Ukrainian journalists have reported that one of the candidates for the FIDE presidency, German businessman Vadim Rosenstein, continues to conduct business in Russia despite official statements suggesting otherwise.
By several key measures, his Russian business is larger than his German operation. His Russian company, VR Rus LLC, reportedly generates more profit than his entire German holding company.
UNIAN journalists found that VR Rus LLC, which Rosenstein controls directly and through his Düsseldorf-registered company WR Group Holding, has increased its revenue more than tenfold since 2022, from RUB 113 million to RUB 1.6 billion. This amounts to more than €18 million. His logistics company’s profit increased fourfold, from RUB 38 million to RUB 139 million, or approximately €1.6 million.
Over the past three years, Rosenstein’s Russian company has paid almost RUB 500 million into the Russian state budget. Meanwhile, in Germany, WR Group Holding, the parent company of his Russian logistics business, is registered as a micro-enterprise and receives tax benefits. This appears particularly striking given that German taxpayers have provided €55 billion in support for Ukraine.
In modern Russia, the logistics sector has become one of the main ways of circumventing sanctions. The case of 2R Integra LLC, a company owned by Vadim Rosenstein’s cousin, Mikhail Rosenstein, provides another example. Since 2022, the company has increased its revenue more than fortyfold. On its website, it also states that one of its main activities involves arrangements intended to bypass sanctions against Russia.
In comments to DW, Rosenstein, who describes himself as a “billionaire”, said that he did not consider it necessary to disclose the source of his wealth. According to the latest publicly available financial statements for WR Group Holding, the company’s assets stood at just over €2.4 million at the end of 2024. The figure had increased by €1.7 million in that year alone.
UNIAN journalists also drew attention to Rosenstein’s links with major Russian oligarchs, to whom he allegedly supplied imported goods, including through arrangements designed to circumvent sanctions. These reportedly involved shipments of goods in disassembled form, which were later assembled in Russia.
According to the report, Rosenstein was brought into big business by Valery Ananyev, a relative on his mother’s side and a prominent businessman from Yekaterinburg who owns the construction group Atomstroykompleks. Ananyev allegedly introduced Rosenstein, who at the time was transporting toilet paper from Russia to Germany, to companies linked to Gennady Timchenko and Leonid Mikhelson. Rosenstein’s logistics business then expanded rapidly.
Rosenstein’s paternal uncle, Viktor Rosenstein, also reportedly worked with these companies. Viktor Rosenstein currently manages companies within WR Group.
With Valery Ananyev’s support, Rosenstein was reportedly able to secure a steady stream of revenue for his companies by building an extensive network of logistics businesses in countries neighbouring Russia. The article alleges that Rosenstein is using funds provided by Ananyev to finance his campaign for the FIDE presidency.
