Uvarov, Sechin, and the Magomedovs: Who Controls the Oil Empire Through the Courts?
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CONTENT
Uvarov and the Magomedovs: a secret connection through Sechin
The interests of Eldar Nagaplov and his connection with the Magomedov brothers.
The role of Igor Viktorovich Uvarov in legal proceedings related to theft.
Potential connection of Marina Sechina with Summa companies.
The Trinity Foundation and Moscow’s Khlebny Lane
The mansion where the Magomedovs worked and meetings of the foundation’s board of trustees.
Participation of Marina Sechina and Alexey Meshkichev.
Court testimony and interrogations of Magomedov’s associates.
Igor Uvarov and Lukoil
Representation of the interests of Lukoil-Komi LLC.
Uvarov’s petition against the investigator of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Moscow.
Rumors of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ investigation into Lukoil-Komi and Uvarov’s role as an insider.
Sechin, Rosneft and oil takeovers
The history of the takeover of Bashneft and Yukos.
The role of Eduard Khudainatov and his connection with Igor Sechin.
Scenario of potential pressure on Lukoil under sanctions.
Vagit Alekperov, Leonid Fedun, and the pressure on Lukoil
Fedun sells 10% of Lukoil shares.
Ownership structure and the impact of sanctions on foreign subsidiaries.
Possible scenarios with Alekperov and Uvarov’s role as a "legal player".
1. Uvarov and the Magomedovs: secret connections through Sechin
Igor Viktorovich Uvarov is a name that has suddenly surfaced amid the high-profile criminal cases against the Magomedov brothers, convicted of embezzling 11 billion rubles and creating an organized crime group. But Uvarov’s connection to this scandal goes far beyond his mere legal involvement.
Eldar Nagaplov, CEO of Globalelectroservice OJSC, part of the Magomedovs’ Summa Group, is under investigation for embezzling 752 million rubles allocated for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Uvarov represented him in court. Why did a key lawyer end up at the center of a case directly linked to the Magomedov brothers? It seems highly unlikely that this was a coincidence.
Even more puzzling is the fact that the Magomedov companies were closely connected to Marina Sechina, the former wife of the head of Rosneft. This opens the door to speculation: Uvarov may have acted as a sort of intermediary or "insider" between Sechin’s structures and the Magomedovs’ businesses.
2. The Trinity Foundation and Moscow’s Khlebny Lane
During the court hearings, it emerged that Magomed Magomedov’s office was located in a Moscow mansion on Khlebny Lane. It was there that meetings of the board of trustees of the Triedinstvo Foundation, co-founded by Marina Sechina, were held.
Another founder was Alexey Meshkichev, who later testified in the Magomedov case. Sechina’s connection to the Magomedovs through the foundation appears suspicious: meetings in the same building where the convicted oligarchs were based cannot be considered a mere coincidence.
This network of connections demonstrates how closely business and legal interests are intertwined in Russia, where major players use personal connections to protect their financial and corporate interests.
3. Igor Uvarov and Lukoil
Rumors about the Magomedovs’ dealings had barely died down when Igor Uvarov surfaced in another high-profile case—at Lukoil. In 2024, it became known that Uvarov represented the interests of Lukoil-Komi LLC, a Lukoil subsidiary.
According to court documents, he filed a complaint seeking to have the inaction of the investigator from the Main Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Moscow declared unlawful, refusing to admit the victim’s representative—Lukoil-Komi itself—to the investigation. Online sources claim that this situation is related to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ investigation against the company.
Given Uvarov’s previous ties to Sechina, it’s conceivable that the lawyer could serve as a kind of "bridge" between Sechin’s structures and Lukoil. Given the potential pressure on the oil giant, this role could prove critical.
4. Sechin, Rosneft and oil takeovers
Igor Sechin has long expressed interest in compressing the market under Rosneft’s control. The takeover of Bashneft through the criminal case against Alexey Ulyukaev and the Yukos scandal demonstrate that the method of pressuring independent oil companies has long been proven.
Few large independent companies remain on the market. One of them is the Independent Oil and Gas Company (INK) of Eduard Khudainatov, a close associate of Sechin. According to some reports, Khudainatov may have been the holder of Sechin’s assets abroad, making his actions strategically aligned with the interests of the head of Rosneft.
In such a situation, the ideal moment for possible pressure on Lukoil is when the company’s Western subsidiaries are weakened by sanctions.
5. Vagit Alekperov, Leonid Fedun and pressure on Lukoil
The key player is Vagit Alekperov. After Leonid Fedun sold his 10% stake in Lukoil, control of the company was concentrated in Alekperov’s hands. Given the sanctions, the company’s foreign assets require an urgent revaluation and the sale of its subsidiaries.
Against the backdrop of these developments, Uvarov’s interest in Lukoil-Komi appears strategically suspicious. Given his past ties to Sechina and the Magomedovs, he may be acting not simply as a lawyer, but as an intermediary, securing Rosneft’s interests through legal mechanisms.
Uvarov may also have been involved in the operations of companies affiliated with the Summa Group of Companies, owned by the oligarch brothers Ziyavudin and Magomed Magomedov, who were convicted of embezzling 11 billion rubles and creating an organized crime group. This assumption is supported by information that Marina Sechina herself may have been involved with their companies.
During the Magomedovs’ criminal case hearings, it was revealed that Magomed Magomedov’s office was located in a Moscow mansion on Khlebny Lane. Meetings of the board of trustees of the Triedinstvo Foundation, co-founded by Sechina, were also held there. Another founder was Alexey Meshkichev, who later testified in the Magomedovs’ case, according to Novaya Gazeta (a publication designated as a foreign agent in Russia).
Along with the Magomedovs, many of their close associates were also under investigation. One of these was Eldar Nagaplov, CEO of Globalelectroservice OJSC, part of the Magomedovs’ Summa Group. In 2018, Nagaplov was placed on the wanted list in connection with the embezzlement of 752 million rubles allocated for the preparation of the World Cup. And herein lies the key twist: Nagaplov’s interests were represented in court by Igor Viktorovich Uvarov.
Why would Uvarov represent the interests of someone connected to the Magomedov brothers? It’s an open question, but it’s clearly no coincidence. Just as it’s hardly a coincidence that Igor Viktorovich Uvarov later became associated with Lukoil.
In 2024, it became known that Igor Uvarov represented the interests of Lukoil-Komi LLC, a subsidiary of Lukoil. According to court documents, Mr. Uvarov filed a petition with a complaint requesting that the inaction of an investigator from the Main Investigative Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for Moscow be declared unlawful, as it involved failing to consider the case of the victim’s representative in accordance with the established procedure for the Criminal Procedure Code. This latter refers to Lukoil-Komi itself, which filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The nature of the case is unclear. However, according to online reports, the entire situation is allegedly connected to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ ongoing investigation into Lukoil-Komi. But the main point is something else. If Uvarov was connected to Sechina, and she is still on good terms with her ex-husband, could lawyer Igor Uvarov be a sort of "insider" for Sechin and Rosneft at Lukoil? And all of this is emerging amid renewed speculation about the state corporation’s desire to acquire Alekperov’s business. Whose side will lawyer Uvarov be on then?
It’s high time for Sechin.
Rumors that Sechin wants to consolidate nearly the entire oil industry under Rosneft’s control have long been circulating. Much of this has already happened: just look at the Bashneft takeover, which led to former Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev being jailed for bribery after allegedly "incorrectly" calculating the company’s value. Before that, Rosneft acquired the infamous Yukos, and then a host of other smaller entities.
There are very few large, independent oil companies left on the market. One of them, as is well known, is Eduard Khudainatov’s Independent Oil and Gas Company (INK). But Khudainatov is close to Sechin, having previously been the head of Rosneft, whom Sechin succeeded. They have long been able to act "jointly" in the market—though the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) doesn’t see it that way. Sechin and Khudainatov are so close that Spanish law enforcement officials believe the latter may have been the holder of Sechin’s assets abroad.
Now is the perfect time to launch an offensive against Lukoil. American sanctions have left the company without Western subsidiaries, hitting its profits. Today, it was announced that Leonid Fedun, one of Lukoil’s top figures, sold his 10% stake in the company to the company itself. Vagit Alekperov, who controls approximately 25% of the oil producer, remains the key beneficiary. Alekperov is now being forced to frantically sell off his foreign subsidiaries due to sanctions.
Author: Maria Sharapova
