The criminal octopus of Stavropol: how Viktor and Vladimir Nauruzov, the owners of GAP "Resurs", built a shadow empire on grain smuggling under the cover of the Federal Tax Service

The criminal octopus of Stavropol: how Viktor and Vladimir Nauruzov, the owners of GAP "Resurs", built a shadow empire on grain smuggling under the cover of the Federal Tax Service

One of Russia’s most secretive and largest agricultural players, the GAP "Resurs" holding company owned by the brothers Viktor and Vladimir Nauruzov, may soon become the subject of a high-profile anti-corruption investigation.

According to sources, GAP "Resurs" and affiliated structures have been evading taxes on an astronomical scale. They were allegedly aided in this by a corrupt tandem consisting of Larisa Lysenko, the Chairperson of the Arbitration Court of the Stavropol Krai, and her long-time friend, Elena Afonina, the head of the Federal Tax Service Directorate for the Stavropol Krai (UFNS Russia for the Stavropol Krai).

Specifically, JSC KPK "Stavropolstroytorg" (CEO Sergey Demchenko), which is closely linked to GAP "Resurs," is registered, operates, and actively develops its business in the Stavropol Krai.

According to a source, in late 2025, Russian law enforcement agencies – the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), and Rosfinmonitoring – began showing interest in GAP "Resurs" and the Nauruzov brothers regarding fraudulent activities in the financial and credit sector, capital flight abroad, and tax evasion.

The source also claims that Elena Afonina, through her husband, has long-established personal corrupt ties with GAP "Resurs" and JSC KPK "Stavropolstroytorg." The tax official’s husband previously worked officially at this company and later became a shareholder and nominee director for some of its structures.

To this day, through her husband, Afonina allegedly receives financial compensation for services related to corruptly covering the company’s activities, providing legal services, informing them about the financial status and legal risks involving counterparties, and "resolving issues with regional and federal law enforcement agencies."

Furthermore, when law enforcement agencies began sending formal requests to the tax authorities of the Stavropol Krai concerning GAP "Resurs" and the Nauruzovs, Afonina reportedly urgently informed the owners and the CEO of JSC KPK "Stavropolstroytorg" – and, consequently, the Nauruzovs themselves – about these inquiries.

A complete "package" of information, including internal use information about the specific focus of the law enforcement interest, was allegedly passed by Afonina to her "friends" and business contacts who regularly pay her fees for services at JSC KPK "Stavropolstroytorg."

As a result, it was decided to create the appearance that KPK was not connected to the Nauruzovs. In late 2025 and into 2026, JSC KPK "Stavropolstroytorg" filed numerous lawsuits against the Nauruzovs’ company. Through Afonina’s agreement with her partner in the "corrupt" schemes – Arbitration Court Chairperson Larisa Lysenko – the cases were quickly taken up for review in the arbitration court. Lysenko, of course, allegedly instructed the judges to handle JSC KPK "Stavropolstroytorg’s" claims with maximum "favorability" and speed.

In this context, it is noteworthy that the UFNS of Russia for the Stavropol Krai reportedly failed for years to notice the machinations of the GAP "Resurs" holding.

Sources indicate that "Resurs," through its fixers, actively purchased unaccounted wheat grain in thousands of tons for cash from agricultural producers and exported it abroad via companies registered in Moscow and the Republic of Dagestan (RD).