact!

Mayonnaise is not a socially significant product, and that's it!

At the same time - what is the most interesting! - selling prices for all the main ingredients necessary for the manufacture of mayonnaise (vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar and milk), in accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, could be frozen. What did it mean? And that meant: the introduction of fixed prices for products from which mayonnaise, in fact, is made, will create favorable conditions for those involved in its industrial production and sale. Despite the fact that mayonnaise, as you know, is in great and steady demand among Russians, the growth of which just falls on the autumn-winter-spring period, when a whole series of holidays begins.

You don’t have to be a big analyst to guess who exactly could lobby at the federal level for the exclusion of mayonnaise, and then margarine, from the list of socially important food products, the prices for which, if they increase, the state will not regulate.

But back to the arrest of Oleg Filchenkov.

In the Saratov politicum, it is not a special secret that the head of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, Sergei Arenin, who was born and began his career in the city of Saransk, the Republic of Mordovia, let's say, is quite favorable to the activities of the regional branch of the Edinaya Rossiya WFP. And the regional department, in turn, has been associated with the name of Vyacheslav Volodin for several years now. But, of course, there is no formal connection between Sergei Petrovich and Vyacheslav Viktorovich. Yes, it formally cannot be, for the reason that the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation, according to the current legislation, should generally be outside of politics.

But here is another quote from the article of the Internet newspaper “The Fourth Power in Saratov” dated February 4, 2013 “Filchenkov: a criminal or a victim of the police?” : “Since official information about this case is being hidden, “4B” is forced, like others, to rely on its own sources. So, according to available information, the case was started by the newly appointed head of the regional UBEP Vasily Pinyasov. He, like the head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Saratov RegionSergei Arenin, a native of Mordovia. However, he was brought to Saratov and patronized by his deputy Arenin, a native of the same republic. Sergei Neyaskin".

How to understand this? Just like a coincidence?

And here's another: Vasily Tarasov, Chairman of the Saratov Regional Court, appointed to this position on October 27, 2009, is considered almost a creature of Vyacheslav Volodin and a faithful "party soldier." But formally, the courts in Russia are a completely independent institution, and formally, Vasily Nikolayevich has nothing to do with either Vyacheslav Volodin, or, even more so, with any Buket group of companies.

Finally, there is another coincidence: the prosecutor of the Saratov region, Vladimir Stepanov, which is not a secret for thoughtful researchers of the Saratov political kitchen, is also ... Perhaps, but formally, it certainly has nothing to do with it.

How, then, is it to be understood that the “Filchenkov case” was initiated and is being investigated by Sergei Petrovich’s subordinates, Vladimir Nikolayevich’s subordinates fully agree with their conclusions, and Vasily Nikolayevich’s “wards”, without further ado, put Mr. Filchenkov in a pre-trial detention center for four months? And this should be understood simply - as a monstrous coincidence!

No, one can, of course, assume that the agricultural holding headed by Oleg Filchenkov was “laid eyes” by the deputy chairman of the regional government for agriculture, Alexander Solovyov. The logic in this assumption can be found: the “lame duck” of regional politics in the person of the governor of the Saratov region Valery Radaev is not today - tomorrow he may leave his post. Therefore, his associates already today need to think about what they will do tomorrow.

When at one time it became clear that Valery Radaev’s predecessor, Pavel Ipatov, would soon be put on skis, his closest associates also began to make attempts to get good positions ahead of time. For example, the deputy chairman for the social sphere, Natalia Starshova, was predicted to be the rector of the Saratov Conservatory, but it did not grow together.

The Minister of Education of the Saratov region (2005-2008) Igor Pleva was more fortunate: he took the post of rector of the Saratov State Technical University. Yu.A. Gagarin. At the same time, his predecessor in this position, Yuri Chebotarevsky, was dismissed from the rectors with the help of the "United Russia" political technology resource.

These examples can be continued, but enough! So maybe the “Filchenkov case” was initiated by Alexander Solovyov? I don't think so. Although Solovyov is a "loyal soldier of the party" and a staunch ally of Vyacheslav Volodin, he would hardly act alone, at his own peril and risk.

But God be with it. In the end, the “mayonnaise” version of the “Filchenkov case” is just a hypothesis, an assumption. There are at least two more versions of the explanation of what happened. True, the problem lies in the fact that the main acting characters in these versions are the same faces already familiar to us. Although, of course, there are new figurants ...

Igor OSOVIN

SOURCES

Newspaper-magazine and Internet publications

Arenin, Sergei Petrovich; biographical information: http://64.mvd.ru/gumvd/Struktura/rukovodstvo/item/645774 ;
Vedomosti, April 18, 2013; “Bouquet will assemble houses and trolleybuses” (the author of the article is Bela Lyauv: http://www.irn.ru/articles/35057.html);
"NVK-bank"; list of persons having a significant (direct or indirect) influence on decisions made by the bank's management bodies as of March 27, 2013: nvkbank.ru/common/spisok_lic_okazyvayushih_sushestvennoe_vlijanie_na_27_03__2013.doc
Novaya Gazeta, No. 68 of 09/07/2006; “Vyacheslav Volodin is involved in mayonnaise” (the author of the article is Nadezhda Andreeva: http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/29874.html);
"Public opinion", 18.04.2013, 15:40; “GU “Bouquet” buys the metropolitan space plant to build housing in its place”: http://old.om-saratov.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=36805 ;
"Freedom", cosmetic factory; brief historical background: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_(cosmetic_factory) ;
"Solar products"; official website of the holding: http://www.solpro.ru/;
Tarasov, Vasily Nikolaevich; brief biographical information: http://oblsud.sar.sudrf.ru/modules.php?name=info_court&rid=17 ;
"The fourth power in Saratov", 04.02.2013, 10:00; "Filchenkov: a criminal or a victim of the police?" (the author of the article is Andrey Pravdolyubov: http://www.4vsar.ru/articles/rassledovaniya/33286.html);
Forbes; group of companies "Bouquet"; brief reference:

"It's stupid not to find money for undervalued assets"
This week, the Buket group plans to announce the end of the shareholder conflict at the Moscow Zhirkombinat. Two years ago, the former co-owner of Alfa Group Mikhail Bezelyansky and his business partner Vladimir Khazanov, for whom the Aton investment company bought a 24% stake in the fat plant, and the then little-known Saratov group Buket, from which turned out to be 40% of the shares of MZhK. In April 2003, Bezelyansky and Khazanov won, establishing operational control over the MZhK. "Bouquet" was able to get into the Moscow enterprise only last autumn, and in April 2005 it plans to become the owner of a controlling stake in MZhK, having bought out the shares from Bezelyansky and Khazanov. The founder and co-owner of the group of companies Vladislav Burov told Vedomosti about the past and future of Buket.
- "Bouquet" became famous only two years ago, when a dispute over control of the Moscow Fat Plant began. Who created the group and what does it represent now?
- In 1995, we created a small trading company "Bouquet" in Saratov, which was engaged in the wholesale of food products. In addition, we had the production of blinds, the trade in power tools, and later the production of pasta was added to them. In 1998, we merged the existing enterprises into the Buket group of companies.
- And what made a physicist by education and an official go into business?
- I'm not original at all. University education teaches a person to think for himself and analyze, and this is what is needed in any business. Now half of the guys from my course - and about 300 people studied there - are engaged in business. If earlier our country needed physicists for the defense industry, now they need entrepreneurs.
- Where did the money for start up come from?
- 10,000 rubles, from which it all started, I earned as a junior researcher at a research institute at Saratov State University. The enterprise was self-supporting, from time to time we were given some topics for which we received additional money. For one of these tasks, I received my first money, which I began to invest in various commercial projects. Later, together with my partners, he organized the center of scientific and technical creativity of youth "Synthesis", the trading company "Bouquet" ...
- And they built a pasta factory with the money they earned ...
We didn't build a factory from scratch. In 1997, the shareholders of the Saratov pasta factory offered me to buy a controlling stake. The factory produced 5000 tons of products per year. This purchase was my first purchase of a manufacturing plant. In the same year, we bought the Saratov Fat Plant, and the next year, a confectionery factory. In 2002, we acquired a large stake in the local Nizhnevolzhsky commercial bank and a stake in a trolleybus plant in Saratov.
- What is the relationship between the food industry and trolleybuses?
- When you know the principles of operation of a manufacturing enterprise, what difference does it make what kind of business you are in? Not the fact that we want to focus only on the food industry, it all depends on the commercial attractiveness of the object.
- Last year, the companies belonging to the Buket group named Vyacheslav Volodin, deputy chairman of the State Duma and one of the leaders of United Russia, as their major shareholder. Was he also at the forefront of the group?
- He appeared as a shareholder relatively recently. Volodin had free funds, which were officially declared. He does not take part in management. I told him the group's development strategy, and he considered it possible to participate in one of our projects. Volodin has blocking stakes in a number of enterprises.
- The fact that one of your partners is such an influential person helps the group to negotiate with the authorities?
- We have not yet had to negotiate with the authorities that would require the participation of shareholders.
- Are you the main owner of the group?
- Each business of "Bouquet" has its own partners. I have a fairly large, but not everywhere, controlling stake in all Bouquet projects.
- Where did "Bouquet" take the funds for the purchase and development of assets? You have not been seen in the public debt market for all 10 years that the group has existed ...
- These were borrowings from banks, own funds of enterprises and investments by the shareholders themselves. I think we will place a bond issue in the near future.
- Do you plan to attract third-party investors?
- Not yet, although proposals are coming in. We are considering them.
- How was your oil and fat holding created and why did you decide last year to rename it "Solar Products"?
- There was no renaming. In the summer of 2003, we were faced with the fact that with the increase in assets, the approach to management must be changed. Oil and fat enterprises were separated from the Buket group of companies into a separate holding, which has two divisions - oil and fat (the Saratov Fat Plant, Novosibirsk Fat Plant, and now, I hope, Moscow) and oil and raw materials (Atkarsky Oil Plant, Armavir Oil and Gas Plant, CJSC "Amber" and elevators). The main goal was to make this line of business more manageable. If earlier the Buket Group of Companies was a group incomprehensible to an outside observer with traditional Russian management and many non-core assets, now the management system has been rebuilt in a Western manner.
- What then is the difference between the Buket group and the Solar Products holding?
- The oil and fat division is a priority, but this is only one of the areas of our activity. Each direction develops independently, has a separate balance sheet, finances, management and shareholders. Only services are centralized. At the level of a group of companies, we consider a lot of investment proposals in various business areas - from chemistry to real estate - and select the most interesting projects.
- Is the conflict around the WWC already over?
- Yes, we plan to complete it soon.
- To what extent will this asset strengthen your holding's position in the market?
- The MZhK production site is located very well. Over time, it is planned to move the office of "Solar Products" here.
I see how this asset can be developed. Now the task is to restore the consumer's loyalty to the mayonnaise "Provansal" of the Moscow Fat Plant, because four years ago MZhK held 70% of the mayonnaise market in the capital. I am sure that MZhK has every chance in three years to become the largest enterprise in the industry in Russia.
There is another major project that we will start this year - the production of packaged vegetable oil.
- The vegetable oil market is very tough competition. What do you expect?
- We know how to work in a competitive environment. Over the past three years, we have withstood a very tough fight in the margarine market. One of our competitive advantages is that we can save on costs. If you add a good marketing strategy to this, the result will be.
- What is the reason for such interest in the oil and fat industry? Over the past few years, no other food market has seen so many hostile takeover attempts and scandals.
- Here are a few points. Melkon Pavlovich Aznauryan (the former head of the central office of Soyuzmargarinprom. - Vedomosti) has died. His authority was very high, he supported clear and correct rules of the game for all oil and fat workers. We met two or three times a year and discussed the prospects of the industry, the performance of each enterprise. It was out of the question that today you are sitting at the same table with these people, and tomorrow one of them is going to capture. It's just that no one would understand and would not approve.
Acquisition attempts, including hostile ones, have intensified over the past two years also because the teams that own these technologies have nothing to do in other industries, but there is an order. Finally, the main assets in the industry have already been divided between 3-5 players, so any additional acquisitions can significantly strengthen any of these players in the market. But I wouldn't exaggerate. The vast majority of transactions were made amicably. So we bought the Novosibirsk fat plant, and the Nizhny Novgorod MZhK bought plants in Samara and Perm.
Many, including transnational companies, applied for the MZhK. As a rule, Western companies want to buy clean assets that are not involved in corporate scandals. We also received offers to sell the SWC after the end of the conflict, but this is not part of our plans.
- With the inclusion of MZhK in the holding, will you continue to acquire enterprises?
- The process of consolidation of fat plants is almost completed. We will invest in marketing, new equipment, and distribution. Consolidation of oil and raw materials enterprises has not been completed yet, there is an opportunity to either build or buy additional assets, including undervalued ones.
- How much money have you invested in oil and fat holding and how much are you planning to invest this year?
- We planned to invest $15 million in the Atkarsky plant, and now we understand that it will take at least $30 million. Large investments go to the Saratov plant, which was the base plant and whose profit was pumped out for four to five years to acquire other assets. We have decided to invest about $10 million this year in the Saratov plant. Another $10 million will be invested in marketing this year.
- And how much do you intend to spend on acquisitions?
- First you need to do something, and then talk about it. It is foolish not to find money for undervalued assets. And there are such assets. In general, I believe that every year a company operates on the Russian market increases its capitalization by 10-15% only because Russia's undervaluation decreases over time.
- Almost all players in your sector predict that three or four largest companies will remain on the market. Are you ready to form an alliance with any of your competitors?
- We are talking about consolidation for the last five years between all the players. There are six or seven companies with a turnover of $200-300 million on the market now, and it is impossible to buy another one just like that. It's not just about money. Everyone considers himself a leader.
- Ambition?
- Yes. The one whose ambitions step aside and have a sober calculation will win.
- Are you ready to give up your ambitions?
- Ready, but there are very few examples of honest mergers in Russia. It is one thing to absorb and change the structure, reporting, corporate culture, based on your approach, and another thing when you need to give up some of your principles in the name of something greater, but not all of yours. The “don't lose” factor is very important here. Everyone wants to get more, but no one wants to lose. And it's not just about money, it's about status.
Mergers are possible only on parity terms, because everything else is acquisitions. I think that with the development of civilized business, these concerns will fade into the background, and mergers will occur in this industry over the next two years. We have no plans to sell the business anytime soon.
- That didn't stop you from selling your pasta factory last year.
- Its turnover is less than 1% of the group's turnover. We were no longer satisfied with its volumes. In any case, we were obliged to pay attention to each of the enterprises of the group. The pasta business is a turnover of $3 million per year. I also left other small projects - trading company, blinds, furniture production.
- And yet, when you decide that the value of the company has reached its peak, will you go for a public or private sale of shares?
- We do not exclude the possibility of an IPO, although this is a distant prospect for us and it will not be implemented until 2007. Much will depend on the situation - we will offer a block of shares only when we are sure that our securities will be liquid and meet market requirements. This should be done only after the company reaches certain financial indicators. Our milestone is a turnover of $600 million.
It is absolutely not necessary to conduct an IPO for all of our projects. This can be either attracting a strategic investor, or autonomous development at our own expense, if we see that the project is underestimated. The Saratov confectionery factory, for example, stood for six months, was practically on the verge of bankruptcy. We took it for a penny. This year, I think, its turnover will already exceed $30 million. There have been publications that we are selling it. It makes no sense to sell now, you need to sell what is close to the limit of your capabilities.
- Will you also create a confectionery holding?
- Why not? It is hard to work with one enterprise, but from two or three enterprises it is already possible to create a good regional confectionery holding. There is such experience in Russia.
BIOGRAPHY
Vladislav Burov was born on August 11, 1963 in Volgograd. In 1985, he graduated from the Faculty of Physics of the Saratov State University (SSU), where he also did postgraduate studies.
In 1989 he was appointed director of the NTTM "Sintez" Center at SSU, which he headed until 1992. In 1989 he was elected a deputy of the Saratov city council. In 1992-1997 - Director of the City Center for Social Initiatives. Then he was elected chairman of the board of "Bouquet". Since 1998 - President of the group of companies "Bouquet".
In 1998, he became the general director of OAO Zhirovoi Kombinat (Saratov). Since 2004 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Solar Products holding. He owns large blocks of shares in all companies that are part of the Bouquet group.
ABOUT COMPANY
The Buket group of companies includes the Saratovskaya confectionery factory, the Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank and the Solnechnye Produkty holding.
The turnover of "Bouquet" in 2004 exceeded 12 billion rubles.
The Solnechnye Produkty oil and fat holding includes the Moscow, Saratov and Novosibirsk fat plants, three oil refineries, the Atkar oil refinery, the MZhK Armavir and other assets.
According to Soyuzmargarinprom data for 2004, the Solnechnye Produkty holding is the leader in Russia in the production of margarine products (market share - 35.5%) and bulk vegetable oil (share - 18.4%), and in the production of mayonnaise (18. 4% of the market) is one of the five largest manufacturers in Russia.
The holding's turnover in 2004 increased by 117% to $390 million, including SWC, and by 97% to $355 million without taking into account.

"Social money", "purse" Boers, "friendly" takeovers

Lyubov Konstantinovna does not hide the fact that she owns 19 percent of the shares of this OJSC. According to conservative estimates, her stake could be worth between $50 million and $60 million.

Today is a story about the business aspirations of a no less prominent member of United Russia and just a vice-speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, who owns shares in the enterprises of the Solnechnye Produkty holding. The state of Mr. Volodin various experts estimated at 10-95 million dollars.

Mayonnaise empire was founded by Vladislav Burov from Saratov. They say that Messrs. Burov and Volodin met when they were still students. The first was in the trade union committee of the Saratov State University (he graduated from the Faculty of Physics), the second - in the trade union committee of the Institute of Mechanization. During his studies, Vladislav Yurievich worked as a watchman at a confectionery factory, which he bought fifteen years later. He graduated from graduate school, filed patents for four inventions, published about 20 scientific papers, worked at the Research Institute, the University Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth (NTTM). The first large amount - 10 thousand rubles - he got for the execution of an order for NPO "Signal". Similar NTTM centers in the late 1980s provided not only scientific experience: sometimes citizens with an ambiguous reputation spent impressive capital through them, leaving the “boys” a percentage for their understanding.

Newborn "Bouquet" sold anything: food, blinds, power tools. And in 1997, he bought a pasta factory for $100,000 (43 percent of the shares). In the same year, the Saratov Fat Plant (Alfa Group lost its stake). The next one is confectionery. Mr. Volodin at that time worked as a vice-governor in Ayatskov's team.

Vyacheslav Viktorovich oversaw the economic block and tirelessly built roads, schools, hospitals. I don't want to say anything bad about the hero, but social money has traditionally been considered the most convenient for the shrinkage.

Interestingly, back in the late 1990s, the future prominent United Russia quarreled with the current governor Ipatov. Pavel Leonidovich headed the Balakovo nuclear power plant, Vyacheslav Viktorovich - the commission for knocking out debts to the Pension Fund. Once, the "commissars" sent a television group to the Balakovo district to film Ipatov's cottage: this is how a man lives, they say, who squeezed the old man's money.

It is difficult for any businessman engaged in production to withdraw free funds from circulation to expand the business. Entrepreneurs have assets that still need to be evaluated, sold, etc. - this is a suitcase without a handle. And officials have clean money, kickbacks from the same business or from the budget. A fair amount of corrupt capital is returning to business, say Saratov experts.

Again, according to experts, in the Volodin-Burov alliance, the first was much more fortunate. "Those in power often make mistakes in choosing" wallets ". I think Vladislav Yuryevich is a man of rare virtues for an entrepreneur: he does not like to shine, does not get into politics, does not say too much at business parties, does not become the object of scandals in the press. Burov is quite cautious and , as it seems, would remain at the level of a medium-sized business that does not bring much headache. And Volodin is an expansionist. A less accurate person than Burov could give him much more problems if the acquisition of property was less clean, "says the political scientist, Alexei Kolobrodov, editor-in-chief of the Public Opinion magazine.

In Saratov "Bouquet" is considered one of the most closed empires. Lists of affiliates and quarterly reports are not available to the attention of the curious. To get a job at a fat factory, you need to go through a detailed test, including a psychological one - which is rare in mayonnaise production. The group of companies is constantly expanding, acquiring new enterprises every year. Only one conflict is officially known, which happened at the Moscow Fat Plant (MZhK).

Usually, "Bouquet" buys dying enterprises quite cheaply (at least they become such by the time the owner changes). MZhK was an exception: its "Provencal" occupied up to 70 percent of the capital's market. Saratov residents and structures close to Mikhail Bezelyansky, a native of Alfa, fought for control of the plant. The conflict of shareholders turned out to be classic: buying up shares, extraordinary meetings, two general directors at the same time, arbitration claims, assaults, riot police. Vice-speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky spoke in the interests of Alfa, promising help to the "good guy" Bezelyansky. During the two years of the war, the enterprise almost lost a consumer and practically stopped due to the lack of raw materials and large debts to suppliers. At a special press conference, the parties announced the end of the conflict (they reconciled through the mediation of the Russian Funds investment company and the Moscow government). The Vector group of companies headed by Vladimir Khazanov sold shares to the Saratov residents and left the game. According to experts, the deal amounted to 3-4 million dollars.

Mr. Burov calls the purchase of the Novosibirsk Zhirik a "sweet deal."

Sources among former security officials present a slightly different version of events. 82 percent of the company's shares were purchased from the Siberian entrepreneur Igor Kuznetsov at the height of the conflict at the MZhK. According to the security officials, the authoritative structures of Novosibirsk were dissatisfied with the arrival of new market players. Representatives of the ethnic community in Saratov, who, according to rumors, approved the deal, were "robbed in full" for a kind of abuse of authority.

Then the head of the Buket's security service, Mr. Yakimov, was shot.

The killer was not found.

According to sources, killing a security guard is a traditional tactic for thieves to intimidate their owners. Around the same time, the influential federal politician Volodin officially recognizes himself as a shareholder of the plant.

This became known from the NZhK investment application posted on the Internet. As follows from the document, the shareholders are 586 individuals and legal entities.

The controlling stake belongs to the enterprises of the Solar Products holding, 26 percent - to Vyacheslav Viktorovich personally. According to experts, the vice-speaker got a share previously held by Buket companies and minority shareholders (their stake fell from 14 to 9 percent in two years).

Finance magazine estimated the deputy's assets at $95 million. The chairman of the board of directors of the holding, Vladislav Burov, added that Volodin also owns the shares of the Armavir MZhK (in 2003, the enterprise was transferred to the trust management of Buket with the right of subsequent redemption). According to Vladislav Yuryevich, both packages cost no more than 10-15 million dollars (it is interesting that the owner of Bouquet himself is 148 points ahead of his companion in the magazine rating, his fortune is estimated at 190 million dollars).

"Vyacheslav Volodin had declared funds earned in previous years, with which he purchased shares of enterprises from minority shareholders," Mr. Burov said in an interview with Finance magazine. "I bought the blocks of shares several years ago, when they cost 6 million rubles, or about 190 thousand dollars," the vice-speaker specified in an interview with Vedomosti. As experts say, "taxes need to be paid only on the package, and it can be estimated at five kopecks. The food industry is characterized by very fast profitability, so the actual value of the shares does not decide anything."

The Prosecutor General's Office has twice checked the legitimacy of United Russia's income.

Former road minister of the Saratov region is on trial on charges of libel for stories about kickbacks allegedly received by Volodin(50 million rubles). Theft during the construction of the 11th building of the Saratov State University, as the Prosecutor General's Office states, was not revealed. Here, law enforcement officers had a "split personality". The prosecutor's office of the regional level opened a criminal case under article 160 of the Criminal Code "Waste".

The 11th building was built under the patronage of "ER" from 2002 to 2005. The contractor was CJSC "Sartehstroyinvest" under the leadership of Alexei Berezovsky (deputy of the City Duma, chairman of the budget commission, of course, a "bear").

The client was the university. The money was allocated by the federal budget. This summer, Rosfinnadzor decided to return to the treasury 137 thousand rubles, erroneously paid to the contractor by the university management. Then the check was carried out by the regional FSB. When the materials were handed over to the prosecutor's office, the amount of damage increased to 1.5 million. As Alexander Kovalev, an investigator for particularly important cases, said, an inflated cost of materials was entered into the acts of work performed. The acts are drawn up by the contractor, the customer is obliged to check them before paying. Documents for 2003 are currently being considered. It is possible that the total amount will be much higher.

Saratov political scientists predict three or four serious attacks on Volodin's business in the pre-election period. However, "it has already lost more than the combine." According to Saratov, Vyacheslav Viktorovich lost the support of the public and the press - at least in his native region. During the time of Dmitry Ayatskov, practically the entire local opposition in one way or another grouped around Volodin - and not for money, but, as they say, "on trust." But "the charisma dissipated, and people stepped aside." As evil tongues put it, "Vatslav (Volodin's nickname, common in his small homeland. - N.A.) has dropped the bar" - his political influence turned out to be much less than he would like. Hence - unbridled PR and a nervous reaction to petty attacks. Moreover, the retinue in this case copies the worst features of the king to a satirical degree.

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Solar Products Holding was founded in 2004. It includes ten enterprises in Saratov, Krasnodar Territory, Novosibirsk and Moscow. Produces more than a hundred items of goods - mayonnaise, margarine, vegetable oil, mustard, soap. Last year, Solnechnye Produkty came out on top among mayonnaise manufacturers. In the first quarter of this year, the production of oil and fat products increased by another 17 percent. Financial results regularly "exceed the expectations of top managers." The holding's turnover in 2004 amounted to 390 million dollars, in 2005 - 427 million. Profit information is not disclosed. No formal business valuation has been carried out. Experts name the amounts from 100 to 360 million dollars.

In turn, Solnechnye Produkty are part of the Buket group of companies (together with a confectionery factory, the Nizhnevolzhsky Commercial Bank and a trolleybus plant). The GC was established in 1998. In 2004, the turnover of "Bouquet" exceeded 12 billion rubles. It's not just about money. For example, almost half of Engels' industry depends on the substation of the trolleybus plant.

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