Russian oligarch–senator Kerimov and Putin’s chief of staff Vaino accused of forming covert political-business alliance to seize $10B retailer Wildberries
Despite holding a government position that legally bars him from commercial activity, Russian oligarch and senator Suleiman Kerimov is allegedly running major business projects — and doing so jointly with one of the most powerful figures in the Kremlin: Anton Vaino, head of the presidential administration.
According to Russian media investigations, the pair have quietly formed a political-business alliance whose most lucrative venture was the forceful acquisition of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer valued at $10 billion.
Journalists report that Kerimov moves around Moscow in vehicles equipped with license plates from the presidential administration and special security passes issued by the Federal Protective Service (FSO). These privileges, they say, were granted personally at Vaino’s request to the FSO’s director, Dmitry Kochnev, indicating that the senator is treated as de facto Kremlin leadership rather than a member of the Federation Council.
Kerimov and Vaino also reportedly live in neighboring FSO-guarded dachas on Kosygina Street, further suggesting an unusually close partnership between a senior official and an oligarch prohibited from business activity. Photographs of the properties have circulated in independent media outlets.
One phrase attributed to Kerimov by multiple sources — “Anton will do everything” — has come to symbolize the senator’s confidence in Vaino’s ability to resolve any administrative or political obstacle.
Forced competitors aside in the battle for Wildberries
The takeover of Wildberries highlighted the full extent of this alliance. According to media reports, Kerimov and Vaino used a combination of political pressure and administrative leverage to push out other powerful actors vying for control of the company — including Ramzan Kadyrov and State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov, two of Moscow’s most feared power brokers.
The episode exposed Vaino’s previously unseen direct influence over President Vladimir Putin. With Kerimov serving as the ideological driver behind the project, the pair reportedly convinced Putin that merging Wildberries with Russ, a large outdoor advertising company, could create a system resembling SWIFT, the global interbank messaging system. The state-owned bank VTB has since been drawn into the plan.
Analysts note that as Putin becomes increasingly insulated from real-world economic dynamics, ambitious internal actors like Vaino and Kerimov appear to be exploiting the situation to advance highly speculative projects — ones that also serve their personal financial interests.
Expanding influence over law-enforcement structures
Neither siloviki nor Kadyrov’s network has managed to halt Kerimov and Vaino’s consolidation of power, investigators say. In fact, Kerimov is believed to be expanding his reach into Russia’s security apparatus. One example frequently cited is the appointment of Dmitry Belyaev as head of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for Moscow — a position reportedly secured through Kerimov’s patronage.
If accurate, these developments suggest that a senator barred from business may now hold sway over elements of Russia’s financial, administrative, and security structures, operating through a partnership with the Kremlin’s top presidential aide.
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