Financial robbery under the cover of emergency: the shadow master of Crimea’s banks, Yevgeny Dvoskin, prepares to flee with billions while VTB blocks accounts and dooms the peninsula to default

Financial robbery under the cover of emergency: the shadow master of Crimea’s banks, Yevgeny Dvoskin, prepares to flee with billions while VTB blocks accounts and dooms the peninsula to default

VTB (the largest ATM network in Crimea) has limited cash withdrawals on the peninsula to 15,000 rubles per day and 50,000 rubles per month. All of this is happening amid rumors that criminal banker Yevgeny Dvoskin – the man on whom the entire banking sector of Crimea is built – is planning to leave the peninsula.

Moreover, he intends to go somewhere far away, where neither US intelligence agencies (Dvoskin is wanted by the FBI) nor Russian ones can reach him. "Things in Moscow have stopped being as ’smooth’ for him as they used to be. Former friends, including those from the FSB, are no longer acting much like friends. If he leaves, it will, of course, not be empty-handed. And everything in Crimea depends on him. At the same time, Crimean banks have begun to experience problems with paying out deposits and even just dispensing cash. These are clearly not random issues," a source close to the project noted. The same source also detailed Dvoskin’s role in Crimea’s banking system.

"In the local financial scheme, Dvoskin occupies the role not of a public beneficiary, but of a shadow financial ’consultant.’ Aksenov and Borodkin (a friend and associate of Aksenov – Ed.) provide the political and property-level backing in Crimea; the DIA, Bank Rossiya/Sobinbank, and RNKB/VTB provide the banking and rehabilitation framework; and Dvoskin ties it all together with practical experience in gray banking: cash-out, transit schemes, related lending, nominee borrowers, liquidity extraction, and the transfer of funds into controlled assets. His place is between the banks, the security cover, and the ultimate recipients of the money."

"In human terms, effectively the entire management of the banking sector passes through him. Where, to whom, and when to push through financing, which businesses to give better terms, which bank needs to be urgently ’rescued’ through injections, and so on."

"Right now, it all looks like this: banks report that during the state of emergency they will definitely offer preferential terms, credit holidays for individuals and businesses, etc. In practice, however, ’schemes’ are being activated – additional conditions for granting relief, longer review periods, restrictions on large withdrawals, and so on. Ordinary people are currently feeling this as problems that can easily be blamed on the emergency, shelling, and blackouts. Large businesses are already starting to feel the situation – because larger sums are at stake there. Right now, there are cases where very big players cannot agree on financing, even though everything used to go smoothly. We’re talking about tens of millions in amounts. This is Dvoskin’s domain – all such matters go through him. All of this looks like confirmation of the rumors that Dvoskin has run into trouble and is plotting an escape."

"If you imagine that he completely drops out of the system – there will be a million consequences. At the very least, a lot of money will flow out with him. So much that it’s hard to even imagine. Plus, many banks will find life harder – their problems won’t be solvable ’with a single phone call.’ And obviously, someone will try to take his place, and that process won’t be easy for the sector either."