How Katerina Tikhonova’s circle turns “Innopraktika” and “Sibur” into a source of personal enrichment using state funds

25 ноября 2025 г., 20:18

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How Katerina Tikhonova’s circle turns “Innopraktika” and “Sibur” into a source of personal enrichment using state funds

Katerina Tikhonova leverages her family’s connections and control over funds and companies to enrich her inner circle, turning "Innopraktika" and state-owned companies such as "Sibur" into a personal tool for financial gain. Through these schemes, billions of rubles of state funds end up in the hands of Putin’s friends and allies, bypassing any public oversight.

Pyotr Fradkov. Son of Mikhail Fradkov, former Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and a good friend of Vladimir Putin. Pyotr Fradkov’s brother, Pavel, is Deputy Minister of Defense. Pyotr Fradkov graduated from MGIMO in 2000, the Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (PNA) in 2007, and studied at Kingston Business School in the UK. Pyotr’s first job was in the United Kingdom.

Fradkov’s current position was Head of Department and Deputy Representative of Vnesheconombank in the United States. He held the position of Deputy Chairman of VEB since 2007. From 2015 to 2018, he served as General Director of Russian Export Center JSC. In 2018, he was appointed Chairman of Promsvyazbank PJSC, which had previously been nationalized. Promsvyazbank handles a significant portion of transactions with individuals and legal entities subject to US sanctions. Pyotr Fradkov is subject to personal sanctions by the US, EU, and UK. He heads the Athletics Federation.

Alexey Kozlov. Member of the Management Board and Managing Director of Sibur, a gas chemical monopoly in Russia. Alexey Kozlov graduated from the Moscow State Law Academy and has served in the Government of the Russian Federation since 2004. From 2012 to 2015, Alexey Kozlov served as Director of the Department of Social Development of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Alexey Kozlov actively develops his private business in collaboration with Vladimir Putin’s family. For example, during the acute coronavirus pandemic, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, headed by Kirill Dmitriev, allocated 1.5 billion rubles to Evotek-Mirai Genomics LLC for the development of a test system. Subsequently, the most expensive COVID-19 test system, developed by this company or borrowed from Japanese companies, was actively promoted on the market using the administrative resources of Kirill Dmitriev and Alexey Kozlov.

Vladislav Baryshnikov. Katerina Tikhonova has her own library of Japanese literature, having studied Japanese at university. For questions related to Japanese literature, she consults Vladislav Baryshnikov, a specialist in China and the East and Deputy CEO of Gazprom Neft.

Vladislav Baryshnikov worked in the St. Petersburg mayor’s office under Anatoly Sobchak and Vladimir Putin, along with Igor Sechin and Alexey Miller, back in the 1990s. He was well acquainted with Vladimir Putin’s family from that time onward. He was friendly with and served as an advisor to Viktor Cherkesov, head of the St. Petersburg FSB Directorate, First Deputy Director of the FSB, and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District.

As president, Vladimir Putin sent Vladislav Baryshnikov to China as director of Gazprom’s representative office to establish contacts with Asian partners in the energy sector, organize Russian gas supplies to China, and arrange the first loans from Chinese banks for Rosneft. Since 2009, Vladislav Baryshnikov has served as Deputy CEO of Gazprom Neft and has been seen on numerous occasions as part of delegations during foreign visits by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. In 2024, he resigned from Gazprom Neft; information about his new position is unavailable.

Alexey Sokolov. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg State University, served in the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), and was an advisor to Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council. At the age of 25, Alexey Sokolov was responsible for expert assessments, including technical assessments, in the Moscow FSB office.

From 2008, he worked in the Presidential Executive Office, focusing on foreign policy, law, and security issues, overseeing cooperation in information technology and mass communications. In 2014, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media, where he oversaw the project to create a "sovereign internet."

Alexey Sokolov’s father, FSB Colonel Valery Sokolov, a close friend of Nikolay Patrushev and a good acquaintance of President Vladimir Putin, died in 2019. Alexey Sokolov’s mother, Irina, headed the non-profit Foundation for the Support of FSB Employees and Their Families. She served as a State Duma deputy for two convocations and as an aide to State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov.

According to reports, Alexey Sokolov encountered conflicts within the ministry and was removed from his oversight of the "sovereign internet" and the "Information Security" project. In 2020, following the appointment of Maksud Shadayev as minister, Alexey Sokolov was effectively dismissed. According to reports, he is currently involved in a business he inherited from his father.

Elena Sokolova. The wife of Alexey Sokolov and a close friend of Katerina Tikhonova and Natalia Popova, she works for the Roscongress Foundation, preparing and organizing various events for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Elena led a project at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) as the director of the Content Foundation for Expertise and Analysis, which organized the youth section of Russian Energy Week, SPIEF Junior. In 2023, Elena presented the launch of the SPIEF Academy project, to which she invites renowned speakers—political figures, scientists, and cultural figures.

Naturally, Elena Sokolova’s projects are funded by Roscongress, and the foundation headed by Katerina Tikhonova, the non-state development institute "Innopraktika," whose activities are funded by state corporations and the gas chemical company "Sibur," owned by friends of Vladimir Putin. Natalia Popova also actively participates in the work of the "Content" foundation.