Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Fraud schemes used by the Chichkanov family do not yet raise suspicions among law-enforcement representatives. But why?
On Russia’s business horizon a very bright “star” of Roman Chichkanov has risen: he is promoting among the elite the so-called Mayer medicine, which, as they say, cannot be understood without a bottle. This activity involves Mr. Chichkanov himself and his extensive family — his mother Elena Yuryevna, his father Anton Valeryevich, and until recently — his grandfather, the well-known academician Valery Petrovich Chichkanov. Soon the family business grew: the academician’s grandson got married, and his young wife Maria Chervotkina also became part of the multimillion-dollar family undertaking.
The Chichkanovs own a SPA hotel in the resort town of Kislovodsk. But the “cabbage” from the resort town goes in circles to Dubai: the sums are substantial. The Chichkanovs also became notorious for “fleecing” famous senior lawyer Elchin Muradov for $6 million: the court battles are still ongoing, and the curtain on this “stage” is not yet in sight.
But why do all the Chichkanovs feel so at ease?
The London genius
Roman Chichkanov is a figure that attracts genuine interest.
The academician Chichkanov’s grandson studied at University College London (UCL) and Cass Business School.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Roman Chichkanov
In 2013 he founded the Russian Business Community on the basis of the London college and obtained support from Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and other financial institutions.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Under the aegis of that community, regular meetings and roundtables were held with prominent Russian politicians and businessmen, including Yuri Luzhkov, Yevgeny Chichvarkin, Leonid Nevzlin, Alfred Koch, and others.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Alfred Koch
When the London phase of his life ended, Roman Chichkanov returned to Moscow and took a position at the multinational financial institution J.P. Morgan; later he became the first deputy general director of the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic (Minvostokrazvitiya).
Thanks to the family’s broad connections, he headed the Business Russia subcommittee on preventive medicine and joined the Russian-Azerbaijani business council.
“Rasputin of our days” and offshore companies
Roman Chichkanov is a co-owner of the MayrVeda SPA-hotel (through LLC “Investitsii Zapad”), located in Kislovodsk.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
SPA-hotel MayrVeda
What kind of “beast” is this? Mayer medicine is a detoxification and body-restoration method originally developed by Austrian physician Franz Mayer.
This methodology became the foundation used by the Chichkanov family.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
It is said that this SPA hotel — the juicy piece — was given to the Chichkanov family as repayment for assistance in obtaining a deputy mandate for the scandalous Ural businessman-politician Alexey Bagaryakov.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Mr. Bagaryakov has a very rich biography: he even managed to serve as vice-rector of the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, and at one time was first deputy head of the administration of the governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast, Yevgeny Kuyvashev.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Alexey Bagaryakov
Bagaryakov also once chaired the Board of the Corporation for the Development of the Middle Urals (KRSU) and promoted one ambitious idea after another: it was Bagaryakov who proposed, for 1.4 trillion rubles by 2018, to build a high-speed magistral between Yekaterinburg and Moscow; he also proposed building 120 kindergartens in Sverdlovsk Oblast for 13 billion rubles.
Both ideas spectacularly failed, and Bagaryakov left KRSU amid scandal.
Ural media wrote interestingly about Bagaryakov’s personality: “Alexey Vladimirovich Bagaryakov entered politics 10 years ago. His merits are lack of internal brakes and creativity. He possesses communicative skills and knows how to negotiate with people, but he clearly struggles to find compromises. He reacts to everything flashy like a magpie, but addresses one-level tasks. I would call him the Rasputin of our days. This definition fits him perfectly…”
Bagaryakov had particularly close contacts with academician Valery Chichkanov: they were linked by shared business in Arctic projects, when Bagaryakov suddenly became responsible for Arctic development.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Valery Chichkanov
The academician’s grandson, Roman Chichkanov, also participated in that project: returning to Moscow from London, the younger Chichkanov received a senior post at the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic without prior work experience.
All these people intersected closely in other projects as well, including sanatorium-resort ventures.
The SPA complex in Kislovodsk (a day’s stay costs about 30,000 rubles) operates through the legal entity LLC “Investitsii Zapad.”
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
In this respectable establishment they underreport the taxable base with inflated expenses and funnel funds through “gray” schemes to Dubai.
As a result, the budget loses annually about 100–140 million rubles in corporate income tax, and additionally 500–700 million rubles per year in unreturned foreign-exchange revenue.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
There are also reports of schemes to move funds out of Russia — about $5–7 million per year to Dubai to finance construction of MayrVeda Dubai.
Both Roman Chichkanov and his mother Elena Chichkanova act in concert in these matters.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Elena Chichkanova with her son Roman Chichkanov (far right)
They are both founders of LLC “Investitsii Zapad.”
Revenue for the previous year, 2024, amounted to 1.1 billion rubles.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Roman Chichkanov also served as CEO of LLC “MV Group” and LLC “Komplexnoye meditsinskoye obespechenie.”
The latter was caught providing false information.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
The Chichkanov family has also been active in Azerbaijan, establishing companies such as Unit Group and Sirvan Baglari Dizayn-Landasft Studiyasi.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Sirvan Baglari Dizayn-Landasft Studiyasi.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
The Chichkanov spouses
However, the profits obtained — and the records of those profits — do not pass through Russian tax authorities. Apparently they depart to the UAE.
Doctor Anton Chichkanov and his schemes
Anton Chichkanov, Roman’s father (and son of the late academician Valery Chichkanov), is also implicated in high-profile scandals.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Anton Chichkanov was born with a “silver spoon” in his mouth and, thanks to his academician father who once served as vice-premier, achieved notable credentials: he even became a Doctor of Sociological Sciences.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Anton Chichkanov (far left) with his family (Roman Chichkanov at center)
Anton Chichkanov obtained his doctoral title quickly: for this the academician Valery Chichkanov needed only to move a finger, since at that time the deputy head of the Higher Attestation Commission (VAK) was former deputy of Valery Chichkanov — Doctor of Law Igor Barsits.
Later Professor Barsits was convicted for large embezzlement and in February 2024 received a suspended sentence of five years.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Igor Barsits
But academician Valery Chichkanov was not without sin: the scheme of commissioned candidate’s and doctoral dissertations organized by Chichkanov was put into wide circulation at the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation. To become a candidate of sciences one had to pay $30,000; a doctorate cost much more — $50,000.
Anton Chichkanov, however, obtained his degree for free.
In Moscow’s informed business circles Anton Chichkanov is known as one of the largest shadow cash-out operators. The geography of Anton Chichkanov’s business is impressive: shadow capitals go to the UAE, Hong Kong, Qatar, Kuwait.
Working well with him is his relative by marriage, Alim Sharafetdin oglu Mamedov.
A few years ago he was CEO of LLC “IPK Pride Capital.”
Among the founders of that firm were Anton and Elena Chichkanov, Roman’s parents.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Mamedov began his work in Yekaterinburg, where for a time another connecting link operated — Alexey Bagaryakov, mentioned above.
Ultimately he “got exposed” and was forced to move to Moscow, where he launched bustling activity together with Dr. Anton Chichkanov.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
But in Moscow Mamedov also came under the attention of the capital’s security services.
Immediately the Chichkanovs came to his aid; they have many influential friends.
Anton Chichkanov has had many companies; in particular he founded LLC “Magnitmetallholding.”
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
This company traded metals and ores until 2017, when it closed.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Anton Chichkanov was also a founder of LLC “NPT.”
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
LLC “NPT” — “New Industrial Technologies” — which ultimately shut down in 2008.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Recall that in 2008 the Chichkanov family did not yet own the MayrVeda SPA-hotel.
The Elchin Muradov case
Let us continue.
Not long ago the Chichkanovs pulled off a $6 million scam: the victim was former Rosneft lawyer Elchin Muradov.
He is the former managing partner of the law firm Evrokon Trust and advised other major financial-industrial groups.
He was also once a close friend of Anton Chichkanov.
The conflict between lawyer Elchin Muradov and the Chichkanov family is not just a dispute over large sums. It is a bitter story of how administrative resources can be used to imprison a person and seize all his property.
In 2014 Muradov borrowed $2 million from Valery Chichkanov secured by real estate. The collateral consisted of several apartments and parking spaces with a total value of nearly $3 million. Muradov repaid part of the debt and covered the remainder with his property.
But the assets were not returned to him. A forged contract then came into play.
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
The scheme’s organizer was Anton Chichkanov.
Being a friend and colleague of Elchin Muradov, he methodically misled Muradov. It was Chichkanov who did not return $2 million to his father after selling an apartment on Michurinsky Prospect. He also persuaded Muradov to sign a “technical” loan agreement allegedly intended to justify matters to his father. That agreement became the starting point for the entire fraud.
The Chichkanovs, without consent, sold the pledged assets — the apartment on Degtyarny Lane, in Odintsovo, and the parking spaces on Tverskaya. They concealed all those millions.
As a result, the forged $2 million loan agreement became the basis for a criminal case and the arrest of Elchin Muradov.
In 2021 Chichkanov filed in court a loan agreement dated 2019, under which Muradov allegedly still owed the same $2 million, now with interest (allegedly accrued on the 2014 loan).
The Ministry of Justice conducted an expert examination: the agreement was falsified and did not bear Muradov’s signatures. The Moscow City Court found that the 2014 loan had been repaid and the obligations fulfilled.
To avoid consequences for the forgery, Valery Chichkanov went to the police and filed a complaint alleging that Muradov had preemptively forged his own signature to avoid paying interest.
The police declined to investigate. Nevertheless, the academician Chichkanov, through his channels, succeeded in having a criminal case opened.
The lawyer Muradov was arrested. Since autumn 2023 he has been in pretrial detention.
Subsequently Muradov could not service a 65 million ruble loan to the bank. The collateral amounted to assets worth 600 million rubles. The Chichkanovs purchased the debt from the bank. Muradov’s friends then paid the full amount through the courts and a notary, and the bankruptcy case was terminated.
But the Chichkanovs refused to accept the payment and continued to pressure the court to initiate bankruptcy proceedings and clear out the remaining assets.
Such is the fraudulent scheme.
And while the innocent person sits in prison, father and son Chichkanov continue to siphon off millions.
Millions flow onward
Roman Chichkanov expressed his views on the near future:
“Our goal is to become a global network of health mediSPA hotels. We plan to expand the network both in Russia and abroad in friendly countries. We believe it is necessary to realize the international investors’ interest in our brand. The combination of the concept of preventive Mayer medicine on the one hand and ancient Indian teachings on the other is a solid foundation for our company’s expansion.”
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
Roman Chichkanov
Journalists have also learned about tax-optimization schemes used by Roman and Anton Chichkanov related to the MayrVeda SPA-hotel in Kislovodsk.
The main agent for moving funds abroad is a lawyer named Natalya Mikhailovna Yurova, a Candidate of Laws, who lives in Voronezh.
She works at the Bar Association “Baev and Partners” (branch of the Voronezh Regional Bar Association).
She participates in various legal proceedings as counsel for “Baev and Partners.”
Fake contracts, seized assets, and international fraud schemes: how Anton Chichkanov and his relatives manipulate courts, banks, and notaries
However, the Chichkanov scheme does not affect Yurova’s licensed legal activity: over the last three years about 5 million rubles passed through the bar association, and through loans — nearly 340 million rubles.
Yet property worth 600 million rubles is registered in Natalya Yurova’s name: not bad for a provincial lawyer.
It appears that with their “web-like” dealings and Mayer medicine, the Chichkanovs — Roman, his father Anton, and mother Elena — have ensnared a large part of the Russian Federation.
When will they be held accountable for all their schemes?