Those \u00abfriends of Crimea\u00bb who answered information requests or calls by Center\u2019s journalists persuaded that they covered their trips to Crimea from their own pockets and that Russia did not pay them for their pro-Russian activity. If these Kremlin agents pay themselves for their flights through Moscow to Crimea and for expensive hotels of the Southern Shore of Crimea, then, who are recipients of hundreds of millions of the Yalta Economic Forum Fund? It is within this Forum friends of Crimea meet. How is their Association financed if it does not exist de jure? We explored Russian public procurement and registers, and now we can tell what \u00abfuel\u00bb feeds this propaganda machine.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite pretentious name, \u00abthe Friends of Crimea International Association\u00bb (the Association) cannot be found in the Russian register of legal persons. It means the Association is an informal organization. Its website, forums and media activity are what keeps together these \u00abclubs of friends\u00bb. How is the organization financed if it is not legal entity?<\/p>\n Structure and people<\/strong><\/p>\n Meetings of members of the Association are usually held during Yalta International Economic Forum, yearly event conducted by Russia in Crimea. Though the overwhelming majority of \u00abfriends of Crimea\u00bb are not businesspersons, they also participate in the forum, creating the illusion of mass foreign participation. It is logical to suggest that this activity is financed from the one budget.<\/p>\n Yalta International Economic Forum (YIEF) is registered as the Fund with the same name. Three legal entities are indicated as founders of the Fund:<\/p>\n \u042f\u043b\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u043c\u0456\u0436\u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u0435\u043a\u043e\u043d\u043e\u043c\u0456\u0447\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u0444\u043e\u0440\u0443\u043c (\u042f\u041c\u0415\u0424) \u044e\u0440\u0438\u0434\u0438\u0447\u043d\u043e \u043e\u0444\u043e\u0440\u043c\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u044f\u043a \u0424\u043e\u043d\u0434 \u0437 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0439\u043c\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u044e \u043d\u0430\u0437\u0432\u043e\u044e.\u00a0\u0419\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0437\u0430\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0432\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u0454 \u0442\u0440\u0438 \u044e\u0440\u0438\u0434\u0438\u0447\u043d\u0456 \u043e\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0438:<\/p>\n PHOTO: Pavel Titov, the Chair of the Council of Directors of Abrau-Durso Group. Photo by TASS<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n PHOTO: Sergei Lazutkin, the General Director of LLC \u00abProksi tsentr\u00bb. Photo by dp.ru<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n PHOTO: Sergei Kalmykov, the director of the Business and Cultural Center of the Republic of Crimea. Photo by atz69.ru<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n The Business and Cultural Center has been registered in 2015 in Moscow at the business center on Novy Arbat. The only founder<\/strong> of the Center is \u2026 Moscow City, the subject of the Russian Federation. The rights of the founder (i.e. the Moscow City) are exercised by \u2026 the Permanent Representative Office of \u00abthe Republic of Crimea\u00bb under the President of the Russian Federation set up by the so-called \u00abCrimean government\u00bb.<\/p>\n The head of the Representative Office is Georgii Muradov<\/strong>, career diplomat. Before the occupation of Crimea, he worked in Rossotrudnichestvo, the agency with prominent KGB past [Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation].<\/p>\n Since 2014 Muradov plays the role of Kremlin \u00abinformal curator\u00bb in the puppet \u00abgovernment\u00bb of the occupied Crimea (he is the so-called \u00abVice-Prime-Minister\u00bb). He is the curator and inspiring person of \u00abthe Friends of Crimea Association\u00bb. He performs functions of the informal minister of foreign affairs of Crimea. He is responsible for legitimizing the annexation of Crimea by Russia and lifting sanctions and international isolation.<\/p>\n PHOTO: Georgii Muradov, the Crimean \u00abVice-Prime-Minister\u00bb, representative of \u00abthe Republic of Crimea\u00bb under the President of the Russian Federation. Photo by rk.gov.ru<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n It can be suggested that Titov, Lazutkin and Muradov take care about the budget YIEF (along their spheres of responsibility). The budget is filled in by many sources. The most generous is the federal budget.<\/p>\n However, as open data about public procurement bids for Crimean forums reveals, they have many financial sources. In accordance with the Russian public procurement web-portal, governmental institutions and companies transferred to the YIEF Fund more than 50,3 mln Rubles in 2016-18. As a rule, they paid for advertisement services during Forum.<\/p>\n ============= The Russian National Commercial Bank (RNCB; under sanctions) has been the most generous contributor in 2016-2018. Its contribution amounted to 38 mln Rubles. \u00abChornomornaftogas\u00bb expropriated by Russia transferred five million to the YIEF Fund, JSC \u00abRosseti Kuban\u00bb \u2013 six million Rubles.<\/p>\n It is interesting that Kurchatov Institute, South-Russian Polytechnic Institute named after Platov and the Foundation for the Reform of Municipal Services were among institutions, which ordered the services of the Yalta International Economic Forum. As a result, Crimea received international \u00abforum\u00bb with dubious economic effect, as its main goal \u2013 inflow of foreign investments into sanctioned Crimea \u2013 has not been achieved so far.<\/p>\n It should be emphasized that we failed to find open data about public procurement of the YIEF Fund during last two years (2019-2020) (in both roles – as the supplier and \\ or procurement entity). There must have been purchases, as it is impossible to conduct such an expensive event without them! Thus, the data is hidden or procurement has been conducted through companies-intermediaries.<\/p>\n \u00abThe Permanent Representative Office of the Republic of Crimea under the President of the RF\u00bb headed by Georgii Muradov enjoys quite decent financial support. Formally, it receives financial resources from the Crimean budget; however, it is known that 85% of the Crimean budget are subsidized by the federal budget of the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n During its existence the Office bought services and goods for 135,6 million Rubles. Part of them were spent for securing the work of the Office (leasing premises at Novy Arbat and cars from the transport branch of the Office of the Russian President; purchases of furniture, coffee machines etc.).<\/p>\n The Office also ordered services for:<\/p>\n – Press tour for foreign journalists from economic media to Crimea <\/em> We indicated only some activities of the Crimean Representative Office and only part of resources spent on propaganda of the \u00abRussian Crimea\u00bb and on removal of international isolation of the occupied peninsula.<\/p>\n Money and suppliers of the Business and Cultural Center of Crimea<\/strong><\/p>\n It is very likely that \u00abthe Business and Cultural Center of the Republic of Crimea\u00bb, another founder of the YIEF Fund, finances the activity of \u00abFriends of Crimea Association\u00bb. The Center signed 78 public procurement contracts for 107 581 000 Rubles within last five years. How much money is spent for visits of \u00abfriends of the occupation of Crimea\u00bb? How much do Center\u2019s activities cost? Open public procurement data gives a clue.<\/p>\n As an example, let us look into the activity of Hendrik Weber<\/a>, the main \u00abfriend of Crimea\u00bb in Norway (the Center of Journalist Investigations already highlighted this figure). Together with his wife Mette Rosenlund<\/strong>, he runs non-profit \u00abNorwegian People\u2019s Diplomacy\u00bb. It has been founded on August 1, 2017 and registered in Western Norway region.<\/p>\n The main goal of our organization is to recognize Crimea as the legitimate part of the Russian Federation and to lift sanctions\u2019, as stated on the page of Norwegian \u00abclub\u00bb of the Russian website<\/a> of \u00abCrimean friends\u00bb.<\/p>\n PHOTO: Hendrik Weber and his wife Mette Rosenlund, Simferopol, March 18, 2018. Photo by Facebook Weber Rosenlund<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n In 2019 Weber has been candidate<\/a> from \u00abRed\u00bb party at the local elections in Alver municipality. It is left wing radical party uniting Mao and Trotsky followers. The party is against capitalism and membership of Norway in the European Union.<\/p>\n First photos of Weber from occupied Crimea are dated<\/a> November 13, 2016 (at his Facebook account). Hendrik recalls: \u00abIt started in 2016. I thought at that time: \u00abWe introduced sanctions against Russia and Crimea\u00bb. And my heart told me that it has not been right decision. We simply betrayed Russia\u00bb.<\/p>\n Since then, Weber visited the occupied Crimea so many times that he himself cannot recall exact number \u2013 15 or 16 times. In September 2019, Weber published German language book \u00abOur Crimea \u2013 coup d\u2019etat or democratic decision?\u00bb In 2020, he presented its Russian version with shortened title \u00abOur Crimea\u00bb.<\/p>\n Journalists of the Center for Journalist Investigations asked him – who finances the publication and visits of pro-Russian public figures from Norway to the occupied Crimea, with intensive tourist programs? Hendrik Weber laughed and answered:<\/p>\n \u00abIt is always the same question! Many people think that the Kremlin covers my visits. However, it is my own money; I pay for my visits to Crimea from my own pocket\u00bb.<\/p>\n Hendrik Weber also illegally visits the occupied part of Donbas. As he stated in the interview, he has been there \u00abapproximately four times\u00bb. Did he himself pay for these visits? Rhetorical question\u2026 To his opinion, the war conflict in Eastern Ukraine is \u00abthe war of the illegitimate Ukrainian government against inhabitants of the East of Ukraine\u00bb.<\/p>\n He is also involved into the anti-Ukrainian activity in his own country. For example, he organizes international conference<\/a> \u00abCrimea in a geopolitical perspective\u00bb in Oslo. It has been planned for 2020 but COVID pandemics moved the date to May 2021.<\/p>\n To sum up, if Weber was not mistaken, he visited Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia more than twenty times. There are no direct flights from Alver to Ukraine. Norwegian politician and small businessperson had to get to Oslo, then, to fly to Moscow, from Moscow \u2013 to Simferopol, and by car from Simferopol to Yalta. And back. Fifteen times. He also had to pay for hotels, meals and local transport. The final amount should be doubled as he travels to Crimea with his wife.<\/p>\n Then, there were expenses for publishing the book \u00abOur Crimea\u00bb in German and Russian languages. International conference in Norway also requires significant resources\u2026<\/p>\n If these Norwegian and other \u00abfriends of Crimea\u00bb did pay for their illegal travels to Crimea and their events at home from their own pockets, then, who were recipients of over one million Rubles spent by the Muradov\u2019s Business and Cultural Center of Crimea?<\/p>\n Let us look into the Russian public procurement database. Last year the Business and Cultural Center ordered services for organizing conferences and exhibitions, services for accommodating their participants, services for making videos about Crimea for the international audience and many other things.<\/p>\n The largest supplier of the Moscow based \u00abBusiness and Cultural Center of the Republic of Crimea\u00bb is \u00abVisa CONCORDE travel\u00bb<\/strong> company (Ashot Mkrtchan is its founder and general director)<\/strong>. The total value of contracts is 17 million 373 thousand Rubles. The company is the main supplier of flight tickets for participants and organizers of the Center\u2019s events. It is also regular winner of tenders conducted by \u00abRossotrudnichestvo\u00bb (it won contracts with the total value up to 70 million Rubles).<\/p>\n PHOTO: Ashot Mkrtchan, the General Director of \u00abVisa CONCORDE travel\u00bb (to the right). Photo by amadeus.ru<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n \u00abVisa CONCORDE travel\u00bb delivers large spectrum of services. For the Crimean Business and Cultural Center<\/a>, the company organized and conducted presentation of \u00abthe Republic of Crimea\u00bb in the Russian Embassy in China (Beijing). The value of the contract amounted to 3,758 million Rubles. It also organized and conducted \u00abInternational round table \u00abAnti-Russian sanctions: the Crimean precedent\u00bb (1,6 million Rubles). Affiliated \u00abConcordeBusinessService\u00bb assisted in conducting presentation of investment, tourist and cultural potential of the occupied Crimea in Tel Aviv, Israel (for 3,8 million Rubles).<\/p>\n \u00abThe Crimean Business and Cultural Center\u00bb also financed the participation of NGO representatives in the events of the OSCE and UN (See here our article about Crimean GONGO<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 quasi-civic organizations and activists financed from the budget of the Russian Federation and promoted internationally by institutions affiliated with Muradov).<\/p>\n The second largest supplier of the Center is the \u00abWorldwide Tourist Company Rustur\u00bb<\/strong> [\u0412\u0441\u0435\u043c\u0438\u0440\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0442\u0443\u0440\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u043a\u043e\u043c\u043f\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f \u00ab\u0420\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0443\u0440\u00bb]. It was founded by Visa CONCORDE (the supplier # 1 of the Crimean Business and Cultural Center) and the Crimean GONGO \u2013 \u00abInternational Council of Russian Compatriots\u00bb<\/a>. The Council has been set up by \u00abcompatriots\u00bb from Latvia, Estonia, Armenia and Moldova. The head of the Council is Hasan Mirzoev<\/strong>, the President of the Guild of Russian Attorneys and the International Association of Russian Speaking Attorneys. The latter also provides financial support to \u00abCrimean friends\u00bb from the Great Britain<\/a>.<\/p>\n PHOTO: Hasan Mirzoev. Photo by Youtube Vsemirnaya Rossia<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n \u00abRustur\u00bb supplied services to \u00abthe Crimean Center\u00bb for the amount of 6,7 million Rubles. \u00abArtistic creation\u00bb or \u00absupport of performing arts\u00bb were indicated as subjects of purchases. In fact, \u00abRustur\u00bb delivered services to promote the Crimean potential abroad. The company organized exhibition-presentations of investment, tourist and cultural potential of the occupied Crimea in Hanoi<\/a>, the capital of Vietnam (2,2 million Rubles), in Bulgaria<\/a> (2,05 million Rubles) as well as in Serbia<\/a> (1,9 million Rubles).<\/p>\n Yalta based \u00abLivadiya Group\u00bb won two contracts with \u00abthe Crimean Center\u00bb. It provides accommodation services and manages three hotels in Livadiya (Yalta).<\/p>\n JSC \u00abOlimp\u00bb earned almost five millions Rubles from leasing offices to \u00abthe Crimean Center\u00bb. It is remarkable that \u00abthe Crimean Representative Office under the President of the Russian Federation\u00bb also leases its office on Novy Arbat from \u00abOlimp\u00bb (leasing payments reached 12 million Rubles last year).<\/p>\n Last year \u00abthe Crimean Center\u00bb ordered the publication of only one book. It cost 398 thousand Rubles for 500 copies. It might have been the Russian version of Hendrik Weber\u2019s book but we did not find precise information about his book, and our hypothesis can be wrong.<\/p>\n \u00abThe Crimean Center\u00bb also paid 200 thousand Rubles for written translation services and 580 thousand Rubles \u2013 for a series of propaganda videos.<\/p>\n It is interesting that the lion\u2019s share of the Crimean Center\u2019s tenders are single source procurement, i.e. they are conducted without competition, from one supplier chosen by the Center before the announcement of tenders. Among all types of procurement procedures, single source procurement has the highest risk of corruption. Permanent suppliers of \u00abthe Crimean Center\u00bb are known for their involvement into corruption scandals. For example, \u00abVisa CONCORDE travel\u00bb won the right to provide flight tickets for Russian sport teams. In 2019, it has been revealed<\/a> that its tickets for Aeroflot flights have been two times more expensive than usual price.<\/p>\n Thus, \u00abthe Crimean feeder\u00bb built by \u00abfighters for Russian Crimea\u00bb during occupation period seems quite attractive for businesses close to Russian authorities and quasi-civic organizations that Russia uses to promote its interests abroad.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/em><\/p>\n
\nSCHEME:
\nYIEF FUND: founders
\nPavel Titov, All-Russian non-profit \u00abDelovaya Rossia\u00bb
\nSergei Lazutkin, LLC \u00abProksi tsentr\u00bb
\nSergei Kalmykov, Business and Cultural Center of Crimea
\nFounder: Moscow City
\nGeorgii Muradov (founder\u2019s rights are exercised by the \u00abPermanent Representative Office of the Republic of Crimea under the President of RF\u00bb
\nFounder: \u00abThe Council of Ministries of the Republic of Crimea\u00bb
\n==============<\/p>\n
\n– Foreign tour for representatives of Crimean non-profit organizations (for participation in the work of international and foreign organizations)<\/em>
\n– A number of international round tables in Moscow and Crimea<\/em>
\n– Arrival and accommodation in Moscow for foreign delegations \u00abupon invitation of the Head of the Republic of Crimea\u00bb and \u00abCrimean Representation Office\u00bb<\/em>
\n– Participation of representatives of international organizations of Russian compatriots and foreign public figures in the International Festival \u00abGreat Russian Word\u00bb and Livadiya Forum of the \u00abRussian World\u00bb (Yalta, Crimea); International Congress \u00abByzantine Heritage of Crimea\u00bb\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/investigator.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/hendrik_veber-metta_rozelund_simferopol.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/investigator.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/kniga_krym_nash_hendrik_veber.png\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/investigator.org.ua\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/gasan_mirzoev.png\")