Telman Ismailov currently lives in Montenegro. Telman Ismailov put on the international wanted list

"Telman Mardanovich is shocked by what happened and does not want to talk to anyone," a person from Telman Ismailov's entourage replied to Vedomosti's request for an interview after it became known that the member of the group VTB Bank of Moscow filed for bankruptcy. Things are getting worse than ever: creditors are seeking to seize property around the world. Businessman thinks what's going on Raider seizure his assets, two of his acquaintances told Vedomosti. But it seems that the problem is that Ismailov did not moderate his ambitions after the loss of the Cherkizovsky market - there was simply not enough money for megaprojects.

From Baku to Cherkizon

A native of Baku, a native of large family Mountain Jews, Ismailov has been in business since childhood: first he helped his father, a Baku guild worker, then he managed the first commercial store in the city, then he went to study at the Plekhanov Institute in Moscow and stayed in the capital. Here he met the first deputy chairman of the Moscow City Executive Committee and the chairman of the city commission for cooperative and individual labor activity, Yuri Luzhkov, and the secretary of the commission, Elena Baturina. In 1989, when Ismailov founded the AST group, he was already on friendly terms with Luzhkov.

In 2009, Ismailov first entered the Forbes rating of the richest Russian businessmen with a fortune of $ 600 million. Despite the fact that the AST group was engaged in different types business - construction, hotel, jewelry and security - the basis of her well-being was the Cherkizovsky market. The group controlled a significant part of a huge flea market, located on more than 200 hectares near the metro of the same name.

"Cherkizovsky" was repeatedly tried to close, since 2001 the prosecutor's office has repeatedly won courts to terminate land lease agreements, but the market continued to work. Everything changed on June 1, 2009, when the then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attacked the customs officers at the government presidium. “A few years ago, I practically disbanded the entire leadership of the customs. So what? The [smuggling] channels both worked and still work. In one of the markets there are goods worth more than $2 billion, so far [they] have not been destroyed and there are no owners,” Putin scolded the security forces (quotes from Interfax). What kind of market he had in mind, it soon became clear. At the end of June 2009, the Cherkizovsky market was temporarily closed due to violations of sanitary standards discovered by Rospotrebnadzor. The FMS then found hundreds of illegal migrants in the market. Land lease agreements with the Russian state university physical education were terminated through the arbitration court, the buildings were demolished, and this is where the story of the largest clothing market in the CIS ended.

Telman Ismailov's business empire

In fact, they didn’t want to close the market, Ismailov’s acquaintances and those who participated in its liquidation now assure. It's just that different power structures competed with customs officers for control over cash flows passing through Cherkizovsky, they collected folders with compromising information and regularly reported their contents to the top. And just when the ground for the attack on customs was prepared, at the end of May 2009, Ismailov arranged a grand celebration in Turkish Antalya on the occasion of the opening of the Mardan Palace hotel, on the construction of which he spent almost all available funds - more than $ 1 billion. Hollywood stars, including Sharon Stone and Monica Bellucci, were presented with precious gifts, fireworks thundered. The fact that the co-owner of the Cherkizovsky market spends money earned here with such noise was the last straw that broke the patience of the authorities, recalls a former Moscow official. Ismailov preferred to wait out the hype in Turkey, where an equally luxurious house was built for him next to the Mardan Palace. True, in Russia he had to sell Suleiman Kerimov one of his most important assets in Moscow - subject to reconstruction shopping center"Voentorg".

Life after the market

Unexpectedly, Ismailov found out that he had few friends in Russia, and many enemies. “Ismailov's main problem is how he understands friendships,” said one of his former business partners. “When he needed someone or just liked him, he brought this person closer to him, literally showering him with expensive gifts in oriental style - diamonds, gold. All of his entourage got used to this, and squabbles quickly began within those close to him - so, this one was given more, me less. And the offended very quickly came to hatred for Ismailov. So he made more than one enemy. And when the easy money ran out, the gifts ran out, and it turned out that there were no close people around, ”explains the interlocutor.

“Ismailov bought all his assets with money earned on the Cherkizovsky market, during his work there were no interruptions in cash. As soon as it turned out that this flow was no more and that money was not very easy to earn at all, Ismailov’s business went much worse,” said the former Moscow official. New assets - Voentorg, the Prague restaurant, the same Mardan Palace - did not bring comparable profits.

Therefore, immediately after the closure of the Cherkizovsky market, Ismailov tried to return to the market business he knew, but already outside of Russia. According to Ukrainian media, Ismailov tried to become a co-owner of the large clothing market "Seventh Kilometer" near Odessa, but unsuccessfully: the company managing the market was acquired by partners of the then President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

Ismailov tried to open a second market in Kazakhstan. In 2010 on site automotive market"Zhibek Zholy" near Alma-Ata was solemnly opened the wholesale clothing market AST. According to the description on the nur.kz portal, it resembled the Moscow “Cherkizovsky” - the market housed a customs terminal, a hotel, exchange offices, a pharmacy, grocery stores and dentistry.

Ismailov's partner in the Kazakh AST market was Alexander Mashkevich, an old acquaintance, co-owner of mining and metallurgy Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) and one of the richest people in Kazakhstan (see inset for more details). Ismailov was familiar with Mashkevich from the Eurasian Jewish Congress, where the first was president until 2011, and the second was his deputy.

According to Kazakh media, the AST had problems due to its distance from the city. In 2011, it turned out that the owners of the market did not even pay about $ 5 million in addition to several reconstruction contractors, because of which they went bankrupt, and their employees gathered to rally. Ismailov and Mashkevich had to hold a press conference and publicly promise to pay off their debts to the builders.

Now the name of the AST market has been returned - the international trade center "Zhibek Zholy". Managed by European manufacturing company, controlled by Mashkevich and his ERG partners. Whether Ismailov remained in the project is unknown. Neither he nor Mashkevich responded to Vedomosti's inquiries.

Pass home

Return to Russian business Ismailov tried with the help of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. In a March interview with the Azerbaijani online publication Haqqin.az, Ismailov confirmed that Kadyrov asked for him before Putin. “At one time, I was very close friends with the father of Ramzan Kadyrov, the late Akhmat Kadyrov. Yes, I have very good relationship and with Ramzan Kadyrov. Asked not only by him, but also by many other persons in the highest elite of Russia, ”said Ismailov.

In early 2010, Ismailov, together with his son Sarkhan, flew to Grozny to meet with Kadyrov. As a result of the negotiations, Ismailov promised to "look" at investment projects in Chechnya and agreed to sponsor the Terek football club. Sarkhan Ismailov was appointed vice-president of Terek. The club was headed by Kadyrov himself.

But investment projects in Chechnya, the businessman did not appear. Perhaps because by that time it became clear that the federal authorities needed investments in another region. Back at the end of 2009, Putin said on a direct line that he did not see any crime in the construction of a hotel in Turkey, but investment resources "would be nice to implement in the Russian Federation<...>For example, it would be possible to invest in the construction of hotel complexes in Sochi for the 2014 Olympics - no one forbids.

Already in April 2010, Ismailov signed an agreement with the Olympstroy corporation on the construction of hotels in Sochi with 4,000 rooms worth $800 million. , when it became clear to us about the failure to meet deadlines, we had to urgently look for a replacement investor - literally grabbing the first oligarch that caught our eye by the jacket. This did not add points to Ismailov, ”recalls one of the officials who oversaw the preparations for the Olympics. The project was transferred to the structures of Viktor Vekselberg.

In 2013, Ismailov returned to Chechen football. At the beginning of the year, he organized a friendly match between Kadyrov's Terek and the Israeli club Beitar (Jerusalem), owned by his friend Arkady Gaydamak. The match ended with the score 0:0. And the owners of the clubs agreed on the transfer of two Chechen football players to Beitar - Zaur Kadayev and Dzhabrail Kadiev. What caused the anger of Beitar fans, who did not want to see Muslims among the club's players.

It was partly because of the protests of the fans that Gaydamak became firmly established in his desire to sell the club. And he announced that he was selling Beitar to Ismailov and his partners: State Duma deputy and Kadyrov's adviser Adam Delimkhanov and Kenes Rakishev, a Kazakh businessman and son-in-law of the Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan. But Beitar fans thwarted that deal as well. After this failure, Ismailov moved away from Chechen football: Rakishev's structure became the sponsor of Terek instead of him.

Kadyrov's press secretary Alvi Karimov declined to comment, Rakishev's press service did not answer Vedomosti's questions.

With whom did Telman Ismailov do business?

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Competition of creditors

In 2013, Ismailov handed over his companies to his sons and top managers. For example, a share in the key companies of the AST-98 group and "KBF AST" he distributed among his sons Alekper and Sarkhan. And AST Kolkhoz Klinsky, which owns 3,000 hectares of land in the Klinsky district of the Moscow region, was transferred to the Factoria company, established shortly before this transaction by the general director of KBF AST, Igor Morozov.

Three most large facility in Moscow - the Praga restaurant, the Tropicano business center and the AST shopping center in Izmailovo At the beginning of 2014 Ismailov re-registered Tigerim Limited, Ergon Incorporate Ltd and Tounderwide Holdings Limited to offshore from the British Virgin Islands respectively. Representatives of the AST then assured that they were all controlled by Ismailov.

But the restructuring of the business coincided with the emergence of claims from creditors. According to Vedomosti, now the debts of Ismailov and his former companies exceed $586 million, which is comparable to the assessment of his fortune by Forbes magazine. It seems that his family has only one asset left that creditors do not claim: this is one of the largest distributors of premium alcohol - AST-international invaeronment with a revenue of 10.4 billion rubles. in 2014. Who claims the rest?

claims against son

In January 2015, Sobinbank filed a lawsuit with the Dorogomilovsky District Court of Moscow against Telman Ismailov's son, Alekper Ismailov, to recover a debt of 11.5 million rubles. under the guarantee for the company "AST-Amaroli Impex", which produces children's and women's tights. In March, the proceedings were terminated - the parties entered into an amicable agreement. It lasted only four months. In July, the Dorogomilovsky court issued a writ of execution to recover the debt from Alekper Ismailov. According to the FSSP, the debt has not yet been repaid. Sobinbank did not say whether it would require personal bankruptcy of Alekper Ismailov.

Businessman Sergei Yanchukov was the first to demand that Ismailov return the debt. Ismailov met him in 2010 when he was looking for a partner for joint projects, wrote Kommersant. It was with the structures of Yanchukov that Ismailov discussed the idea of ​​transferring the Cherkizovsky market to Odessa, the former Moscow official assures. “Yanchukov was associated with influential people in Ukraine, but there was such a seething of the elites that even his administrative resource was not enough,” says the source of Vedomosti. The main owner of the Mangazeya industrial group, Yanchukov, is from Odessa, but since 2006 he has been doing business in Russia. In 2011, he married the daughter of the former mayor of Kyiv, Leonid Chernovetsky, Kristina.

In 2010–2011 Sezaria, controlled by Yanchukov, issued loans to Ismailov's offshore Tandum for $100 million until 2013. But Ismailov very quickly stopped servicing this loan, and at the request of Sezaria, the District Court of Nicosia (Cyprus) in 2014 froze the businessman's assets for $134 million. According to " Kommersant”, these assets included Mardan Palace in Turkey, Ismailov’s estate in France, the Safisa Moscow celebration house, the AST Hof hotel on Bolshaya Filevskaya Street, the Moscow Printing House (AST-MPD), etc. Yanchukov purposefully bought Ismailov's debts - at a big discount, one of their mutual acquaintances knows.

Some of these assets were claimed by other creditors. For example, the AST Hof hotel and the hotel complex project on Nikitsky Boulevard were transferred to the structures of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) for debts, Kommersant wrote with reference to representatives of Yanchukov's Mangazeya. Head of Department strategic development"IBA-Moscow" Leonid Mileev told "Vedomosti" that "the bank had no commercial relations with the AST group", and advised to contact the parent bank in Azerbaijan for comments. The IBA did not answer Vedomosti's questions. However, the customer of the project on Nikitsky Boulevard in 2013 was close to IBA Management Company"Fortrast Global", follows from the documents submitted to the architectural council of Moscow.

Ismailov owed more than $200 million to Turkish banks and the builders of Mardan Palace. The largest creditors are Halk Bankası ($100 million and 50 million lira) and Garanti Bankası ($76 million and 40 million lira). The owner of the hotel also has a multimillion-dollar debt in taxes, work insurance, as well as utility debts to the municipality of Antalya. “There is a group of people in Turkey who are spreading misinformation about me. This is done on purpose. They want me to get out of this country. I completely refute this information. I repeat: I have no plans to sell this hotel,” Ismayilov fumed in an interview with Haqqin.az in March 2015. The businessman assured that his debt to Turkish banks did not exceed $110 million.

Nevertheless, several creditors immediately initiated enforcement proceedings involving the sale of the hotel. So, Garanti Bankası achieved the appointment of the auction on November 2. The initial price of the hotel and villas is set at $244 million, which is almost 6 times less than the investment made, according to Ismailov, in Mardan Palace.

Mardan Palace is closed for repairs from December 21 to March 1, the operator told Vedomosti hotline Tez tour. The renovation of the hotel will be carried out by the new owner, one of the employees of this company assures. An employee of the hotel itself confirmed the closure for renovations, but noted that there was no information about a change in ownership.

The Bank of Moscow, which became Ismailov's largest creditor, is also interested in the Turkish hotel: judging by court materials, the debt of its structures to the bank reached $ 286 million by October 2015. In October, an official notice from the Bank of Moscow was placed in the Turkish press demanding the bankruptcy of two companies - AST Insaat Turizm, which owns the Mardan Palace, and Olimpus Insaat Turizm Gida Otelicilik Nakliey, which manages the Ismailovs' property in Antalya. The court will consider the claim of the Bank of Moscow on December 2, 2015 - a month after the proposed auction for the sale of Mardan Palace. It turns out that even if Ismailov manages to persuade Turkish creditors not to sell his hotel, he will only receive a delay of a month.

Angry Creditors

Since July, the Bank of Moscow has been demanding in the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow the collection of debt from Ismailov's structures Tropicano Finance B V and Rusline 2000 and from Ismailov himself, who vouched for loans. The court seized the businessman's personal assets: an apartment in the village. District, land in the village. Skolkovo Odintsovsky district and two residential buildings in Aprelevka, Naro-Fominsk District (data from Kommersant).

“Behind the monumental facade of a dazzling palace with a beautiful view of the “Medvedev project [the Skolkovo innovation center]” hides dazzling beauty, gold glitter, breathtaking luxury. I have never seen anything like it in my life. And even in the cinema,” a journalist from the Azerbaijani edition of Haqqin.az enthused in March 2015, after visiting Ismayilov’s house in Skolkovo. However, according to Rosreestr, a plot of 1.7 hectares in Skolkovo and two residential buildings with an area of ​​2362 and 2372 square meters. m Ismailov do not belong. In the summer of 2014, they were transferred to the Settlement and Credit Bank. The bank belongs to businessman Batyr Agayev, whose father, Ramzan Kadyrov's friend Vakha Agayev, and brother Bekhkan Agayev are State Duma deputies. It was not possible to contact the Agaevs: their phones in the State Duma were not answered.

And October 1, the day the bankruptcy law comes into force individuals, The Bank of Moscow filed a lawsuit to declare Ismailov bankrupt.

The lender is trying to take the pledged assets for a pittance, it follows from the statement of Ismailov's press service, made after the filing of the lawsuit. The Bank of Moscow pledges three of Ismailov's most valuable Moscow assets - the Praga restaurant, the Tropicano business center and the AST shopping center. After failed negotiations with the Bank of Moscow, Ismailov learned that "the loan from the AST companies was transferred to the debt service of VTB." The loan curator is Andrey Puchkov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of VTB. He offered to “take away” all collateral assets for $33 million, although their market price is at least $250 million, follows from the statement. The press service of VTB declined to comment on the situation. But SPARK data shows that in June 2015, the CEO was replaced in all three companies that own pledged assets. Now they are managed by Vladimir Tsypin, who previously worked in the structures of VTB.

In a press release, Ismailov recalls that the AST group received its first loan from the Bank of Moscow back in 2006 and always paid its debts in good faith: for the entire period, Ismailov paid $70 million in interest to the bank and returned $50 million. In 2014, when everyone had borrowers of foreign currency loans had problems due to a jump in the dollar, Ismailov agreed with the Bank of Moscow to sell two objects - Tropicano and the AST shopping center. Even a buyer was found - the Progress company agreed to pay $148 million and made a deposit of $14.8 million in July 2014. The bank did not complete the deal, and Progress was able to return the deposit only through the court.

Who was this failed buyer? According to SPARK, the founder of Progress is Oleg Veselov, who has more than 20 companies where he was the CEO or founder. And the general director of Progress turned out to be lawyer Yulia Dolinskaya, until recently a member of the board of directors of Sodruzhestvo Bank. Dolinskaya told Vedomosti that the founders of Progress forbade commenting on the situation with Ismailov. Last Friday, October 16, the Central Bank revoked the license from Sodruzhestvo Bank due to the unsatisfactory quality of assets and the complete loss of its own funds.

Ismailov is sure that everything that is happening is a raider attack, one of his acquaintances claims. He says that he asked for help in communicating with VTB one of the influential businessmen. “Ismailov needs to sell assets, there is a buyer, but the bank does not give permission for the sale, it is hard trying to achieve bankruptcy of the debtor,” another person who met Ismailov conveys the words of Ismailov. “As far as I know, two major creditors of Ismailov - Bank of Moscow and Yanchukov adhere to a common tough position towards the businessman, and it will not be easy for those who want to help, ”says the source of Vedomosti.

former owner Cherkizovsky market, now an ex-millionaire, Telman Ismailov is put on the international wanted list. The Basmanny Court of Moscow ruled to arrest the businessman in absentia. He is accused of organizing two murders committed in March last year. According to some reports, Ismailov has been living in Turkey for several years. However, our embassy in Ankara has no information about his whereabouts. Telman Ismailov's brother, Vagif, was also arrested in absentia. He is also put on the international wanted list.

"Tsar Cherkizon" Telman Ismailov was declared bankrupt by the court. His property was auctioned off. Now, as soon as Interpol receives official papers, there is no time richest man Russia will start hunting law enforcement agencies around the world. Ismailov was put on the international wanted list, reports .

Murder and arms trafficking. We are talking about a crime committed in May 2016, when the bodies of the owner of several shopping malls Vladimir Savkin and the founder of the car dealership Yuri Brilev. The alleged motive is the financial dispute between Savkin and Ismailov.

"No one notified Telman Ismailov about the upcoming indictment. To date, this decision has been appealed, because it is based on unreliable data that he was hiding. He has never been hiding from anyone. He has been living in Turkey for many years," Ismailova's lawyer said. Marina Rusakova.

The former billionaire is not particularly active in social networks. But it is known that in the summer Ismailov rested with his grandson and granddaughter, including on the Aegean Sea. Met with the Ambassador of Qatar and the representative of Saudi Arabia in Turkey and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu. He called everyone his friends. Telman Ismailov in general has always been very kind to his surroundings. Chic and shine. With whom he could not make friends - he bought those. Let it be for a while.

The life and business empire of Telman Ismailov is collapsing, as is his brainchild - the seven-star Mardan Palace Hotel. Ismailov built it for one and a half billion dollars. Opened in 2009 surrounded by Sharon Stone, Richard Gere and Monica Bellucci. And in 2015, almost for next to nothing, 120 million, the hotel was bought by the Turkish "Helkbank" - one of the creditors of Telman Ismailov. The businessman is seriously in debt. As a result, there was not a trace left of the glitter of golden toilet bowls, silver forks and crystal chandeliers. There are no more staff at the hotel. The alarm is not working. Thieves steal everything they can. They even tear down the fence.

Ismailov began his ascent to the top of the business from the Cherkizovsky market. Cherkizon, well-known throughout Russia, has illegally set up shopping malls, including on the territory of the Institute of Physical Education. The goods are smuggled, often hazardous to health. Tenants and merchants are mostly illegal immigrants. This business empire existed, among other things, thanks to corruption. And no competition. More precisely, if it was, then all issues were resolved very quickly. Information appeared in the media that Ismailov may be involved in at least six contract killings. The total number of victims of business showdowns is more than two dozen. And that's not counting the organization of the criminal community. There is evidence that the investigating authorities are also quite actively working in this direction.

The name is now associated with some kind of bloodthirsty monster who created a powerful criminal empire, dividing it into brigades for various purposes. report various facts about the activities of the former oligarch, although previously they were silent about his affairs. A few years ago, the public saw this man only as successful businessman, an oligarch for whom almost all roads are open.

As one of the acquaintances of the Ismailov family said, they did not always even know which of the enterprises they owned, the business was so extensive. But this fact most likely refers to some small companies created within the business empire. Big business Ismailov was always well known, because it was for his sake that the entire criminal empire was created - somewhere to protect against competitors and bandits, somewhere vice versa for raids and expanding spheres of influence. All this is worth a separate material.

The image of Telman Ismailov began to transform in the minds of people from a businessman into a gangster gradually. At the end of the 1910s, such a large-scale figure could not simply be taken and arrested, he had very powerful positions and influence almost everywhere. But already at that time there was some information about the crimes that are now shrouded in darkness.

In 2009, the Cherkizovsky market of the Ismailovs, which was called a state within a state, was closed. Here, different nationalities had their own cities, trading and working in Cherkizon. True, everyone lived modestly - some in the sewers, some in the basements. Those who were more fortunate could live in small buildings, right here in the market. Often, work in the market was slavery - many auxiliary workers did not receive wages in general, instead of which they had a roof over their heads, even a basement, but still ...

Cherkizon's goods were also an interesting mixture - along with legal products, contraband could be successfully sold on the same shelf. And not only household goods were sold at Cherkizon, here transactions were sometimes carried out that any big businessman could envy.

From the story of one of the leaders, he bought weapons through Cherkizon for the needs of the group. The volumes of transactions were quite tangible within the arms black market. It is not known who exactly was behind the gunsmiths, but judging by the story of another person who considers himself to be one of the hunting societies, private individuals had to actually stand in line to the seller who supplied them with weapons.

The editors of the site contacted one of the representatives of the ethnic group in order to somehow shed light on what was happening in the 2000s in Cherkizon. It was this brigade that at one time controlled the supply of contraband goods to the market. The authoritative foreman David explained that the Cherkizovsky market indirectly extended its presence to the whole of Russia, since most of the goods were delivered here through almost all cities. Wherever the security forces detained wagons or trucks with smuggled goods, most of this mass went precisely to Cherkizon. In a roundabout way, goods were delivered to merchants, some of whom paid a certain percentage to David's brigade. Other sellers were already paying to other groups that had their territories here. It was impossible to meddle in someone else's business, as, for example, when dividing up Moscow businessmen, when the groups were at war with each other.

David admits that, of course, there were some skirmishes, but all of them were severely suppressed by the security service. When the conflict was quite serious, their own arbitrators came into play - people who were chosen as sort of looking after order in Cherkizon. They really could influence the situation, not allowing any enmity to result in mass fights or murders. The police were powerless here, everything was ruled by internal security units, where they also had their own posts.

In general, the Cherkizovsky market is a unique phenomenon. There are several other similar markets in Russia, it is worth remembering the showdown around the Novosibirsk Gusinobrodskaya flea market. But Gusinobrodka was much smaller than its Moscow counterpart, and not only in size, but also in the presence of criminals here. If the Novosibirsk market was almost completely controlled, then Cherkizon was also ruled, having a certain area, and in turn trying not to interfere in the internal affairs of the administration. The groups set up trade in illegal goods, smuggling, and, in turn, subjugated the merchants who were illegal immigrants. It was dangerous to engage in extortion from ordinary sellers here - Telman Ismailov did not like this, and immediately stopped such attempts. Still, the oligarch's security guards were akin to FSB officers, and they tried not to conflict with them.

Outside the law enforcement agencies

On the territory of the market, there was not only its own security service, the rules of which everyone obeyed, but even several illegal banks and cash-out offices. According to the media and various sources, more than $500 million went daily to China and other countries through these banks alone, from where consumer goods were illegally transported. This is money that relates specifically to gray trade. Speaking directly about the owner of the Cherkizovsky market, Ismailov earned an average of $1 million a day from his activities.

Cherkizon consisted of 14 markets, which employed more than one hundred thousand people. According to analysts, about 800 billion rubles annually passed through the entire market complex. Money was cashed out according to a very simple scheme - a person came to the cashier, gave a certain amount, after which he said in which city he wanted to use it. The cashier wrote down the person's data, and then said the address in the city where you can get your money. Everything was done without any documents, based on trust. And indeed, their money given in Cherkizon was subsequently received in almost any city in Russia.

Law enforcement officers did not enter the market, as there was a verbal order not to get involved in the affairs of the market. And meanwhile, when the Cherkizon market was closed for the night, residents of neighboring houses often heard shots and mass swearing in different languages ​​- at night, all the strife between employees, private security companies and the "roofs" of smugglers took place. All this took place without consequences on the part of the security forces, since, according to sources, Ismailov personally received the heads of special services in his mansion and promised that there would be order in the market. Therefore, no one intervened in the mess that was happening in Cherkizon.

As one of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the site, back in 2006 there were signals about crimes committed in the market. The operatives knew about the same drugs that were sold on the market. However, to get there legally, the signatures of the authorities were required. And accordingly, none of the higher officers allowed such sanctions.

Only in 2009, the prosecutor's office admits that Telman Ismailov managed to buy a lot of people in the highest echelons of power. The chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin himself, said that when you delve into the affairs of the Cherkizovsky market, very influential figures emerge, who provide patronage to the owner of Cherkizon.

Under the Cherkizovsky market there was a real underground city. It is worth remembering that the market was built on the site of the Izmailovsky stadium, and later acquired additional territory. The authorities, even before the Second World War, made two bunkers under the stadium, in which members of the government were supposed to be in the event of an emergency, as well as a parking lot for a tank division. In our time, these dungeons of Cherkizon have turned into a secret underground city where market employees lived (up to 60 people lived on 20 squares), and their weddings and anniversaries also took place. Here, in the Cherkizon dungeon, cheap brothels worked. According to some sources, children were born in the dungeon who, for a long time, did not even imagine that there was life somewhere above.

Cherkizon's dungeon was used not only for its employees, but also there were bunkhouses, a night in which cost only 100 rubles. True, there was no toilet or shower in the bunker, and indeed there was no water supply here. The need was relieved where necessary, so the dungeon had a terrible smell, to which even a permanent resident was difficult to get used to. They lived in conditions of complete unsanitary conditions.

In addition to living rooms with bunks, the bunker had workshops for the production of various goods, on which branded labels were hung. The workers in these shops have not seen the sun for years. Other premises served for the storage of contraband goods coming from China and Vietnam.

Along with consumer goods, the Cherkizon underground was also used as a transshipment base for Afghan heroin. used Cherkizon as a warehouse for drugs.

As those market workers with whom we managed to talk now say, people often slept standing up in the Cherkizon dungeon, as well as in rooms intended for natural needs - the bunker was so packed.

Closing of Cherkizon

In 2006, there was a strong explosion at the Cherkizovsky market. 14 merchants and buyers died. Everyone vied with each other to voice their versions. Whoever said that this was a terrorist attack, who considered it a showdown among merchants, Telman Ismailov himself thought that these were the intrigues of competitors. The answer was unexpected - one of the nationalists, subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

The decision to close the market was issued back in 2007, but the market continued to operate for another two years. And only in 2009 it was possible to eliminate the state within the state. However, this was accompanied by a showdown not only in the vicinity of Cherkizon itself, but also in the offices of officials.

In general, people took to the streets to picket, because the market accommodated a hundred thousand workers. The closure of the market has become comparable to the closure of an entire city. True, the majority of illegal immigrants from neighboring Republics found themselves without work. The authorities began to demolish the trading premises, confiscated all contraband goods, and dispersed the underground city of Cherkizon.

Telman Ismailov is an extraordinary businessman and talented manager. For a long time, the name of this wealthy entrepreneur was associated exclusively with the activities of the famous Cherkizovsky market in Moscow. Today the market is gone, but the career of our today's hero is still going on. Currently, the AST group, owned by Telman Ismailov, owns successful business covering many different industries. Cargo transportation, construction, publishing, restaurant business, and much more - all this is only a small fraction of the assets of a well-known Azerbaijani entrepreneur.

But what else do we know about this extraordinary businessman? Collect everything in one article Interesting Facts from the life of a legendary entrepreneur, we decided today.

Early years, childhood and the family of Telman Ismailov

Telman Ismailov was born on October 26, 1956. Baku, rich in sun and oil, became his hometown. Perhaps it was this interesting fact that predetermined the entire future course of the life of our today's hero.

In the family in which Telman Ismailov was born, there were eleven more children in addition to himself. Among them all, the future famous businessman was one of the youngest (namely, the tenth in seniority). His father was an Azerbaijani by birth. And my mother, in addition to Baku, also had Jewish roots.

As for business and trade, our today's hero was engaged in them from a very early age. The thing is that his father was a major Azerbaijani entrepreneur with his own semi-legal business in Baku. Produced in state-owned factories, products were sold under the counter. And therefore, assistants to Ismailov Sr. were needed almost constantly. Telman did not resist this state of affairs and from the age of fourteen he helped his father with might and main in his shadow business. In that period, commerce and entrepreneurship were only possible with good connections. That is why our today's hero always willingly made new acquaintances.

How much did Telman Ismailov's hotel cost?

Soon, Ismailov Jr. acquired many important connections and even managed to head the only commercial store in Baku in this way. However, this enterprising Caucasian very soon seemed not enough. In 1973, he entered the Azerbaijan People's Economic Institute named after. D. Buniat-Zade, where he later studied for three years.

The next stage in the life of a talented businessman was the army, after which he again returned to his studies, but this time he entered a Moscow university. In the Russian capital, he began to study at the Plekhanov Institute of National Economy. Diploma Designated educational institution he received in 1980.

An extraordinary Caucasian businessman began his career as an economist at the Ministry of Trade. In parallel with this, he also worked as an expert on certain issues at the Vostokintorg enterprise.

Career of businessman Telman Ismailov

Our today's hero created his first commercial company in 1987, choosing a very controversial name as a brand name - “Commercial charity company". In this company, in fact, Telman Ismailov's career began in the world of big business. Developing it, a talented Azerbaijani entrepreneur acquired friends and serious connections. So, one of the good friends of the businessman was the then chairman of the cooperative commission of the Moscow City Executive Committee, Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov. The Caucasian entrepreneur also had good relations with the notorious Moscow business lady Elena Baturina.

With their active support, Telman Ismailov organized the AST company in 1989, which at that time consisted of only one division. Developing his business, an extraordinary Azerbaijani businessman constantly mastered new directions. At present, the large Azerbaijani-Russian holding includes 31 companies, each of which specializes in its own business area. Thus, the structure of the group of companies includes enterprises operating in the field of construction and hotel business, passenger traffic, production of jewelry, restaurant business and many other market segments. As mentioned above, for a long time, the AST holding actually owned the Cherkizovsky and Warsaw markets in Moscow.

Lezginka at the birthday of Telman Ismailov

According to some reports, the total annual turnover of the holding is estimated at 2 billion dollars. In addition, Telman Ismailov personally also owns the "seven-star" hotel "Mardan Palace" in the Turkish city of Antalya. The grand opening of the hotel complex took place in 2009 on the day when the deceased father of the entrepreneur - Mardan - was to be one hundred years old.

In the second half of the 2000s, our today's hero was in 76th place in the ranking of the richest people in Russia. At the time, his personal fortune was estimated at $620 million. At present, according to some reports, the fortune of one of the most talented businessmen in Azerbaijan is estimated at more than 1 billion dollars in terms of US currency.

In addition to commercial activities, the entrepreneur is engaged in patronage within the framework of the Eurasian Congress of Jews. In addition, he was also a long-term sponsor of the singer Abraham Russo and the football club of the Russian Premier League - Terek Grozny.

Telman Ismailov's personal life and third-party hobbies

Telman Ismailov is married. He has two sons - Sarkhan and Alekper, who today are co-owners of the AST holding. The brother of our today's hero - Fazil for a long time served as prefect of one of administrative districts Moscow.

In his free time, Telman travels a lot (in addition to Russian citizenship, he also has Turkish citizenship), and also collects watches. Currently, his personal collection consists of two thousand copies.

The Cherkizovsky clothing market, which opened in the early 90s in the Moscow district of Izmailovo, has become the largest small-scale wholesale enterprise in Russia over more than 10 years of its existence. According to the most rough estimates of experts, over the years of operation, Cherkizon has brought its owners an income amounting to billions of dollars.

Who was the master of the market

The owner of the Moscow Cherkizovsky market was Russian entrepreneur and philanthropist Telman Mardanovich Ismailov. Ismailov is the founder and co-owner of the largest construction group in Russia, AST, which de jure owned the market, which occupied a total of almost 50 hectares of Moscow territory (according to other sources, over 70 hectares). The AST group of companies included 31 firms. Reportedly Western media, at the beginning of the 2000s, Ismailov opened the Mardan Palace hotel in Turkey with the income received, and it cost the businessman $ 1.4 billion. On the territory of the hotel, Ismailov built himself a palace worth over 50 million dollars.

Counterfeit "city within a city"

Cherkizon was once considered the largest wholesale clothing market in Russia. Goods entered the market through the port of Khabarovsk, where bales of counterfeit goods were brought on boats from China. According to an investigation by TV journalist Arkady Mamontov, law enforcement officers found millions of kilograms of contraband goods worth a total of $2 billion at the Cherkizovsky market. No taxes or customs duties were paid for these things. Mamontov reported (and this was confirmed in his story Russian customs officers) that the clothes and shoes sold at Cherkizon were real danger for health because they were manufactured using prohibited substances. As the chief inspector of the Customs Inspection Department of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Ratanin, noted, Rospotrebnadzor specialists, checking the products that were in numerous warehouses, did not write out a single positive sanitary and epidemiological conclusion about the quality of this cheap Chinese consumer goods. The inspectors also failed to find documents on the origin of these goods. According to Boris Chernyshov, adviser to the head of the Customs Inspection Department of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, Cherkizon was a city within a city, with its own management system, its own security service, divided along national lines - with Chinese, Vietnamese, Tajik and other "quarters". According to the Russian customs service, at least 10,000 foreign citizens lived in Cherkizon alone, one way or another connected with this market (experts say the figure of those who constantly worked on the market: over 100,000 people, mostly Chinese citizens). And in the district near the market, most of the apartments were either bought up by merchants or rented by them. As Boris Chernyshov said, the structure of Cherkizon included 17 markets, each structured in its own way. According to law enforcement agencies, underground casinos and brothels “for their own” (market personnel) operated in Cherkizon, where dozens of Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese girls were kept in slavery.

Explosion in the market

In 2006, a terrorist attack was committed on the territory of Cherkizon, as a result of the explosion of a homemade bomb, 14 people were killed. As RIA Novosti reported, the investigation found out that the crime was the work of a group of nationalists. For the explosion at the Cherkizovsky market and other terrorist attacks, 2 years after the incident, the Moscow City Court sentenced 8 people to various terms of imprisonment, up to life.

"This shit hole needs to be shut down"

At the beginning of June 2009, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, V.V. Putin, called for "... to seriously intensify the fight against smuggling and illegal production, and to achieve a radical improvement in the situation in the near future." Regarding the fight against smuggling, Putin said that “... the struggle seems to be underway, but there are few results. The result in such cases is imprisonment. Where are the landings? Vladimir Vladimirovich stated that “in one of the markets” “there are still goods worth more than 2 billion dollars. They haven't destroyed it yet, and there are no owners [of the goods]." At the end of June of the same year, by the decision of the prefect of the Eastern Administrative District of Moscow, Nikolai Evtikheev, the activities of the Cherkizovsky market were suspended. According to the official version, at that time there were a lot of instructions from Rospotrebnadzor on the elimination of violations of sanitary and epidemiological requirements that were not fulfilled. In addition, as Evtikheev noted, Cherkizon, which operated as a small wholesale market, practically paralyzed traffic in the Izmailovo region due to the incessant influx of wholesalers' cars from all over the country. The Investigative Committee also stated its position on the Cherkizovsky market, which issued a proposal to eliminate the violations identified at Cherkizon against the head of Moscow, Yu. M. Luzhkov. Numerous violations of migration legislation by foreigners who worked at the Cherkizovsky market were also reported, and the head of the Sledkom of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, in one of his speeches bluntly said that "this viper must be closed." In July of the same year, the Cherkizovsky market was officially closed, and a criminal case was initiated against the representative of the lessor university (RSU of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism), which leased most of the land to Cherkizon, for abuse of power. Telman Ismailov was declared bankrupt in 2015 by the decision of the Arbitration Court of the Moscow Region. At the end of last year, the Moscow authorities decided to give the territory where Cherkizon was once located for residential development as part of a renovation program.