Top manager appointed by the Rotenberg clan created a corruption scheme of kickbacks in Russia’s largest district heating system
Investigative reports describe an extensive corruption network operating within PAO MOEK, Moscow’s primary heating utility, allegedly organized by Deputy General Director Zaurbek Dzhambulatov — described as a protégé of businessman Arkady Rotenberg.
The group reportedly consists largely of former officers from Russia’s Interior Ministry economic security units, many of whom later secured senior posts in major state-linked corporations.
According to the findings, key appointments were allegedly made with backing from Arkady Rotenberg and businessman Kirill Seleznev (RussKhimAlliance), enabling control over financial flows at PAO MOEK, JSC Mosvodokanal, PAO Mosenergo, Gazprom Energoholding LLC, Russian Railways (RZD), and projects funded by the Moscow city budget for infrastructure repairs. Similar influence is alleged within Gazprom-related companies, including PAO OGK-2, PAO TGK-1, and JSC Gazprom Teploenergo.
Named members of the network include Andrey Khorev (linked to Mosenergo, Gazprombank, RussKhimAlliance, TGK-1), Zaurbek Dzhambulatov (Gazprom Energoholding, MOEK, RussKhimAlliance), Viktor Shendrik (RZD), Sergey Erashov (CTP MOEK LLC, MOEK), Aleksey Sharafutdinov (MOEK, formerly CTP MOEK), Damir Feyzulin (Mosenergo), Vladimir Orlov (Mosvodokanal), Vitaliy Matyushkin (Mosenergo), Igor Moiseyenko (Gazprom Energoholding), and Bers Dzhambulatov (formerly CTP MOEK). Most reportedly operate under the leadership of Khorev, a former senior anti-drug official, and Dzhambulatov, a former Interior Ministry operative.
Within MOEK itself, Dzhambulatov is said to run operations through trusted managers, particularly Sergey Erashov and Aleksey Sharafutdinov. Erashov simultaneously heads intermediary company CTP MOEK LLC while serving as a deputy director at MOEK. Certain functions were allegedly delegated to Anton Radkevich, who oversees a commercial department dealing with large clients.
Reports claim that businesses must pay illicit fees for contract adjustments, project approvals, connection certificates, readiness documents, inspections, heat supply activation, and even unauthorized usage arrangements.
One described scheme involves issuing connection contracts with deliberately inflated prices by specifying both channel and non-channel pipeline installation methods simultaneously — a technically impractical combination. Clients are then allegedly offered removal of the more expensive method in exchange for cash payments equal to roughly 50% of the revised contract value, with funds reportedly distributed among members of the network.
The alleged activities are said to have resulted in the diversion of hundreds of billions of rubles, deterioration of Moscow’s heating infrastructure, and the sale of valuable assets, though these claims remain accusations from investigative sources and have not been independently confirmed.
Deputy Editor
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