The Tverskoy Court of Moscow declared the owner of the food holding KDV Group Denis Shtengelov, his father Nikolai, and his companion Maria Karzhilova as an 'extremist' organization, ordering the confiscation of their assets, reported RBC. The Prosecutor General's Office estimated KDV Group's capitalization at 497 billion rubles, annual income at 756 billion rubles, and gross profit at 139 billion rubles. According to Forbes, Denis Shtengelov owns 79% of KDV Group.
The court's decision stated that Nikolai and Denis Shtengelov, who left Russia more than ten years ago, supported the Ukrainian authorities and provided financial assistance to this country. Moreover, they invested funds in 'unfriendly countries'.
In its claims, the agency referred to the fact that Denis Shtengelov holds Australian citizenship, and Nikolai Shtengelov holds Ukrainian citizenship. 'Earning income in Russia, the businessmen transferred more than 21 billion rubles abroad, and the funds were directed to support the economies of the USA and Australia, which supplied weapons to the Ukrainian side, thereby harming the Russian Federation', quoted the Prosecutor General's Office lawsuit by RBC. Nikolai Shtengelov was also accused of connections with Ukrainian military formations, which are recognized as extremist in Russia.
KDV Group is one of the largest non-public companies in the Russian food industry, owning brands like 'Kirieshki', 'Yashkino', 'Babkiny semechki', Calve, 'Baltimore', and many others. The holding manages 10 factories in different regions of Russia (Krasnodar Krai, Voronezh, Kemerovo, Moscow, Novosibirsk, and Tomsk regions), which produce over 700 product names.
In 2018, due to violations of fire safety regulations, the 'Winter Cherry' shopping center in Kemerovo, owned by the billionaire, caught fire. The fire resulted in 60 deaths and 79 injuries. No charges were brought against the businessman, and Shtengelov himself promised to pay 3 million rubles to the families of the victims.
Photo: Ngs.ru