Businessman on Kremlin's 'wanted list' fears for his life

It is a bizarre tale that involves a Siberian coal mine, a Russian military drone, the glamorous daughter of a senior Kremlin politician, and her tycoon husband living in one of Britain’s most luxurious mansions.

In a case that is likely to cause tension between Moscow and London, Dmitry Tsvetkov, a Russian businessman with British citizenship, has been placed on a Kremlin ‘wanted list’ accused of unknown offences. He claims that if he ever returns to Russia, he will be killed.

Mr Tsvetkov, 39, a father-of-two, has told The Telegraph he has done nothing wrong and instead is the victim of a campaign of intimidation and death threats in a row over ownership of a coal mine in Siberia, conservatively worth half a billion pounds. He is also embroiled in an inquiry into a Russian military drone contract.

He says the strain - he calls them ‘pressure points’ - has caused a temporary split in his marriage to Elsina Khayrova, a model and daughter of Rinat Khayrov, a Russian MP in Vladimir Putin’s ruling party and a former finance minister in the Republic of Tatarstan.

The couple first made headlines in the UK when it emerged two years ago that they had gone on a property spending spree, buying a £22 million home on the Wentworth estate in Surrey (pictured below) and a £10 million flat close to Harrods in central London. The homes, heavily mortgaged, were bought in Ms Khayrova’s name. The couple have also bought four other flats in London.

A notice posted on the Russian Ministry of Interior website earlier this month names Mr Tsvetkov as wanted. The notification states: “Grounds for search: Wanted under an article of the Criminal Code” and goes on to detail Mr Tsvetkov’s date of birth and gives his birthplace as St Petersburg. It adds under the heading ‘Other’: “was on the wanted list previously; no court ruling on bail or jail.”

Mr Tsvetkov, who trained as a lawyer and was granted UK citizenship in 2010, said he had not even been aware he was wanted by the Russian authorities until being informed by The Telegraph last week, adding: “But I am not surprised. Put it this way, I was receiving numerous phone calls from police agencies in Tatarstan. They wanted me to go there. I am not surprised I am on the [wanted] list because I refused to go.

“From my understanding of Russian criminal proceedings, the moment I enter Russia I will be brought for interrogation in Tatarstan. I don’t think anybody else is interested in me.”

He believes that a gang in Russia has used the country’s corrupt criminal justice system to put pressure on him and his business partner and close friend Ildar Uzbekov to cede control or hand over shares in a vast Siberian coal mine called Polosukhinskaya, which until the Covid-19 pandemic was making about £100 million year in profits. A quarter of the shares are in Ms Khayrova’s name.

A further inquiry was opened into a contract in which Mr Tsvetkov was involved for the development of a Russian military and civilian drone. Mr Tsvetkov says that investigation - again he believes prompted by the gang looking to control the coal mine -  has now been closed with no action taken.

Mr Tsvetkov says he first became aware of the threats against his life when a friend took him to one side during a holiday in Dubai in 2018 and said his business relationship with Mr Uzbekov had put him at risk.

“My friend said: ‘Be careful. The moment you get to Russia your life will be in danger’. Basically he said I will be killed,” recalled Mr Tsvetkov.

There have also been reports that the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has been looking at the numerous property transactions. The NCA has the power to investigate the super-rich and go to court to obtain an unexplained wealth order.

Targets unable to explain the source of a spending spree can have their assets seized. Mr Tsvetkov said he had had no contact from the NCA and that all transactions were carried out through UK lawyers and fully audited. “Everything is documented,” he said, “Everything is transparent…. Every single asset has been checked.”

He believes that with no prospect of an NCA inquiry, “that’s why probably, Russian criminal proceedings is the only way to put pressure on me,” he said, adding: “Russian money is manipulating the Russian criminal justice system.”

But the inquiries launched in Russia have taken their toll. He said: “At the moment our relationship [with his wife] is complicated,” he said, and that the investigations in Russia had put a strain on his marriage.

"He remains in the £22 million mansion in Surrey, with its £30,000 crystal taps, and spends his mornings playing golf and tennis at the prestigious Wentworth Club. He believes he is safe while in Britain although he points out his car is armour-plated.