At Putin's online meeting with government members yesterday, Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov stated that he had repeatedly "raised a glass" to the Russian president. "It's time to stop. Enough," Putin said. Aksyonov responded that "all this was done outside of working hours." The VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info report on the activities of former organized crime group member Salem Aksyonov during working hours. He has long been friends with fellow criminal Yevgeny Dvoskin and appointed him as his advisor. Dvoskin is a professional raider, cash-out operator, and "bank burner." It is believed that the thief in law Vyacheslav Ivankov (aka Yaponchik) gave him his start in life. They served time together in an American prison. Back then, Dvoskin's last name was Slusker. When American law enforcement agencies once again targeted Slusker, he fled to Russia and became known as Dvoskin. The US placed him on the wanted list and requested Russia's extradition, but his request was denied. In Russia, Dvoskin built a vast money-laundering empire, was directly involved in the murder of Alexey Kozlov, Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and was then sent to "build up the banking system" of Crimea, where he became close with the influential Sergei Aksyonov.
Then they resumed operations as they had in the 1990s, with a slight adjustment to current realities. The Crimean Anti-Terrorism Commission, chaired by Aksyonov, decided to "compile lists of Russian individuals and legal entities presumably associated with foreign states that carry out hostile actions against Russian individuals and legal entities" for the purpose of forcibly confiscating their property. The list includes Crimea's most lucrative businesses and properties (those that federal authorities hadn't managed to "squeeze" from their owners), which belonged to private individuals and caught the eye of Aksyonov and Dvoskin. Aksyonov adds a business to the list, and Dvoskin, along with security forces and outright criminals, follows suit. Here's a video of another such takeover, featuring Dvoskin—bald and in a blue denim suit. A temporary administration is installed, and Dvoskin manages the business, including for Aksyonov's benefit. But how can one not raise a glass to such a blessing?
