No, it is not the plot for the new version of \u00abOccupied\u00bb. <\/strong>The Center for Journalist Investigations<\/strong><\/a> investigated networks of companies of EHT Group founded in dozens countries, and GDP Group with headquarters in Moscow. We call European governments and intelligence services to focus on potential security risks\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n January 2006, Russian port of Ust-Luga, Vladimir Putin opens ferry line to Baltiysk. Its launch will secure the communication in the Gulf of Finland between Russian enclave \u2013 Kaliningrad Oblast, with a major base of Russian Navy\u2019s Baltic Fleet \u2013 Russia.<\/p>\n Main bodyguard and Head of Russian Federal Guarding Service Viktor Zolotov stands behind Putin. A group of bodyguards includes Andrei Shkrabo, officer of FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation). He will retire in several years and join business entities. One of his business locations will be in the port of Ust-Luga, known today as the largest hub for the export of Russian oil in the Baltic Sea.<\/p>\n Andrei Shkrabo among bodyguards of Vladimir Putin at the opening ceremony of ferry line \u00abUst-Luga \u2013 Baltiysk\u00bb, 2006. Photo: mintrans.gov.ru<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Former senior officers of Shkrabo will be among founders and managers of these business entities \u2013 retired generals of FSB and army intelligence. The network of their port companies, united in Group “Ekogidrotekhnika\u00bb with its own technological fleet, has expanded into the USA and a number of European countries. A company from this Group worked in Odesa and its dredgers \u2013 in the Crimean port of Yevpatoria and in then-free Berdyansk in Southern Ukraine.<\/p>\n Connected with FSB officers and between themselves, these companies have freely worked after 2014 and after 2022 in Russia and EU countries. Their dredgers are right now located in water area of sanctioned Russian port of Ust-Luga and in the Latvian port of Riga.<\/p>\n We uncovered this network through Andrei Shkrabo, who participated as representative of Viktor Medvedchuk<\/a> in the work of humanitarian sub-group of tri-partite contact group \u00abMinsk-2\u00bb. He presented himself as the manager of Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.<\/p>\n At the same time, he moved from one company of FSB generals to another and owned shares of company in Latvia etc. For our investigation, he played the role of thread which connected all undercover businesses of FSB officers.<\/p>\n We identified the following key FSB figures of the network:<\/p>\n During 25 years, these persons have formed two international business groups and \u00abcharitable fund\u00bb, with declared activity within UN program. We will focus on the activity of this network and its potential security risks for ports in EU and NATO members, in particular, in the Baltic Sea.<\/p>\n The Soviet legacy and group<\/strong> Ekohidrotechnika<\/strong><\/p>\n This story started under Soviet times when technological fleet of Soviet company \u00abBaltmorput\u00bb of the Baltic shipping company worked around the world. Its dredgers deepened water areas in ports and constructed hydrotechnical buildings on all continents. After disruption of the USSR, \u00abBaltmorput\u00bb seized its existence. Its ships were privatized in Latvia where its headquarters were located and in Russia.<\/p>\n At least, six ships were privatized by Latvian company Eko-Gidrotehnika Ltd<\/a>. It set up \u00absisters\u00bb in various countries during next years. They had similar names. Some of them were then liquidated and new ones were organized. Ships were transferred from one company to another company. Companies were owners, commercial or ISM managers of dredgers.<\/p>\n Dredger Poseidon I (\u0406\u041cO:7330064) in the port of Liepaja, 2025. Photo: Marine Traffic, photographer AndrejS<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n The report about financial examination of the activity of the Port of Kaliningrad stated that \u00abKaliningrad sea channel was serviced by American firm \u00abEcogidrotehnika LTD (director A.Borodin). It was paid 1,054 million USD in 1999. Company Ekohidrotechnika Ltd<\/a>\u00a0was registered in 1994 by agent firm in American Delaware. Its legislation hides real owners of business entities registered there. But Borodin is the prominent person of the network.<\/p>\n To be precise, there are two persons named Aleksandr Borodin: Aleksandr (Aleksandrs) Viktorovich Borodin (Borodins)<\/strong>, born in 1957, and his 44 years old son Aleksandrs Borodins<\/strong>. There is also a wife of Borodin-junior \u2013 Karina Borodina, in this business. Group of Ekogidrotechnika has demonstrated a clear distribution of tasks: Borodins-junior and his wife have largely managed \\ owned companies in Latvia whereas Borodins-senior \u2013 in other countries.<\/p>\n Old version of the website of Group informed that \u00abEkohidrotechnika Ltd.\u00bb (registered in USA) had independent branches in Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Panama and Malta.<\/p>\n Today \u00abWestern\u00bb part of the Group (EHT Group<\/strong>) and its fleet looks like this:<\/p>\n Let us look at companies which have special role for the Group and own assets.<\/p>\n Celleton Holdings Limited<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was registered in Cyprus in 2008. Its final beneficiary is Aleksandrs Borodins, born in 1957. The company has been managed by secretary companies. In accordance with updated information of IMO database, Celleton Holdings Limited\u00a0is ship owner of two dredgers -\u2013\u00a0Astra<\/strong>\u00a0(IMO:8305767) and\u00a0Poseidon I<\/strong>\u00a0(\u0406\u041cO:7330064). They have flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. In accordance with Marine Traffic services, both dredgers are now located in the water area of Riga.<\/p>\n It is interesting that Cypriote register indicates Borodins as the citizen of Ukraine<\/strong>, with his address of residence in Hamburg. But data from passport issued in 2013 indicates rather Latvian passport (two Latin letters of a series and seven digits in the number) than Ukrainian one (its old version contained Cyrillic letter and six digits in the number).<\/p>\n Aleksandrs Borodins has a number of the Ukrainian taxpayer as his wife Nina Ivanivna, born in the Ukrainian city of Ochakiv in Mykolaiv oblast, does. Unfortunately, there is almost no open information about Borodins-senior or his photos. It may mean that information was consciously cleansed.<\/p>\n \u041f\u0440\u043e\u0439\u0434\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0441\u044c \u043a\u043e\u043c\u043f\u0430\u043d\u0456\u044f\u043c\u0438, \u044f\u043a\u0456 \u043c\u0430\u044e\u0442\u044c \u043e\u0441\u043e\u0431\u043b\u0438\u0432\u0435 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0435\u043d\u043d\u044f \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0434\u0456\u044f\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0456 \u0433\u0440\u0443\u043f\u0438 \u0456 \u043c\u0430\u044e\u0442\u044c \u0430\u043a\u0442\u0438\u0432\u0438.<\/span><\/p>\n As the overwhelming majority of Latvian companies of the Group, crewing company ABC Crewing<\/strong><\/a>, registered in 2010, has the legal address in Riga – Ludzas street, 2<\/a>. Its beneficiary founders are Olga Kiselyova and Karina Borodina (each has 40%). Borodins-junior owns 20% and is the manager of company.<\/p>\n The company informs that it recruits personnel for technological fleet – dredgers, oil and chemical tankers, bulkers, including ships of Ekohidrotechnika. As specialized website<\/a> demonstrates, the overwhelming majority of sailors and professionals, who used services of this company during last two years, have been citizens of the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n According to the website<\/a> of the company, it has employed 15 thousand sailors for 50 ships within 15 years.<\/p>\n EHT Group has Ukrainian limited liability company \u2013 \u00abEkohidrotechnika Ukraina<\/a><\/strong>\u00bb, registered in Odesa in October 2012 by Odesa resident Natalia Vlasova who delivers accounting services. In 2013, Aleksandrs Borodins-junior as foreigner tried to get permission to work as director of this company. However, Odesa oblast employment center refused. Borodins submitted<\/a> an appeal. Supreme Court of Ukraine approved it. In 2014, Odesa company was transferred to Perle Properties Ltd in Cyprus owned by Cypriotes.<\/p>\n Odesa company has been profitable. It leased suction dredger \u00abIgnis\u00bb<\/strong> (IMO: 6600620) to Ukrainian companies. Traces of these transactions can be found in court proceedings<\/a> about indebtedness of lessees. Up to 2015, American \u00abEkohidrotecnika Ltd\u00bb has been the owner of the ship. According to ImportGenius, in 2013, it transported food products with an assistance of \u00abIgnis\u00bb<\/a> from Ukraine. In 2016, it has been mentioned<\/a> in the criminal investigation of construction of new container terminal in the port of Odesa. It caused losses of 2.4 billion UAH and destruction of breakwater in the Black Sea. The State Security Service of Ukraine suspected a group of foreign companies in money laundering and financial support of \u00abterrorist organizations of Donetsk and Luhans People\u2019s Republics\u00bb. However, this investigation somehow stalled.<\/p>\n In 2015, registration owner of ship \u00abIgnis\u00bb has been Cypriote company Etrecat Limited, owned by Aleksandrs Borodins-junior (he is its current owner). In accordance with monitoring of Blackseanews<\/a>, in 2015, this ship stayed two times in the port of Yevpatoria during four months, despite EU and US sanctions against closed ports of Crimea, occupied by the Russian Federation. Perhaps, the ship cleaned the fairway and water area near piers of the port, as investigators of the \u00abblack list\u00bb of violators of Crimean sanction regimes believe.<\/p>\n Suction dredger \u00abIgnis\u00bb (IMO: 6600620) in the port of Odesa. Photo: shipspotting.com, Photographer: Vladimir Knyaz<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Since then, the ship changed its name two times (Vyborgskiy-1, current name \u2013\u00a0Liman<\/strong>), its flag \u2013 to Russian flag. In accordance with IMO data, the shipowner is the same \u2013 Cypriote Etrecat Ltd. However, since 2021, it has been owned by LLC \u00abBureau of maritime projects and technologies\u00bb<\/strong> [\u0411\u044e\u0440\u043e \u043c\u043e\u0440\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0445 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0435\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0432 \u0438 \u0442\u0435\u0445\u043d\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0439] based in Saint Petersburg<\/strong>. This company is commercial and IMS-manager of the ship. In accordance with Marine Traffic, today Liman stays<\/a> near the Russian port of Azov (in Kuban). But we should keep in mind that AIC data about water areas in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov may be compromised by Russian GPS-spoofing, in order to hide entrances of ships to sanctioned ports on the Ukrainian territory, occupied by Russians.<\/p>\n Since its registration in 2015, Aleksandrs Borodins-junior has been final beneficiary of Latvian company Ekohidrotechnika Latvia<\/strong><\/a>. His wife Karina Borodina has been its director. Its business profile is trade of cars, equipment, ships and planes. Another website<\/a> also indicates services on team management, technological and accounting services.<\/p>\n It is easy to notice that the content of the website<\/a> of EHT Group<\/strong> (please, keep in mind its logo) changes depending on situation with the war of Russia against Ukraine. Its new website does not have information about its separate branch in Russia we cited above. More to that, Russia disappeared from the history of company altogether!<\/p>\n What is more impressing is that its webpage \u00abTechnical fleet\u00bb demonstrates only two ships \u2013 already mentioned Astra<\/strong> and Poseidon<\/strong> whereas it showed five or six ships before the full scale Russian invasion into Ukraine and strengthening of international sanctions against Russian politicians, organizations and businesses.<\/p>\n Where happened to the majority of ships of EHT Group?<\/strong><\/p>\n First, dredger \u00abBaltic Sea\u00bb, owned and operated since 1999 by American Ekohidrotechnika Ltd, has been physically destroyed in 2018 in Turkey (it had Turkish flag), in accordance with databases of Equasis \u0456\u00a0MarineTraffic<\/a>.<\/p>\n In June 2022, after Russian invasion into Ukraine and strengthening of Western sanctions against Russian Federation, Russian government allowed<\/a> LLC \u00abBureau of Maritime Projects and Technologies\u00bb to bring out of Russia certain commodities to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. These commodities covered \u2026 three dredgers \u00abPoseidon I\u00bb, \u00abAstra\u00bb and \u00abBaltic Digger\u00bb.<\/p>\n Further destination of \u00abBaltic Digger\u00bb, owned at that time by Cypriote Eko Hydro Tech Shipping LTD<\/strong>, <\/strong>was lost somewhere in Estonia. \u00abPoseidon I\u00bb and \u00abAstra\u00bb are located now in the Latvian port of Riga.<\/p>\n Other three ships of Ekohidrotechnika are located now in Russia. They have Russian flag. These are Liman<\/strong>\u00a0(previous names were Igris\/Vyborgskiy-1), located in Azov, Aksay<\/strong>\u00a0(IMO:7802964, previous name is James<\/strong>) and\u00a0Saulkrasti (<\/strong>IMO:<\/strong>8898506). Last two ships are located in the Russian port of Ust-Luga.<\/p>\n In June 2025, \u00abAksay\u00bb was sold in Russia. New owner did not disclose its name. IMO database contains description \u00abRptd sold Russia\u00bb in the line of owner. This practice has been allowed by IMO rules. Today, Russia actively uses them to form its shadow fleet.<\/p>\n The owner of dredger Saulkrasti<\/strong>\u00a0is the direct link to businesses of retired officers of FSB.<\/p>\n The owner is company Green Line Shipping<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0registered in Klaipeda, Lithuania, in 2004. Its office in Latvia, registered in 2010 in Riga at the same address as EHT Group, functioned less than one year and was liquidated. Aleksandrs Borodins-junior has been director of this Lithuanian company from 2016 until now.<\/p>\n Green Line Shipping is the founder of two foreign companies:<\/p>\n Yes, Shkrabo managed Russian company, founded by Lithuanian Green Line Shipping, managed by one of Borodins. Yes, he was employed by Lithuanian business in Russia when he represented Russia in the humanitarian sub-group of tri-partite contact group in Minsk.<\/p>\n Andrei Shkrabo, representative of the Russian Federation in the humanitarian sub-group of \u00abMinsk-2, illegally entered territory of Ukraine to control the transfer of civilian captives. The Ukrainian city of Shchastia, September 17, 2016. Photo provided by Iryna Geraschenko.<\/span><\/i><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n It should be noted that \u00abBaltgeotrest\u00bb under Shkrabo\u2019s management received very large revenues as it executed contracts of Russian agency \u00abRosmorport\u00bb for a quarter of one billion Rubles. Yes, despite EU sanctons introduced after Russian occupation of Crimea and then full scale war in Donbas, \u00abdaughter\u00bb of Lithuanian company worked in Russia and enjoyed profits under the management of retired FSB officer! And it did not even try to hide its origins. Old version of the website of EHT Group<\/a> informed at that time:<\/p>\n \u00abCompany<\/em><\/strong> \u00abEkohidrotechnika Ltd.\u00bb (i.e. American company \u2013 ed.) is represented in Russia by LLC \u00abBaltGeoTrest\u00bb which is allowed to execute contracts with value up to 10 billion Rubles. It conducts preparation for the largest dredging projects\u00bb<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Aleksandr Attar<\/strong> has been deputy of Shkrabo and then his successor in \u00abBaltGeoTrest\u00bb. Later he became founder of LLC \u00abBureau of Maritime Projects and Technologies\u00bb. This company operates ships \u00abLiman\u00bb and \u00abSaulkrasti\u00bb. It was allowed by the Russian government to withdraw three ships, owned by EHT Group, to Baltic States. Attar represented this company at transport forum in occupied Crimea.<\/p>\n It is also interesting that Aleksandrs Borodins became successor of Attar in another company \u00abAzimut-Vector\u00bb (Saint Petersburg) in March 2019. We do not know whether it was Borodins-junior or senior. As Russian hacked databases demonstrate, both Borodins visited Russia in March 2019.<\/p>\n Who has been the final beneficiary of Green Line Shipping? Since 2012, it has been founded by trust company in Liechtenstein and \u2026 Ukrainian citizen and resident of Mariupol<\/strong> Volodymyr Viktorovych Litovkin<\/strong> who worked at dredgers in the Baltic Sea. Since 2023, he has been the only owner of the company.<\/p>\n Volodymyr Litovkin near dredger, 2016. Photo: Facebook\/\u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u041b\u0438\u0442\u043e\u0432\u043a\u0438\u043d<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n This sailor from Mariupol has been also founder and director of Maltese company Dredging Maritime Company Limited<\/strong> since its creation in 2006. Its data leaked through Paradise Papers<\/a>. Its account in Facebook<\/a> refers to the website of Russian company<\/a>.<\/p>\n In September 2021, the family of Litovkin moved from Mariupol to Transcarpathia. Volodymyr Litovkin registered his business as physical person-enterpreneur<\/a> in Velyki Luchki near Mukachevo but cancelled its activity in two months.<\/p>\n In May 2025, he was stopped by the Ukrainian road police for violation of traffic rules. He refused to go through alcohol test. The court confirmed that he was guilty of administrative offence, he submitted an appeal but did not attend court hearings.<\/p>\n We succeeded in contacting Volosymyr Litovkin by phone. We asked him how he, the Ukrainian citizen, managed to develop large business in partnership with high rank officers of FSB. He answered \u00abI am not inclined to talk about it\u00bb and sighed. 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