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One of the richest people in Russia, oligarch and pharmaceutical billionaire Alexei Repik, has been found to be responsible for multiple construction projects in Mariupol, while running his business freely in both the United States and Germany, according to a report by investigative outlet Scanner Project. Repik is the owner of the construction company R-Stroy – one of the main developers of the occupied city.
R-Stroy was founded in May 2022 – at the same time Russia occupied Mariupol. The company almost immediately began the construction of residential buildings and civil infrastructure in the city, and took part in “charity projects” coordinated by pro-war propagandist Zakhar Prilepin. Although the Russian authorities actively criticize the “collective West” (particularly the United States), Repik has his own home in the US, and runs R-Pharm – a pharmaceutical business registered in Delaware. The company also has a factory in Illertissen, Germany. Scanner Project notes that the logos of R-Pharm and R-Stroy are practically identical.
A screenshot of Scanner Project's investigation depicting the logos of R-Pharm and R-Stroy
Scanner Project located Repik's $19.1 million mansion in San Francisco, and confirmed that at least three of the oligarch’s four children were born in the United States. Repik and his family have lived in the US in the years following the start of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. The oligarch attended the inauguration of former US President Donald Trump in 2017, and had his picture taken with future CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling him “a good neighbor” and “a charming man” after sitting at the same table during a public event.
Repik and Mike Pompeo in 2017
Three months after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Repik, fearing personal sanctions, hid himself from the list of owners of R-Pharm. In August 2022, he sold the company. One of the new owners was his mother, Valeria Daeva. Her company, Patrusco, is the main sponsor of R-Stroy. Konstantin Nureyev and Nikolai Milkis are also listed as owners of the company – the first sells high-end French wine, which Repik imports to Russia, bypassing international sanctions, while the second is the CEO of Repik's company Amsel, which owns eApteka – a popular Russian online drug delivery service.