Disappearance of top manager Vladislav Baumgertner: blackmail, threats, and the collapse of billion-ruble deals of Del Group

13 января 2026 г., 15:24

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Disappearance of top manager Vladislav Baumgertner: blackmail, threats, and the collapse of billion-ruble deals of Del Group

Journalists have uncovered the full background of the conflict involving one of Russia’s top managers, former CEO of Uralkali Vladislav Baumgertner, which could have led to his abduction (almost all evidence suggests that his “disappearance” had a criminal nature).

He, together with the former head of the Transport Management Holding “Magistral,” Evgeny Podgaetsky, for many years tried to obtain a large sum from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Del Group, Sergey Shishkarev. The oligarch faced many troubles from his opponents, including attempts to have him added to sanction lists. As a result, both began receiving threats. Podgaetsky was even forced to contact law enforcement in the UAE, and shortly afterward, Baumgertner disappeared. Baumgertner had for about one and a half years headed the major stevedoring company Global Ports, part of Shishkarev’s Del Group. Podgaetsky was the head of “Magistral” — another structure linked to Del Group. His involvement in Shishkarev’s structures was connected to the former CEO of Del UK, Dmitry Pankov, whom Podgaetsky had known for a long time.

At Del, he chartered vessels through the Dubai-based company Mountain Air Shipping. Both Baumgertner and Podgaetsky parted ways badly with Shishkarev, with large sums owed to them under joint agreements. Podgaetsky caused Shishkarev significant headaches, attempting to have the oligarch’s structures sanctioned by the U.S. for supporting Russian defense industries, and revealed information about the “secrets” of Shishkarev’s business.

At the peak of these revelations, a major deal fell through for Shishkarev. Between 2019 and 2022, he sold 49% of Del Group to the state corporation Rosatom. However, the partnership failed. In 2024, Transmashholding showed interest in Del Group. They agreed to purchase 49% of Del from Rosatom (deal value around 200 billion rubles) and acquired 1% from Shishkarev (to own 50% and be able to appoint their top management). The deal was expected to close in fall 2025.

During this period, information revealing unpleasant details of Shishkarev’s and Del Group’s activities began appearing on various resources. Shishkarev reacted extremely negatively. In November 2025, it became known that Transmashholding would refuse to purchase 49% of Del, and under the agreement terms, a reverse exchange was to take place: Shishkarev would regain 1% of Del and return the amount paid for it. A VChK-OGPU source and Rucriminal.info report that Shishkarev blamed the deal’s failure on an “information attack” and Podgaetsky.

Initially, he believed Pankov stood behind Podgaetsky, with whom he also had a bad split. Later, according to the source, he concluded that Podgaetsky was acting jointly with Baumgertner, who continued demanding money not received after leaving Global Ports. Baumgertner is friends with Dmitry Rybolovlev, Suleyman Kerimov (reportedly he even advised him on matters related to Wildberries), and many other influential people, and could genuinely create serious problems for Shishkarev on “all fronts.” As a result, both Podgaetsky and Baumgertner began receiving threats, including threats of violence.

Podgaetsky filed a police report in the UAE when Shishkarev arrived in Dubai, and he was detained and interrogated. This information appeared in the media and became the “last straw.” Shortly afterward, Baumgertner disappeared. According to sources, there was one person in Baumgertner’s closest circle raising many questions. “Vladislav has a close friend, his longtime ‘right-hand man,’ Lesha. Baumgertner once helped him build a government career, and then they did business together, with Baumgertner being the main figure. Alex knows absolutely everything about Vladislav’s assets and personal affairs. After the disappearance, he behaved very strangely, suggesting possible involvement,” the source said.

VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info identified this person as Alexey Dozortsev, former aide to the Russian Minister of Regional Development and ex-minister of the Government of Perm Krai. In recent years, Baumgertner conducted business with him, including as partners in the company HeadOffice. Dozortsev also owns the legal firm UMNYE RESHENIYA (Smart Solutions) and LLC Aktiviti in Moscow, which manages real estate.

Among the top managers of his companies are former head of the Russian Federal Tax Service anti-corruption unit Sergey Vasilenko, as well as former Investigative Committee investigator and prosecutor employee Vsevolod Pavlov. According to sources, in recent years Baumgertner, together with Dozortsev, actively developed concierge services, which became especially in demand amid sanctions, and his friendship with Suleyman Kerimov helped open many doors. Since 2020, he has registered the company SBVB HEADOFFICE LIMITED in Cyprus, the legal entity for HeadOffice, with an office at 12 Kitiou Kyprianou, 3036 Limassol. In Russia, he operates as an individual entrepreneur.

The SBVB HEADOFFICE LIMITED website states that the company is managed by “a team of experienced specialized experts and regional representatives in key regions of the world,” providing clients with private capital, asset, and project management services to achieve more while spending significantly less time and effort. Baumgertner uses an email at the same domain, listed in his Russian IE profile on aggregator sites.

Previously, SBVB HEADOFFICE LIMITED had three directors: Baumgertner himself, Cypriot Leila Gamrekelidze, and Russian Sergey Buchin, who also develops financial business in Monaco (owning the company IRBISIO). In September of this year, Gamrekelidze and Buchin left their positions, and Anastasia Belyaeva became the second director. A year earlier, Mikhail Loganov — another former colleague of Baumgertner at Global Ports Investments PLC — also left the company. For context, none of our sources spoke positively about Baumgertner. “He is very arrogant, considers almost everyone beneath him in rank, and interacts accordingly. His personal traits are unpleasant even to mention,” one source noted. Baumgertner left his wife Irina while she was seven months pregnant (they already had another child) for a younger woman.

He attempted not to acknowledge his second child to pay less alimony and generally did not communicate with that family. Baumgertner remembered Irina and his children only when he was in a Belarusian prison and needed support. After his release, everything returned to “normal.” After each alimony payment, he would cause scandals and even threats. Due to these circumstances, Irina moved to the U.S. with the children. Interestingly, the woman he left his family for soon left him and began dating Baumgertner’s former boss and friend, billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.

With his next wife (with whom he had two daughters), Baumgertner also separated badly, with threats and attempts to leave her without money. The same pattern repeated with each partner. Vladislav Baumgertner comes from Troika Dialog. He joined Uralkali under Dmitry Rybolovlev in 2003, maintaining the partnership to this day. When Suleyman Kerimov acquired the company, they developed a friendly relationship (or reportedly were friends even before the deal), and Baumgertner became CEO.

After the criminal incident involving Lukashenko and Kerimov, Baumgertner became CEO of the Russian stevedoring company Global Ports Investments PLC — a leading operator of container terminals in Russia, managing facilities in the Baltic and Far East basins. Simultaneously, he chaired the board of the associated Estonian company AS LIWATHON E.O.S., which in 2019 was sold to the UAE-based international investment group Liwathon.

However, after a conflict with Shishkarev, he returned to Rybolovlev in March 2017. Rybolovlev, meanwhile, moved to Monaco after selling Uralkali and acquired nearly 10% of the largest bank in Cyprus, Bank of Cyprus. In Cyprus, he built a network of offshore companies, including investments in startups such as Alevo Group, a battery developer whose board Baumgertner chaired. The U.S. part of Alevo later went bankrupt, and Baumgertner was transferred to Innolith, a company developing lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes, also funded by Rybolovlev.

Until 2019, Baumgertner officially headed the board of Rigmora Holdings, considered Rybolovlev’s family trust. Part of his team from Uralkali, led by former CEO Anna Kolonchina, moved there. Offices are in Monaco and Cyprus, where his experience overseeing business operations was valuable. Recently, Rybolovlev faced issues with a U.S. partner: the Delaware court ordered the Rigmora family trust to pay $97 million to Harrison’s Apple Tree Partners, a biotech startup fund, which Rybolovlev had previously funded but later refused to pay.

Within this framework, the Apple Tree fund was supposed to receive Rigmora financing for biotech startups. Rybolovlev initially complied but later refused payment. Previously, after selling Uralkali to Dmitry Mazepin, Kerimov had to pay a share to unofficial beneficiary Ramzan Kadyrov, but did not. Despite this, until 2024, they maintained public good relations until a dispute erupted over Wildberries.

Sources also report that Baumgertner is friends with the Russian ambassador in Cyprus. On January 8, when his phone stopped working, a deceased embassy employee, Alexey Panov, was found in the building. Some reports suggest he may have been a GRU officer operating under diplomatic cover.