SOGAZ funds Svetlana Radionova’s circle: how Maria Makarchuk channels state resources to acquaintances
Maria Makarchuk (personal assistant for special assignments to the head of Rosprirodnadzor, Svetlana Radionova) is employed at SOGAZ, the company headed by Radionova’s common-law husband, Anton Ustinov.
In the previous part of the investigation, we reported how Makarchuk interacts with businessmen under Radionova’s patronage. Their enterprises systematically violate environmental laws, and Rosprirodnadzor turns a blind eye. Today, we will cover other schemes involving Radionova and Ustinov in which Makarchuk is also implicated.
Maria Makarchuk lives in the same building and block on Istrinskaya Street in Moscow as another assistant of Radionova, Lyubov Kharitonova (also Lukyanova, the nominal owner of Radionova’s overseas assets).
In addition, she purchased a country house in the Pavlovo-2 cottage settlement in the Istra district—she ordered furniture there in 2021, and in some of her contacts, her phone number is saved as “Maria Pavlovo-2.” She also placed orders from other online stores to three more addresses within the same settlement. Real estate there is expensive: house prices start at 140 million rubles, with some properties reaching 1.5–2 billion rubles. Her husband, Ruslan Makarchuk, was previously a founder of the company “RusJet Service,” which has reported net losses for the past two years.
It is obvious that the main earner in the family is Maria Vladimirovna herself: for several years she was officially employed at Rostekhnadzor under Radionova, then continued to function as an assistant without an official position. Since 2016, Makarchuk has been the director of the municipal “Odintsovo Park of Culture, Sports, and Leisure” (MBUK “OPKSIO”), while simultaneously serving as advisor to the head of the Odintsovo District, Andrey Ivanov. Under her leadership, the company TSK “Elite Garden” of the Lukashov family received large contracts from MBUK “OPKSIO” (1.2 billion rubles for 2025).
Makarchuk maintains excellent relations not only with the head of the Odintsovo District but also with the local deputies—specifically, with Odintsovo deputy from “United Russia,” Mikhail Devyatyarov, a former skier and member of the Russian Olympic team in Vancouver. She also orders plane tickets for Devyatyarov, just as she does for Radionova, using her own phone number.
But that is not all. Since 2021, the capable and efficient Maria Makarchuk has also been employed at the insurance company SOGAZ, headed by Anton Ustinov, Radionova’s common-law husband. She holds the position of Deputy Head of the Chairman’s Office, i.e., Anton Ustinov. According to our sources, it was under his leadership that a scheme was organized to divert and launder SOGAZ funds through a network of individual entrepreneurs. Makarchuk’s mother, Lidia Makarova, registered an individual entrepreneur account to work as an insurance agent, and this account was also involved in the schemes.
As previously reported, Makarchuk organized meetings for a large group of businessmen and officials personally under Radionova’s patronage:
- Sergey Astashov, a “waste businessman” controlling a significant portion of the multi-billion market for drilling waste processing in the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs.
- Sergey Nesterenko, a “waste businessman” and majority owner of Volgogradnefteproekt LLC.
- Former head of the Lower Volga Department of Rostekhnadzor, Igor Isaev, currently wanted on charges of bribery.
This did not prevent Radionova from continuing to communicate with Isaev’s common-law wife, former Minister of Ecology of the Volgograd Region, Polina Vergun. (The Vergun-Isaev family, like Radionova, owns real estate in France). Vergun previously managed the waste business in the region and is now one of the beneficiaries of the “Chistiy Gorod” group, one of the largest Russian waste management operators.
Also involved is former TV host at “Vesti-Irkutsk” and ex-assistant to the Governor of the Irkutsk Region, Lyudmila Sivacheva. The trademark “Ecology is Everyone’s Business” is registered under her name. The namesake International Children and Youth Award of Rosprirodnadzor has been presented annually since 2021 by Svetlana Radionova.
SOGAZ funds Svetlana Radionova’s circle: how Maria Makarchuk channels state resources to acquaintances
SOGAZ funds Svetlana Radionova’s circle: how Maria Makarchuk channels state resources to acquaintances
SOGAZ funds Svetlana Radionova’s circle: how Maria Makarchuk channels state resources to acquaintances
SOGAZ funds Svetlana Radionova’s circle: how Maria Makarchuk channels state resources to acquaintances