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Exiled Russian-born Israeli billionaire Leonid Nevzlin used several Latvian publications to target Russian oligarchs Vladimir Gusinsky and Petr Aven, according to a report by Latvian Television’s investigative De Facto program.
The program’s journalists reviewed leaked messages between Nevzlin, the former co-founder of Russian oil giant Yukos, and his lawyer, Anatoly Blinov. Blinov is currently detained in Poland on suspicion of organizing attacks on several Russian activists associated with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who appears to have been murdered with poison in prison this past Feb. 16.
On Mar. 12, less than a month after Navalny’s death, his aide Leonid Volkov was assaulted with a hammer outside his home in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
In a documentary about the attack on Volkov, Maria Pevchikh, an investigator at the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), which Navalny founded, presented evidence that Nevzlin was behind the plan. She also claimed that “while Nevzlin is de facto trying to kill Volkov and dismantle Navalny's team, he and [Anatoly] Blinov are also carrying out separate schemes against other oligarchs. They are attempting to strip [Vladimir] Gusinsky of his Spanish citizenship, publish compromising materials on [Petr] Aven and [Mikhail] Fridman, and to take away some of their shares.”
Fragments of the correspondence obtained by De Facto identify the Latvian media outlets and political players that were drawn into the oligarchs' power struggle.
The articles, published on the websites jauns.lv and kompromat.lv, accused the ACF of lobbying for the interests of Alfa Group — one of Russia’s largest financial and investment conglomerates.
The correspondence between Nevzlin and Blinov mentions Peteris and Aija Šmidre, whom Blinov refers to as the owners of the Rīgas Viļņi publishing house and “the entire tabloid press of Latvia.” Specifically, in mid-August 2023, Blinov informed Nevzlin that he was planning a Zoom meeting with Aija Šmidre and asked, “It seems too early to present you as the main party interested in Gusinsky and Aven, or am I wrong?” To which Nevzlin replies, “Absolutely not.”
In early September of last year, Nevzlin asked Blinov, “Do you have someone who can get an article up in Spain or Latvia so that we won’t be seen? But noticeable enough. Under any author, of course, without exposure. About Gusinsky and the FBI, and [Oleg] Deripaska.”
Oleg Deripaska is a Russian billionaire industrialist and oligarch known for his involvement in the aluminum industry.
Following the exchange, Blinov, as per the correspondence, contacted Edvins Rakickis, the head of the news department at jauns.lv (part of Rīgas Viļņi), who promised to “write about Deripaska” and find the “right approach.” On Sept. 24, 2023, Blinov requested payment from Nevzlin for his services.
Rakickis confirmed to De Facto that he had been in contact with an individual named Anatoly. He claimed that the editorial team received an anonymous email, which was used as the basis for an article about Deripaska. Latvian journalists Peteris and Aija Šmidre, however, denied any knowledge of Blinov and claimed to have never been in contact with him or with Nevzlin.
Anatoly Blinov was recently arrested in Poland and charged with three criminal offenses. The Insider previously obtained screenshots of the correspondence between Blinov and Nevzlin, which had been partially released by the Russian state-owned propaganda outlet RT and later by Alexei Navalny’s ACF. This exchange indicated that Blinov had organized attacks on Volkov and several other Nevzlin adversaries. The Insider's analysis suggested the correspondence is almost certain to be authentic.
Leonid Nevzlin has denied orchestrating attacks on Volkov and claimed that the conversations were initiated by Blinov himself. Nevzlin has yet to publish the original messages — and he has deleted his account on Signal.
”De Facto” is a Latvian investigative journalism television program that airs on LTV, Latvia's public broadcaster.