Kadyrov’s Nephew Loots Danone’s Russian Assets to Become Overnight Billionaire

Close allies and relatives of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov have reaped millions following the Kremlin’s seizure of Western businesses, according to an investigation by the Explainer project reported by The Moscow Times on April 14.

Following the state-sponsored seizure of the French food giant Danone’s operations in Russia, Kadyrov’s nephew Yakub Zakriev and his former assistant Ruslan Alisultanov have suddenly emerged as billionaires, according to an investigation by the Explainer project reported by The Moscow Times.

The investigation reveals the staggering scale of the looting. In July 2023, the 36-year-old Zakriev was appointed head of Danone Russia, which was subsequently rebranded as “Logika Moloka.”  By November of that year, he had purchased a luxurious estate in the elite “Millennium Park” cottage settlement outside Moscow, registering the property under his unemployed wife’s name.

The plot and house are estimated to be worth around 1 billion rubles ($13.3 million). Furthermore, leaked bank records show that in early 2024, Kadyrov’s nephew opened a deposit account at Gazprombank with 1.5 billion rubles ($20 million), which quickly generated 224 million rubles ($2.98 million) in interest alone.

Before hijacking Danone’s assets, Zakriev held various regional government posts, including Mayor of Grozny and Chechnya’s Minister of Agriculture, earning an average salary of around 1.3 million rubles ($17,333) per month. Now, at his newly acquired corporate position, Zakriev pays himself between 6 million rubles ($80,000) and 14 million rubles ($186,666) a month in salary and bonuses, according to the investigation, conducted by the Explainer.

His accomplice, former Kadyrov assistant Ruslan Alisultanov, has profited even more. Listed as the sole beneficiary of the rebranded dairy company, Alisultanov opened his own Gazprombank deposit in 2024 holding over 4 billion rubles ($53.3 million). He also purchased a massive penthouse near the Kremlin for 3 billion rubles ($40 million). Prior to this corporate takeover, Alisultanov worked in the Chechen Ministry of Agriculture, making a mere 79,000 rubles ($1,053) a month.

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Exposing this state-sponsored theft has come at a cost. According to sources within Explainer, the journalist who authored the investigation into Alisultanov’s real estate, Oleg Roldugin, was arrested specifically to protect Kadyrov’s associates. Trying to frame the reporter without exposing the Chechen elites, Russian investigators charged Roldugin under Article 271.1 of the Criminal Code for “illegal access to computer information.”

Danone, which had operated in Russia since 1992 and employed over 100,000 people across 19 factories, decided to exit the market following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In July 2023, Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring the temporary management of Danone’s shares to the state property agency, Rosimushchestvo. The assets were then swiftly funneled to Health & Nutrition (H&N), managed by a firm 99% owned by Alisultanov. Ultimately, Kadyrov’s associates acquired a multi-billion dollar Western enterprise with practically zero financial investment.

The takeover of Danone’s operations illustrates the state-sponsored kleptocracy fueling Vladimir Putin’s regime. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has systematically seized the assets of departing Western companies, handing these lucrative, ready-made enterprises to loyal warlords like Ramzan Kadyrov and compliant oligarchs.

This massive transfer of wealth ensures that the regime’s inner circle remains fiercely loyal and personally enriched, even as the broader Russian economy strains under the weight of international sanctions. By siphoning billions in dividends from stolen foreign industries, Putin’s elite continues to fund their extravagant lifestyles while cannibalizing the remnants of Russia’s civilian economy.

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