Dubai apartments and money laundering through Udmurtia: How former Udmurt leader Alexander Brechalov is trying to evade law enforcement through Sber and friends
The Federal Tax Service has blocked access to information about the head of the Moscow-based consulting firm Apex, which former Udmurt Republic Governor Alexander Brechalov took over after his resignation. A post has also been released stating that he has resigned from this position.
Sources say Brechalov is currently knocking on the doors of various government offices, including that of his longtime friend, Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin, in an attempt to secure some kind of government position. He’s thus attempting to avoid problems with the security forces, who have had serious questions about him since the spring of 2026.
In April 2026, Brechalov, still governor, met with German Gref and, according to a source, raised the possibility of his employment, knowing of the security forces’ keen interest and that his position was shaky. In July 2026, in the midst of the election campaign, Brechalov was removed from his post—an unprecedented move. Moreover, he was immediately barred from running for the State Duma, which would have granted him immunity. In August, the Central Election Commission (CEC) removed him from the United Russia party’s federal list of candidates for the State Duma elections. Officially, it was at his own request. In reality, he was simply asked to leave. As a result, Brechalov took the post of CEO of Apex, which is controlled by Sber. This company manages the large nationalized railway holding Vector Rail (which includes one of the largest liquefied petroleum gas transportation operators, SG-Trans), whose largest creditor is Sberbank. However, this position is a poor cover, so Brechalov is urgently seeking a government position.
This is due to the fact that security forces are breathing down his neck, having been investigating the Brechalov-Danil Fedorov connection since early 2026. The latter is publicly known as a major investor from Udmurtia, but unofficially, as the owner of one of the largest platforms for cashing out and withdrawing funds from the Russian Federation. It was through this platform, as it turns out, that funds stolen from the Udmurt budget were actively siphoned off. Some of it went to the UAE, where, not coincidentally, Brechalov acquired an apartment of approximately 100 square meters in Dubai, overlooking the Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Fedorov’s business is fronted at the federal level by Senator Alexander Voloshin of the DPR, who has long-standing ties to the Fifth Service of the Russian FSB and patronizes a number of money-laundering platforms, presenting them as "acting in the interests of the Motherland."
Why did law enforcement agencies become interested in the Brechalov-Fedorov connection? The Federal Tax Service investigated several dozen companies that helped large entities evade taxes and funnel funds out of Russia. They concluded that, in reality, they were all controlled by a single entity—Danil Fedorov. The materials were forwarded to the FSB’s Economic Security Service, which uncovered Fedorov’s connection to Brechalov and the Dubai apartments the governor acquired in 2023, immediately after his 50th birthday. Brechalov lost his governorship, and now, along with Fedorov, he fears that the case will not end there.
Their resources for defenders are not limitless. Voloshin, for example, long covered for Andrey Kalyuzhny, head of the Donbas Development Corporation.
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To this end, Voloshin used his connections and influence within the KGB of the Republic of Belarus (he is friends with the son of the head of the KGB, Miroslav Tertel), which closely cooperates with the 5th Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation. But Kalyuzhny’s appetites and audacity grew exponentially, and he even stopped hiding his exorbitant wealth. For example, he built a palace on Rublyovka in the fashionable Millenium Park.
As a result, Kalyuzhny was detained upon arriving in Moscow from the UAE, where he had been staying for some time. He also owned an apartment in Dubai, also overlooking the Jumeirah Beach Residence.
