VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info have published footage from the wedding of Vera Podguzova—a vice president at PSB Bank and a first cousin once removed of Vladimir Putin—to Konstantin Mayor, the owner of Mayor Group. (Our project was the first to report on their union.) The wedding took place in September 2025, yet the marriage did not last even a year. Multiple sources have stated that Vera left Konstantin due to his erratic outbursts of behavior, which proved impossible to control. Mayor himself is not giving up; he is attempting to maintain the public image of someone "close to the family" (in both the broad and narrow senses of the term). For instance, on Vladimir Putin’s birthday, portraits of the Russian president were displayed on all of Mayor Group’s massive advertising screens, and the company’s platforms even aired a video dedicated to the birthday celebrant (the slogan "Vova, come home!" was certainly a bold choice). In reality, however, the situation is quite the opposite. Mayor has failed to resolve the issue of getting off the FSB and Presidential Security Service "blacklist." To make matters worse, he managed to incur significant financial losses due to a conflict with Arkady Rotenberg’s family.
Mayor Group had leased advertising space on the facades of two Moscow shopping malls—Khorosho (on Khoroshevskoye Highway) and Oceania (on Kutuzovsky Prospekt)—but subsequently terminated the agreements and launched an aggressive PR campaign against the mall owners. "These media facades do not generate profit, feature awkward formats, and carry high rental rates... Simply put, the issue lies with the owner," stated materials initiated by Maer Group. The latter company subsequently severed ties with three other shopping centers owned by the same party.
The owner, linked through a chain of Russian firms and offshore entities, turned out to be Liliya Rotenberg—the daughter of Arkady Rotenberg. It is unclear whether Maer was unaware of this connection or simply experienced a "burst of bold behavior."
The financial reckoning came in October 2026. A court ruled in favor of the "owner" in lawsuits against Maer Group totaling over 60 million rubles. However, this figure pales in comparison to the other losses resulting from the conflict with the influential family.
VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info had previously reported that the FSO (Federal Protective Service) had barred Maer from attending the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) and other events under FSO security, because he had been driving an Aurus vehicle equipped with fake emergency lights and sirens.
