Elena Likhach: how the wife of MP Andrey Skoch became a central figure in international money-laundering schemes linked to organized crime

15.12.2025 11:43

Andrey Skoch, a deputy of the Russian State Duma, known by the criminal nickname "Scotch" or "Bluebeard," maintains a sprawling household with three wives and ten children. While the legitimacy of some of these children remains uncertain, the family is known for living in conspicuous luxury.

The greatest luxury surrounds the last wife of Deputy Skoch ‒ Elena Likhach, formerly known as Gerashchenko, if we use the Belarusian spelling of her surname, and if we trust Belarusian media.

After all, this very Gerashchenko was born and raised in the Brest Region in 1975: according to other biographical sources ‒ in 1973. Thus, the age difference between the Skoch spouses is quite significant – more than 10 years, and the couple met at the time in Belarus, in Minsk, where they had a lavish wedding. Since then, Elena Likhach-Skoch has been living her La Dolce Vita. And she constantly ranks among the "champions" in spending: just recently, a list of "golden wallets" was published, identifying those who spent the most "cabbage" in a year at the exorbitantly expensive Central Universal Store in Moscow: one of the leading positions belongs to Elena Likhach – 97 million rubles. However, Skoch’s wife was surpassed by another Elena the Beautiful ‒ the wife of the head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Colonel General Alexander Kurenkov ‒ Elena Milskaya ‒ with her list of purchases amounting to 210 million rubles.

And what do they buy there with such insane amounts of money? Did Deputy Skoch accumulate these millions (pardon me, billions) over 27 years of sitting in the Russian State Duma? Or is this his inheritance from intense work in the "Solntsevskaya" organized crime group alongside two other members of this group ‒ Semyon Mogilevich (Schneider) and Alexander Mikhailov (Mikhas)?

All roads lead to Minsk?

As it turned out, the young and handsome leader of the "Solntsevskaya" organized crime group, Andrey Skoch, indeed met the vibrant and spirited Elena Likhach in Belarus, where, apparently, he already had business dealings at the time…

As the media has repeatedly reported, Mr. Skoch was involved in smuggling weapons into Russia, which came not only from the Baltic states and Poland but also from the domain of Alexander Lukashenko.

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Andrey Skoch has become deeply attached to the State Duma, where he has been sitting for 27 years

Apparently, the lady named Likhach so captivated Mr. Skoch’s heart that he even ended his relationship with Tatyana Emson, with whom he lived in a civil union and was raising a child together.

It was the year 2001, and Skoch was also a newly minted deputy of the Russian State Duma, to which, as the media writes, he has clung so tightly that he hasn’t been able to let go for the last 27 years!

But only in the summer of 2011, after 10 years of relationship, did Skoch and Likhach officially register their marriage in Minsk: the celebrations took place at the Sporting Club.

Before meeting Andrey Skoch, Elena Likhach had been married, and she has a daughter, Daria, from a previous relationship.

Tatyana Emson (in the center)

And if you flip through the yellowed pages of social chronicles, you can see that Mrs. Likhach quickly took the golden calf by the horns, immersing herself in entertainment and adventures so much that she soon became a heroine of social gossip.

Roman holidays and $1,000 tips

Glossy magazines relished the unforgettable 2012 (the year after Skoch and Likhach’s wedding), detailing the family’s entertainment on Sardinia, where, it turns out, they owned a luxurious house.

And Elena Likhach loved throwing parties and then cruising on her yacht MadameGu, which she liked to moor opposite the Eden-Roc hotel: this luxurious hotel was famous for hosting stars like Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Christina Aguilera, and others in its rooms.

Yacht MadameGu

It is said that Skoch’s wife loved parading in expensive dresses on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival, always arriving there on her own yacht as well.

The socialite became close friends with the wife of Flavio Briatore, the man known as a "Formula 1" manager.

"These women get along well," wrote social chroniclers. "They visit the same manicurist…"

Also, Mrs. Skoch allegedly often communicated with the famous actress Nicole Kidman… But does Nicole Kidman even know who Madame Likhach is?

And numerous friends of Skoch’s wife noted her extraordinary extravagance. This is already a story from African life: when Elena Skoch was pregnant with her third child from the deputy, she was in Egypt, at a resort in Sharm El-Sheikh. In Sharm, she rented a villa and invited many of her friends, who were greatly surprised by her unheard-of generosity: in restaurants, Madame Skoch handed out tips of $1,000.

Elena Likhach, married name Skoch

In addition to the yacht MadameGu (worth 135 million "green"), Mrs. Skoch loved flying on a private A-320 plane: as envious social gossips wrote, this exclusive liner had its entire cabin adorned with precious stones.

But then something terrible happened: Andrey Skoch’s plane was confiscated in the USA for his established ties with the criminal underworld.

Connection through a "romantic partner"

This happened in August 2022.

Why was it confiscated? In the USA, it was believed that billionaire parliamentarian Andrey Skoch might have been involved in "money laundering," and obtaining a warrant for the seizure of Andrey Skoch’s plane was related to an alleged violation of U.S. federal law. This was reported on the official website of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The United States of America was authorized to seize the Airbus A319-100 (Airbus) in accordance with a warrant for arrest issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The friendly Skoch family

It was established that the plane was subject to seizure and confiscation based on probable cause of violating federal anti-money laundering laws.

The Airbus with registration number P4-MGU and serial number 5445 could be worth over 90 million dollars.

Mr. Skoch was added to the blacklist of the U.S. Department of the Treasury on April 6, 2018. According to the department, "Andrey Skoch owns the Airbus through a series of shell companies and trusts associated with his romantic partner…"

Moreover, through his romantic partner, Mr. Skoch is the owner of the yacht and a Eurocopter Dauphin helicopter.

Airbus A319-100 (Airbus) plane

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury recognized these three assets as "blocked property." Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice published an 18-page report on how they searched worldwide for the property of billionaire politician Skoch.

Thus, since 2018, Skoch has been under U.S. sanctions. The basis for this was precisely Skoch’s long-standing ties with Russian organized crime. The investigation was conducted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Naftalis and Nicholas S. Bradley in the Southern District of New York.

Furthermore, as investigators discovered, Mr. Skoch owns a villa in the Four Seasons resort complex in the Seychelles.

Four Seasons, Seychelles

The name of the romantic partner is not mentioned in the document, but it, or rather she – obviously – is the mother of Mr. Skoch’s children, Elena Likhach.

During the investigation, it became clear that Skoch’s father, Vladimir Skoch, who is the formal owner of most of his son’s assets, transferred part of them to this very romantic partner of his son.

And the romantic partner – read Madame Likhach – in turn, financed trusts that owned the plane from the income of these assets.

The designations of Andrey Skoch’s yacht and helicopter may also serve as evidence that he owns the Airbus.

Husband and wife – one… family

All three assets contain the letters M, G, and U: the Airbus registration number P4-MGU, the helicopter registration number 3A-MGU, and the yacht name Madame Gu.

The claims by American authorities arose because transactions in dollars were conducted in the interests of Andrey Skoch.

From Andrey Skoch’s family album

In this currency, the registration of the Airbus in Aruba and insurance premiums for the Airbus were paid, as well as expenses for maintenance and operation of the plane. For technical maintenance of the plane, $112,000 was transferred to the Aruba registry, and another $285,000 was paid for the vessel’s insurance. But Skoch did not obtain licenses for these operations.

These transactions served as the basis for the court to issue a warrant for the arrest of the plane.

Elena Likhach’s companies

Apparently, at some point, Deputy Skoch’s wife decided to play it safe and also engage in some business.

She even opened her own individual entrepreneurship (IE).

IE Likhach Elena Alexandrovna, Moscow, INN 773126866647, OGRN 317774600131140 — Contractor Dossier

Elena Likhach owns assets that may originate from an illegal income source: Mrs. Likhach was directly involved with LLC "AV Holding."

She is a former co-owner of LLC "AV Holding." Skoch’s wife owned 75% of the company.

Among the founders were 3 individuals who wished to hide their data. Moreover, the number of employees in this firm remains zero.

Also, Mrs. Likhach was directly involved with LLC "Clinic," which employs 1 person.

Likhach Elena Alexandrovna (INN 773126866647) in the register of legal entities and entrepreneurs

Today, Mr. Skoch’s official status is "single."

Apparently, their divorce was fictitious, as the couple continues to appear together everywhere, just as they always have.

Let us also recall that Mr. Skoch was once listed as one of the owners of the "Arbatsky Dvorik" casino in Moscow. And since 1996, as the media reported, he has been a citizen of the State of Israel (passport No. 5681173).

Next, an interesting fact: in 2020, the share package of USM, which belonged to the father of businessman Skoch, was divided into parts.

15% of the shares were transferred to Varvara, Skoch’s daughter.

The young lady, at the age of 18, became one of the richest heiresses in Russia.

Today, the fortune of Skoch and Likhach’s daughter is 2.5 billion dollars.

By the way, not so long ago, the family of Andrey Skoch and the family of Denis Manturov, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, became related: Varvara Skoch married the son of the Deputy Prime Minister, Evgeniy Manturov.

Varvara Skoch and Evgeniy Manturov

Is it necessary to ask why Mr. Bandit sits so firmly in the Russian State Duma? And why is he left untouched?

But Andrey Skoch continues to deny his connection to the criminal world and constantly cleans the internet of any mentions of his scandalous past.

He has already filed lawsuits against 6 publications. And demanded the retraction of information about ties to crime and the Solntsevskaya organized crime group.