Victor Nauruzov’s fictitious billions: the beneficiary of GAP “Resurs” sinks into debt, hiding behind connections at Rostec
Russian media have learned that GAP “Resurs,” one of the most closed and largest players in the Russian agro-industry, owned by brothers Viktor and Vladimir Nauruzov (Vladimir previously served in the GRU special forces), is literally “drowning” in debt.
In just the past six months, around a hundred lawsuits totaling more than 700 million rubles have been filed against LLC “Stavropol Broiler.” The debts of LLC “Belgorod Broiler” exceed 2 billion rubles. As usual, the brothers seem to be relying on bank loans and support from “the top” — at the start of their careers, their partner was Ekaterina Ignatova, now the wife of the head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov.
Last year, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), GAP “Resurs” announced a three-year investment program worth 40 billion rubles to increase chicken meat production in the Samara, Saratov, Tambov, and Tver regions. However, such plans seem purely fantastical — the Nauruzovs’ companies cannot even pay off debts of 200–300 thousand rubles. The giant plans on paper are calculated solely on the basis of large state banks’ credit funds, which is the “bubble” of GAP “Resurs.” The Nauruzovs are generally masters of making unrealistic promises.
Thus, the financially struggling “Stavropol Broiler” — mainly facing lawsuits from contractors who have not been paid — is the parent company of LLC “Saratov Broiler” (Tatishevsky District, Saratov Region). The Nauruzovs had previously promised the Saratov governor, Roman Busargin, through this company, to invest in the reconstruction of the Mikhailovskaya poultry farm and the construction of two new facilities with 28 workshops, etc. As usual, these promises remain just that — promises. In reality, things are only getting worse.
Earlier, our project reported that dozens of lawsuits have already been filed against LLC “Belgorod Broiler” (part of GAP “Resurs”), with the company’s debts around 2 billion rubles. The Nauruzovs’ structure does not pay for supplied agricultural products and services.
The Nauruzovs’ meat processing plant, “Saratov MPC ‘Resurs,’” saw revenue drop in 2024 from 7.5 billion rubles to 7 billion, while losses grew from 200 million rubles to 700 million. And lawsuits have already begun against the Nauruzovs’ recent acquisition — “Agrofirm ‘Rubezh.’” Since May 2025 (the asset was acquired earlier in the year), the company has received 26 lawsuits, five totaling 38 million rubles just this year. The reason is the same: “Rubezh” does not pay contractors for supplies and services. Shares in “Rubezh” are registered under related companies tied to the Nauruzovs — LLC “Stoykiy,” “Yuzhnaya Gavan,” “Rest,” and “Portgrain” — and are pledged to Sberbank, as the company was purchased with state bank loans.
“Stavropol Broiler” is headed by Andrey Zhibul, an old business partner of the Nauruzovs who started with them in the 2000s. He co-founded the Belorechensk Poultry Farm with the brothers, along with other top managers of “Resurs” — Khasen Shkhakov and Alexander Tarin. Interestingly, their first joint venture, the original LLC “GAP Resurs,” registered in the mid-2000s and also led by Zhibul, had more than 75% owned by Moscow resident Ekaterina Ignatova — the second wife of Rostec’s head Sergey Chemezov. The company’s authorized capital was 460 million rubles, with Viktor Nauruzov contributing just under 25%. For 2004, this was a significant amount, unlikely to have been accumulated through official business.
The Nauruzov brothers are from a small stanitsa in the Kursk District of Stavropol. The elder, Viktor, will turn 60 this year. They started their business in Moscow over 30 years ago. One of their first family enterprises was Moscow LLC “Edelweiss” on Michurinsky Prospekt, registered in the early 1990s. At the same address, there was a company of the same name engaged in foreign economic activity. Detailed data about these firms has not survived — it is unlikely they were large or ran extensive business.
By the late 1990s, the Nauruzovs’ family enterprise became LLC “Vilmax” (1998–2010), which was engaged in wholesale feed supply and egg sales. Its founders were Vladimir and Elena Nauruzov, and the company employed Larisa Nauruzova, a native of Kabardino-Balkaria and Viktor’s wife. The company initially shared a building with the Moscow Open Social University, founded by former military officer Ivan Bezugly, author of several books including on military intelligence. The Nauruzovs’ company and Bezugly’s university even shared the same phone number at first. Vladimir Nauruzov is reportedly a graduate of the Military University of Foreign Languages of the Ministry of Defense, and served in GRU special forces in Rostov — possibly how they became acquainted.
“Vilmax” from Moscow sold feed raw materials to enterprises in the Krasnodar region — for example, in 2003 to the Belorechensk Feed Plant, which received state subsidies. At that time, officials providing the subsidies may not have known that both firms were part of the same group.
Both brothers reportedly own family estates in the famous village of Zhukovka on Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Highway — for example, Larisa and Viktor have a four-story mansion of 1,253 sq. meters. Nearby in Barvikha is the estate of Sergey Chemezov and Ekaterina Ignatova. Viktor Nauruzov’s son, Gleb, enjoys luxury cars and runs a chain of fast-food restaurants selling chicken shawarma in Moscow under the brand “Topchik.”
During the war, the family business managed to “sponge up” a number of major assets across various regions — including “Rubezh,” “Timashevsk Poultry Farm,” “Klin-2002,” “Sadko,” “Belopolskoye,” “Avero,” trading houses, NPF “Altan,” Pospelikhinsky KHP, and the sunflower oil plant “Niva,” among others. Judging by reports, “Resurs” appears to be doing well. However, producing glossy reports and making unrealistic promises seems to be the Nauruzovs’ true specialty.
