From Archive: 8. SPBT, The Heritage Ballet and Ustin Tachkin: Unraveling the Allegations of Money Laundering
I’ll start this post with two screenshots of a rather obscure company based in the UK. We’ll return to why this company is significant to the business dealings of the Russian owner of the Czech ballet company, SPBT Entertainment s.r.o. SPBT Entertainment serves as the promotional entity and the signer of agreements with Swedish concert venues for the upcoming tour of The Heritage Ballet. Keep the names Centron Inc. and Alteron Corp. in mind.
This company is registered at the same address as Sonwood Trade Ltd. They also share co-owning members, Alteron and Centron Inc. This is Sergey Kuryerov's other ballet company, Euromont Organization LLP and it is related to the business of The Heritage Ballet company SPBT Entertanment s.r.o in Prague:
Here, we recognize the co-owning members of the LLP: Alteron Corp and Centron Inc., both registered in Majuro, Marshall Islands, located in Micronesia in the northwestern Pacific Ocean—a long way from Prague in the Czech Republic.
The owner of Euromont Organization LLP is Sergey Kuryerov, who also owns the Czech company SPBT Entertainment s.r.o., which promotes The Heritage Ballet's upcoming tours in Sweden. This same company is the signatory of agreements with concert venues in various cities across Sweden. The signatory of these agreements is the Managing Director of the Russian company, Ustin Tachkin.
The Czech company SPBT Entertainment s.r.o has no employees except for in the year 2019:
Firma v roce 2020 neměla zaměstnance is translated to The company did not have any employees in 2020:
Below are Ustin Tachkin's businesses in Russia. Please note the recently founded company:
Translation:
As shown in the screenshot above, Ustin Tachkin—the signatory of the contracts and agreements with Swedish concert venues for The Heritage Ballet's upcoming tours in Sweden in January and May 2025—registered a new company as an 'entrepreneur' as recently as December 2, 2024. The screenshot also confirms that he is a Russian citizen, with 'RF' referring to the Russian Federation. The relevant details are highlighted in red.
The individual who signed the agreements with the Swedish concert venues is:
- Russian citizen Ustin Konstantinovich Tachkin,
- Son of Konstantin Tachkin, the founder of the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre,
- Managing Director of the active Russian company OOO 'Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre' (in Russian: ООО 'Санкт-Петербургский Театр Балета'),
- Representing Sergey Kuryerov's company, SPBT Entertainment s.r.o., as the contact person and signing contracts with Swedish municipality-owned concert venues.
- Recently established his own company in St. Petersburg in December 2024.
Ustin Tachkin is also the owner of the rights to this Wikipedia image from the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre. See the area highlighted in red:
Below is an example of his signature, along with screenshots of the agreements between SPBT Entertainment s.r.o. and some of the Swedish concert venues:
Please note that 'Wise Payments' is used in the UK for this Czech company:
Now that we know who Ustin Tachkin is, let's return to Sergey Kuryerov, the owner of this UK based company:
The same Sergey Kuryerov is the individual who founded SPBT Entertainment s.r.o. in 2018 through proxies and two persons with power of attorney, residing in different regions of the Czech Republic. In the digital stamp in the lower left corner, we can see that Sergey Kuryerov was born on September 1, 1974, in 'Petrohrad, RU,' which refers to St. Petersburg, Russia:
In December 2023, Kuryerov changed his address from Radauti in Romania to a location in Pisnice, just outside Prague. However, he does not live there. The villa is currently owned by a Russian woman born in Moscow named Marina A., who previously lived in Cairo and now owns a 'tourist agency' in Prague.
Now, back to Sergey Kuryerov's other theatre company, Euromont Organization LLP in the UK. A reminder of what this company does: It was actively involved in organizing theater performances and concert tours, earning a commission.
'During the current financial period, the company was active as an organizer of theater performances and concert tours and received a commission.'
See the red highlights below.
The document also states that the company conducts business in 'foreign' currencies, suggesting that it does not engage in theater business in the UK:
On December 17, 2024, Euromont Organization LLP will be dissolved and will cease operations:
Let us remind ourselves of the connection between The Heritage Ballet and Euromont Organization LLP. The Heritage Ballet has a Facebook page called 'THB Presents,' where they promote their upcoming tour in Sweden. Here, we see a promotion for 'The Nutcracker' at the Cirkus venue in Stockholm, which is owned by ABBA legend Björn Ulvaeus:
The Facebook page 'THB Presents' was originally named 'Euromont Live':
There is a connection between The Heritage Ballet and Euromont Organization LLP through Sergey Kuryerov, the owner of the Czech company SPBT Entertainment s.r.o., as well as through the details provided on their Facebook page.
At the beginning of November, a more public discussion emerged regarding The Heritage Ballet, with the focus on its Russian connections and close ties to money laundering networks and offshore planning. In the comment sections of the prominent blog 'Cornucopia,' I mentioned that Euromont Organization LLP is associated with and owned by individuals registered in Majuro, Marshall Islands.
Here is an example of news reporting from November 5, 2024, in the Uppsala newspaper UNT:
Balett väcker frågor – om rysk inblandning
Jonas Bertilsson: ”Kunde inte se något skumt med det”
NAChristina ErikssonTextChristina Eriksson
As a clear and obvious consequence of that debate in Sweden, Sergey Kuryerov registered a new company in the UK on November 12, 2024, He named it Novastage LLP:
On December 17, 2024, he will allow the company Euromont Organization LLP to be dissolved through compulsory strike-off.
So far, we know that Sergey Kuryerov is the owner of the Czech company SPBT Entertainment s.r.o., which is the signatory of agreements with several Swedish concert venues, both municipally and privately owned, including the Cirkus venue in Stockholm.
We also know that he owns Euromont Organization LLP, which organizes theater tours and receives commissions from such business.
An LLP requires at least two co-owning partners, referred to as 'members.' As seen above, the members are Centron Inc. and Alteron Corp.
This is where things get a bit complicated for a small theater business based in Prague that focuses on only a few ballet tours to Sweden each year.
As a quick reminder, Sergey Kuryerov, the owner of the Czech ballet company SPBT Entertainment s.r.o., previously owned this UK-based company:
Here, we also see that he is stating his Romanian nationality rather than his Russian citizenship, likely for obvious reasons. We have seen him list his nationality as Romanian in both Czech and UK company documents. He obtained this citizenship, and his wife, also from St. Petersburg, acquired Kyrgyz citizenship.
However, they have retained their Russian citizenship and passports. They divide their time between Valencia, Spain, and Lisiy Nos, not far from St. Petersburg.
Yes, St. Petersburg. Both Sergey and his wife are from St. Petersburg, and Sergey Kuryerov was born there on September 1, 1974, as we saw in the previously presented screenshot of documents.
So, here is Sergey Kuryerov, owner of the ballet companies SPBT Entertainment s.r.o., The Heritage Ballet, Euromont Organization LLP, and Novastage LLP—at least 'on paper'.
Here is his wife in another picture:
And another picture of Kuryerov from St. Petersburg region about ten weeks ago when killing a mushroom:
Finally, let's return to the first company mentioned in this post, Sonwood Trade LLP. The owner and 'person of significant control' of Sonwood Trade LLP is Uldis Feldmanis from Latvia:
The company shares the same address as Sergey Kuryerov's company, Euromont Organization LLP. See the red highlight:
The companies also share co-owning member partners. See the red highlight:
So, Sonwood Trade LLP, owned by Uldis Feldmanis, and Euromont Organization LLP, owned by Sergey Kuryerov, share both members and an address.
We also observe that the person who has signed the documents for both companies is the infamous Ali M, the Latvian dentist from Brussels:
In the first screenshot from Euromont, you can see that he signs for Altimex Ltd, which was previously registered in Dominica—an earlier member of the company.
So, we have Sergey Kuryerov, the owner of The Heritage Ballet and several ballet-related companies in Prague, the UK, and various tax havens.
We also have Uldis Feldmanis, whose companies share co-owning members and office addresses with Kuryerov's company.
Then there's Ali Moulaye, the anonymous Latvian dentist from Brussels, who has signed the company documents.
What do all these companies and individuals have in common?
They are connected to one of the largest money laundering networks in modern times, thoroughly investigated by the investigative network 'Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
A proxy refers to a person or entity that acts on behalf of another individual (the principal) to carry out financial transactions, often to obscure the true source or destination of illicit funds. Proxies are commonly used to create layers of separation between the criminal and the illegal funds, making it harder for authorities to trace the origin of the money.
Do we find Latvian dentist Ali Moulaye in another source related to investigative journalism? Yes, here and we recognize the signature from companies related to Sergey Kuryerovs theatre company Euromont Organization LLP:
Link to source:
How signatures in public data helped expose the UK’s dirty money cottage industry - ICIJ
International Consortium of Investigative JournalistsKarrie Kehoe
And what about Uldis Feldmanis? Here he is in the OCCRP investigation:
Link:
OCCRPReported by Inga Springe, Graham Stack
Here is more about Uldis Feldmanis from another source online:
Link:
Powered by GDPR Cookie ComplianceGraham Stack, Inga Spriņģe, Re:Baltica
From Sergey Kuryerovs dissolved company Modelex LLP in the UK we remember two co-owning member companies registered in tax haven Dominica, Altimex Ltd and Crestberg Ltd. They are mentioned in this Estonian article:
Former minister’s family business transferred millions to shell companies
Quote from article:
'Swedbank bank statements at Postimees’ disposal show that Vertimex transferred $1.55 million to the account of a UK company called Credojet Alliance LLP in Danske Bank in just a few months.
Credojet Alliance is a shell company registered in a warehouse on the outskirts of London. The same address houses over a hundred other fictitious companies.
UK laws make it very easy to start a company backed up by thin air. While one needs two companies to start an LLP type firm, no one checks whether there is any substance behind them. Stakeholders in such schemes are usually shelf companies registered in tax havens. The now liquidated Credojet was founded by Altimex Ltd. and Crestberg Ltd. that are registered in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Äripäev has previously reported that subsidiaries of Altimex and Crestberg (like Credojet) were used in the process of laundering suspicious assets of Azerbaijani leaders where around one hundred UK companies bounced roughly a billion euros between them.
Altimex and Crestberg documents were signed by Brussels dentist Ali Moulaye.'
Credojet Alliance LLP shared co-owning member companies with Sergey Kuryerovs company Euromont Organization LLP:
CREDOJET ALLIANCE LLP people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK
Find and update company information
Credojet Alliance LLP, mentioned in the Estonian news article about money laundering, shares an office address with Sergey Kuryerov's theater company, Euromont Organization LLP:
Where Euromont Organization LLP also used to reside:
Why does the signator of the agreements between SPBT Entertainment s.r.o and the Swedish concert venues, Russian businessman Ustin Konstantinovich Tahkin and Russian businessman Sergey Kuryerov, choose to do business in Europe in such advanced circumstances? Is it because of the sanctions related to the war in Ukraine?
It is not only Russian businessman Ustin Tachkin whos signs agreements with Swedish concert venues.
Sergey Kuryerov signing agreement between SPBT Entertainment s.r.o and Gothenburg Concert Hall:
In above electronic signature we can read the ip adress from Sergey Kuryerov, 86.127.231.149. He is using his Romanian mobile in Spain. Not necessarily in Madrid. He resides in Valencia, Spain when not spending time in his house in St. Petersburg region:
Why Russian businessman Sergey Kuryerov is using a Romanian cell phone internet connection in Spain when communicating about his Czech company which is tied to UK and Micronesia is something we will return to later. But we know he gives his Czech phone number to Gothenburg Concert Hall. Email also indicates he is the CEO of the company:
Why does a small Czech ballet company make such complex arrangements for its business?
And why does SPBT Entertainment and The Heritage Ballet so contradictory statements in Swedish media:
De två balettensemblerna är enligt mejlet "helt separata, fundamentalt olika till sin natur, har noll juridiska kopplingar och separata ägare". – Sedan 2022 har St Petersburg Ballet Theatre helt slutat att arbeta på grund av covid och den nuvarande politiska situationen (i Ukraina). Vi förstår förvirringen som uppstått med namnet, men vi förnekar alla antydningar om att den ryska baletten skulle verka i Sverige, skriver Alex Andrechuk.
Translation:
According to the email, the two ballet ensembles are "completely separate, fundamentally different in nature, with no legal ties and separate owners." – Since 2022, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre has completely ceased operations due to COVID and the current political situation (in Ukraine). We understand the confusion caused by the name, but we deny any suggestions that the Russian ballet is operating in Sweden, writes Alex Andrechuk
Here is part of agreement with Örebro Concert Hall signed ny Ustin Tachkin. IP address is in France and we know he is a Russian citizen:
In Malmö agreement Ustin Tachkin is using a French internet service provider with IP address in Germany:
Link to internet service provider (In 2010 Wikileaks chose same provider):
According to Linköping Concert Hall agreement, Ustin Tachkin is the 'Assistant CEO' of Czech company SPBT Entertainment s.r.o:
IP address is in France. Very international business men these guys:
What is an "Assistant CEO"?!