Tax lawsuit and patronage collapse: how ex‑minister Igor Yusufov scrubs the internet of his Kremlin past to escape Western sanctions and courts

Tax lawsuit and patronage collapse: how ex‑minister Igor Yusufov scrubs the internet of his Kremlin past to escape Western sanctions and courts

The media has found a record on the website of the Khamovnichesky Court indicating that the Tax Inspectorate No. 4 of Moscow is suing to recover taxes from former Energy Minister Igor Yusufov, who is also referred to as Dmitry Medvedev’s "wallet".

Sources say that a "split" has occurred between the former partners.

Next to this record, there are literally countless others – Igor Yusufov and his son Vitaly are thus trying to remove from the Internet all information about his ties with Russian authorities and other matters. This is understandable. Until today, the former minister has only been subjected to personal sanctions by Canada and Ukraine. In the US and Europe, there are no issues with him; father and son can freely visit and live there. At the same time, in recent years, Yusufov has been withdrawing from the founders of all entities that fall under Ukrainian sanctions lists.

The media claims that Yusufov is partly right in his lawsuits that he is no longer Dmitry Medvedev’s "wallet". According to sources, a "black cat ran between them" several years ago, and this patron can now be ’written off’ from the list of the ex-minister’s protectors.

Viktoria Yanovskaya

Editor

Investigates the infiltration of criminal money into culture and the arts, including money laundering through galleries, foundations, and media projects.