Ukrainian online media «Цензор.нет» published the list of staff members of the 9th Department of operational information of the 5th Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) during the first week of Russian invasion into Ukraine. Staff members provided «information support of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and managed a network of saboteurs».
Russian Andrei Aleksandrovich Shkrabo is under number 17 in the list. He has been «supervisor of humanitarian sub-group of Tripartite Contact Group and directly communicated with Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk».
The Center of Journalist Investigations decided to find out more about activity of «FSB supervisor of Medvedchuk» before and after the Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine.
Leaked and open databases of the Russian Federation confirmed that Andrei Aleksandrovich Shkrabo, born on 14.07.1958, has served in Russian military unit # 26047 until July 2014. It is the 5th Service of FSB, located at the address – Moscow, Velyka Lubyanka street, 12.
Behind Putin and Zolotov
The oldest photo of Andrei Shkrabo we found is dated 2006. It is the photo of the opening ceremony of ferry line «Ust-Luga-Baltiisk». The ferry line connected Kaliningrad oblast with «Great Russia» in Finnish Bay. Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the ceremony.
Andrei Shkrabo as bodyguard of Vladimir Putin at the opening of ferry line «Ust-Luga-Baltiisk», 2006. Photo: mintrans.gov.ru
Ferry line and port of Ust-Luga have been very important for Russia. Ice free water area of Ust-Luga has secured all year round navigation for export of Russian oil, metals and wood, and transportation of cargo for Russian naval base in Baltic region. Ferry line strengthened the position of Russia in the region and lessened dependence of the delivery of strategic cargo to Kaliningrad upon Lithuania.
The photo shows Viktor Zolotov, then main bodyguard of Putin and Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Guard Service, and current Commander of the Russian Guard, and Andrei Shkrabo behind Putin.
Andrei Shkrabo as bodyguard of Vladimir Putin at the opening of ferry line «Ust-Luga-Baltiisk», 2006. Photo: mintrans.gov.ru
Kaliningrad might have been the place of stationing of Shkrabo at that time. His wife Rimma Shkrabo indicates Kaliningrad as her native city and Moscow as the city of residence since 2000s in social media.
Russian databases indicate Latvian city of Liepaja as the place of birth of two daughters of Rimma and Andrei Shkrabo – Maria and Tatiana. It seems that Shkrabo has served in KGB in Latvia before the disruption of the Soviet Union. He preserved his connections with Baltic States and their citizens as we will show in the chapter about business of FSB (Russian Federal Security Service).
Andrei Shkrabo and his wife Rimma Shkrabo. Photo: facebook Римма Шкрабо
In 2014, Andrei Shkrabo retired as military pensioner. However, his further activity was related to the Russian intelligence services and he worked in various roles in Russia and abroad, including occupied territories of Ukraine.
«Representative of the Ministry of Emergency Situations» in Minsk
In June 2014, «Tripartite Contact Group on Peaceful Settlement of Situation in Eastern Ukraine» (hereinafter referred as TCG) was set up. It was aimed at stopping military conflict by diplomatic means. There were three parties in TCG – Ukraine, Russian and Ukraine.
Russians did not recognize themselves as the party of the military conflict and used TCG to legalize occupation authorities, illegally created under their support and supervision on occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts.
They brought leaders of so-called «Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics» (DNR\LNR) to meetings of sub-groups of TCG and tried to launch direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russian puppets.
Partiсipants of Tripartite Contact Group in Minsk (from left to right): from Russia – Boris Gryzlov, from OSCE – Martin Saidik, from Ukraine – Leonid Kuchma. Photo: Darka.Olefir
Iryna Geraschenko, current member of the Ukrainian parliament and then First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, has been representative of Ukraine in humanitarian sub-group. This sub-group focused, inter alia, on release of Ukrainian citizens, illegally detained on temporary occupied territories of Eastern Ukraine and in Russia.
Viktor Medvedchuk, then member of the Ukrainian parliament and one of leaders of pro-Russian opposition in Ukraine, has been also involved into the work of humanitarian sub-group. His status and powers in TCG were often criticized, and President of Ukraine Poroshenko had to justify the role of godfather of Putin in Minsk negotiations.
«The only function of Viktor Medvedchuk in TCG is to release Ukrainian hostages detained in Russia and on occupied territories», as told Poroshenko in June 2016.
«Viktor Medvedchuk conducts meetings not within TCG as he is not member of TCG. He is the member of the sub-group on humanitarian issues and he conducts meetings within sub-groups», as added Poroshenko.
Vladimir Stepanov, First Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, has been an official representative of Russia in humanitarian sub-group. As Iryna Geraschenko says, Russians explained participation of this Ministry by its experience in international humanitarian missions. But then Stepanov stopped coming to meetings of sub-group in Minsk
«Somebody, called Andrei, has replaced Stepanov. He called himself representative of the senior management of the Ministry but did not disclose his position or title. Later our intelligence services confirmed that he was a staff member of FSB. He rarely spoke at meetings and wrote down everything; he insisted on participation of representatives of «DNR\LNR». They flew to Minsk together with Russians from Moscow», as says Geraschenko in her interview to the CJI.
Iryna Geraschenko has been the first to publish the photo of Andrei Shkrabo as an official «representative of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations» in humanitarian sub-group of TCG.
On September 17, 2016, two illegally detained Ukrainians Volodymyr Zhemchugov and Yuri Suprun were released on the bridge in the Ukrainian city of Schastia.
Ірина Геращенко, народна депутатка України, а на той час – перша віце-спікерка ВРУ, представляла Україну в гуманітарній підгрупі, яка, серед іншого, займалася питаннями звільнення українців, незаконно утримуваних на тимчасово окупованих територіях Донбасу і в РФ. У роботі підгрупи брав участь і Віктор Медведчук, народний депутат і один з лідерів проросійської опозиції в Україні. Його статус в ТКГ, в плані сторони представництва і мандату, був предметом критики на адресу президента Порошенка, якому доводилось пояснювати роль кума Путіна в мінському процесі.
Iryna Geraschenko meets Volodymyr Zhemchugov and Yuri Suprun, released from Russian captivity. September 16, 2016. Photo presented by Iryna Geraschenko
Representatives of OSCE observed the release of Ukrainians. Suddenly, Iryna Geraschenko saw Russian Andrei Shkrabo who came from occupied territories and violated the rules of crossing the state border of Ukraine.
As Geraschenko says, Shkrabo came to Schastia in the car of OSCE, and OSCE representatives should have understood that they contributed to the violation of rules of crossing the Ukrainian border.
This fact has been outrageous as since the beginning of 2016 Russian intelligence services impeded upon Geraschenko’s access to the meetings of Russian court, considering «the case of Nadia Savchenko» in Russian city of Rostov, and to the meetings of humanitarian sub-group in Minsk.
Andrei Shkrabo illegally entered Ukrainian territory to oversee the transfer of Ukrainian civil captives Volodymyr Zhemchugov and Yuri Suprun. Ukrainian city of Schastia. September 17, 2016. Photo presented by Iryna Geraschenko.
In March 2016, FSB imposed a ban on Geraschenko’s entrance to the Russian Federation until 2021. As Russia and Belarus had joint «stop-list», this ban covered an entrance to Belarus, too. It threatened participation of Geraschenko in meetings of humanitarian sub-group in TCG. Russian decision violated «Minsk agreements» and pressured the senior leadership of Ukraine.
In May 2016, Geraschenko reported that the Belorussian Ministry of Internal Affairs excluded her from the «stop-list». The ban on entrance to Russian was not cancelled.
Russian decisions were aimed at increasing the political weight of Viktor Medvedchuk by making him «crucial» in releasing Ukrainian captives.
It is ironic that, in September 2022, Medvedchuk himself became the object of exchanges between Ukraine and Russia…
Assisting Medvedchuk
December 2016. Minsk correspondent of Radio «Liberty» Valerii Kalinovsky reported that leaders of puppet «republics» Igor Plotnytsky and Oleksandr Zakharchenko came from Moscow to Minsk for the meeting of TCG on December 7, 2016. Later Kalinovsky reported that Nadia Savchenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, conducted secret meeting with them. The meeting was held in restaurant of Minsk hotel «Viktoria» for several hours. Besides Russian puppet «leaders», the following people participated in the meeting: Volodymyr Ruban (the State Security Service of Ukraine argued that he has been an assistant of Medvedchuk) and two Russians – Mikhail Baluev and Andrei Shkrabo. Ukrainian media called him «Shkriaba».
«It is interesting that Skriaba paid for Savchenko and Ruban in restaurant whereas Baluev – for Zakharchenko and Plotnytsky after the end of meeting», as added Kalinovsky in his interview to Ukrainian TV channel 112.
On December 12, 2016, Nadia Savchenko confirmed the meeting with separatists. Next day, she confirmed Kalinovsky’s information about other two Russian participants – members of Minsk group on humanitarian issues Mikhail Baluev and … Oleg Shkriaba (see her interview to project «Донбас.Реалії»).
Interlocutor of «Ukrainska Pravda» in TCG confirmed that Russian representative with name Andrei (his surname was not mentioned) was late for the meeting of Savchenko with separatists for half an hour.
«When Ukrainians proposed to exchange 228 people for 42 people, this Andrei left the meeting», as reported interlocutor of «Ukrainska Pravda».
Such a behavior of Shkrabo was not surprising. Russians blocked proposals of Ukrainian representatives in TCG. They favored only proposals of exchanges put forward by Medvedchuk after approval from Kremlin.
Ukrainian journalist project BIHUS.info disclosed wiretapping of Medvedchuk’s phone calls about exchanges (it summarized its findings in video investigation). It is remarkable that so-called «ombudswomen» of «DNR\LNR» Daria Morozova and Olga Kobtseva regularly told Medvedchuk that they contacted only with him and ignored any other Ukrainian representatives in Minsk TCG.
«There is only one authorized person and his name is Viktor Volodomyrovych Medvedchuk. If there will be a request from him, then, we will consider it», as answered Morozova and Kobtseva to Geraschenko, managers and members of the Center of the State Security Service of Ukraine on release of Ukrainian captives and volunteers.
Daria Morozova and Olga Kobtseva
In his turn, Medvedchuk regularly informed «ombudswomen» about his reports to Moscow on exchanges.
However, an absolute majority of his phone talks with Moscow focused on his business interests and meetings with Russian senior officials, not related to the release of Ukrainian captives.
According to the State Security Service of Ukraine, 16 Ukrainians were released from Russian captivity in 2016. As Yuri Tandit, advisor of the Head of the State Security Service, explained, «release of hostages became very political». This statement is true about both sides. For example, Ukrainian side used the release of Ukrainian «Rakhman», defender of Donetsk Airport, to strengthen political position of Petro Poroshenko.
In 2017, Ukraine succeeded in releasing only 73 Ukrainian military and civilians. The exchange was conducted on December 27, 2017.
No exchanges were conducted in 2018.
In 2019, Ukraine went through presidential and extraordinary parliamentarian elections. Medvedchuk used the release for his political purposes.
June 2019. The CJI received database of Russian air flights Sirena-travel.ru from community KibOrg. In accordance with this database, one reservation number included flights from Moscow to Minsk, dated June 25 and 26, 2019, for «leaders» of «DNR/LNR» Leonid Pasichnyk and Denys Pushilin and his assistant and lover Viktoria Talakina. The same reservation number included tickets for Andrei Shkrabo.
On June 27, 2019, Viktor Medvedchuk met them in Minsk and announced the release of four Ukrainian hostages.
Viktor Medvedchuk and four Ukrainian citizens, released from the captivity of illegal military units of «Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics». June 2019. Photo: 112.ua
Next day, they were brought to Minsk and handed over to Medvedchuk who brought them by his private plane to Kyiv.
This release happened one month before extraordinary parliamentary elections in Ukraine. It has not been conducted within TCG and was used by Medvedchuk to strengthen his political role as the leader of pro-Russian political party «Opposition – for Life». He criticized President Zelensky for «thwarting peaceful regulation in Donbas» and exchange of captives.
Andrei Shkrabo (extreme left) at the exchange of captives on December 29, 2019. Photo: screenshot of video smotrim.ru
On December 29, 2019, the largest exchange was conducted – Russians and their puppets released 76 Ukrainians whereas Kyiv authorities transferred 124 people. An exchange was agreed at the meeting of Normandy contact group. Russian propaganda broadcasts featured Andrei Shkrabo as a participant of exchanges.
Business of FSB
When Andrei Shkrabo has been representative of Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in TCG, he has been simultaneously a director of several Russian commercial companies. It is likely that they were related to Russian intelligence services.
Shkrabo has been General Director of Russian LLC «Baltgeotrest» (shortened name – «BG-Trest») from September 2015 until May 2017. The company won a number of lucrative public tenders on hydro technical works in Russian ports.
Shkrabo has headed LLC «Dzidipi geo» from August 2017 until its liquidation in December 2023. The company was involved into the extraction of precious and rare earth metals.
He has headed law company «IVEK» from July 2018 until its liquidation in December 2023.
Last two companies were registered at the same address in Moscow (Kuznetsky most, 21/5). Their final beneficiary is Dzamikhov Akhmed Mukhamedovich (directly or through LLC «Dzidipi group»), former owner of alcohol factories of «Torgova compania LB Victori», located in Moscow oblast.
Cooperation of Dzamikhov and Shkrabo is an example of cooperation between FSB and dubious businesses with Chechen roots.
Akhmed Dzamikhov with his son, 2012. Photo: social media
In accordance with version of Russian law enforcement bodies, in 2012, Akhmed Dzamikhov with Chechen police and personal bodyguards of Ramzan Kadyrov seized and tortured a person. They argued that this person stole Lexus from entrepreneur.
Lawyer of Dzamikhov had another version: Dzamikhov had a conflict with Russian criminals and hired Chechen police for his protection.
Dazmikhov has been arrested. It was reported that investigators asked him to give them his factory in exchange for release. Finally, Dzamikhov was released. Later FSB people appeared as his business partners.
For example, in December 2014, Russian construction company «Baltinvestproect» (short name «Bi-Proekt») renewed its founders and included Komogorov Viktor Ivanovich as the new co-founder.
FSB Colonel General Komogorov has been Deputy Director of FSB in 2004-2009. He headed the 5th Service of FSB. He is now President of Sports club of FSB veterans.
He is also managing partner of «International Fund for Sustainable Development» (hereinafter referred to as MFUR).
Another FSB General Orlov Viktor Ivanovich is the Head of the Board of this Fund. He served in Russian military counter-intelligence and in FSB where he developed Russian strategy to fight terrorism.
This Fund became co-founder of above mentioned «Dzidipi geo» when it has been managed by Shkrabo. MFUR also created JSC «Institute of technology of sustainable development». The Institute founded LLC «Dzidipi group».
MFUR, Institute and affiliated limited liability companies has the same address in Moscow – Kuznetsky most, 21/5. Their websites indicate the same contact phone number +7 495 626 05 46.
All these companies and funds are united into a group of companies GDP group.
They declare their participation in the Global Development Project (GDP), launched in 1993 by activity of departments of UNESCO, called «Transfer of sustainable development technology». The ability of Russian intelligence services to penetrate into various international organizations is well known.
Group of companies GDP. Photo: gdp-group.com
Website of informal business group of FSB people demonstrate logo and brand names of six companies, including Ekohidrotechnika, Energėja and Nantėja, registered in Latvia and Lithuania, members of NATO and EU. Green Line Shipping, registered in Riga, is the owner of above mentioned «Baltgeotrest», headed by Andrei Shkrabo until 2017.
Latvian citizen Alexanders Borodins is the final beneficiary of above mentioned Baltic companies. He is the founder of many companies across the West. We devoted the second part of our investigation to this person.
