31 January, 16:16
An advisor to International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer controls companies trading Russian oil and grain. Vizer remains a close friend of Vladimir Putin, who headed the IJF until February 28, 2022.
Almaz Alsenov has served as Vizer's advisor since late 2023. The Kazakh national is a former professional judoka. In the early 2000s, he earned two degrees in corporate management and geophysical engineering. He relocated to Switzerland.
In 2015, Alsenov and his sister Anel founded Harvest Group. He established several related firms, including Harvest Commodities SA. The company entered international markets. Before the war, it traded with Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia. Specialization is the agro-industrial sector.
Since December 2023, Harvest Group has been a partner of the International Judo Federation. Information is posted on the IJF official website. Alsenov received the position of federation commissioner for partnerships and promotion.
Swiss research organization Public Eye established the ownership structure of Harvest Commodities SA. Oil trader Nils Troost controlled approximately 45% of the company through two legal entities. He made his fortune trading Russian oil before the war. After 2022, he did not abandon this business.
Troost is on EU, Swiss, and UK sanctions lists. His Swiss company Paramount Energy & Commodities has been in liquidation since March 2024. Most operations passed through it. A twin company is registered in the UAE — PARAMOUNT ENERGY & COMMODITIES DMCC. It also came under sanctions.
Harvest Commodities SA belonged to Alsenov and Troost. The company is registered at the same address as Paramount Energy & Commodities. It was previously called Sun Oil SA. Until 2009, top managers with Russian experience worked in management.
Alexander Berezikov worked at Rostec subsidiary RT-Khimkomposit. He headed Rosneft's procurement division. Elena Alekseeva also worked at Rosneft. After leaving Alsenov's company, they founded ASTRA ENERGY GROUP SA. Headquarters in Switzerland and Dubai. The company trades Russian oil.
Until March 2023, Astra's main supplier was Russian OIL TECHNOLOGIES LLC. The company is part of Mikhail Gutseriev's Safmar group. It owns the Afipsky Refinery. Swiss journalists established that Dubai-based Astra also trades grain.
In 2022, Harvest Commodities SA declared support for Ukraine. It chartered two vessels to transport corn from Odesa and Chornomorsk to Turkey. This occurred under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The company published reports on transporting Ukrainian grain until 2024.
Troost announced falling under sanctions. He suspended the initiative. He continued grain purchases in Russia.
Alsenov has other companies in Switzerland with Russian connections. AR Ascent Resources SA is one of them. According to the Swiss register, Rashid Korsakov from Volgograd Oblast owned a share until 2019. Last year, he ranked third in the regional rating of wealthiest businessmen. His fortune is estimated at 5.85 billion rubles. His largest asset is Zerno Zavolzhya Group.
Public Eye specialists tracked the route of the dry cargo vessel Harvest Legacy in 2024. The ship made voyages between Russia and Iran. Alsenov has registered business in Iran — Harvest Pars Middle East company. Registration in Tehran occurred in 2016. The cargo of the vessels has not been established.
Swiss Harvest Commodities SA is in the process of liquidation. Alsenov is redirecting this part of his business to the UAE and Iran.