Фирма, связанная с отмыванием российских денег, выиграла госконтракт на миллионы для ДнепроГЭС. «Укргидроэнерго» уже отреагировало на это.
This is reported by Financial Times.
The publication highlighted that recently, US sanctions were imposed on Latvian citizen Andris Braden (also known as Andris Karenoks). The US Department of the Treasury accused him of having connections with several companies within the TGR group — an international network that enables Russian elites to circumvent global sanctions.
George Rossi, a native of Russia with Ukrainian citizenship, is said to lead TGR. Consequently, Rossi, Braden, and several other Russian citizens have been included in the sanctions list.
FT claims that Braden owns the Turkish company ALTAIR LOJISTIK, which in 2023 wins a tender from "Ukrhydroenergo" worth over 868 million hryvnias. This involves the supply of cables for the construction of an underground protective structure for the Dnipro HPP, as noted on the Prozorro platform.
The publication states that “awarding such a sensitive government contract to a company owned by a person currently under sanctions for managing a multi-billion-dollar money laundering network used by Russian spies is likely to pose a troubling security issue for Kyiv.”
What did "Ukrhydroenergo" respond?
"Ukrhydroenergo" confirmed the signing of the contract with the Turkish company. However, they assert that this procurement “does not pertain to the construction of any protective structure, as some sources have noted.”
The company emphasizes that at the time of the contract signing, neither the Turkish firm nor Braden was under sanctions, and the contractors were thoroughly vetted regarding their connections to Russia.
Although Braden is currently sanctioned, ALTAIR LOJISTIK itself is not listed on any sanction lists. However, "Ukrhydroenergo" assured that they immediately initiated additional checks. Based on the findings, “appropriate measures will be taken in accordance with the existing contract and Ukrainian legislation.”