Death of bankers Magin and Nikitin as a stepping stone to the FSB director’s chair: Ivan Tkachev eliminates witnesses to his ties with Udodov and the Moldovan “laundromat”

Sources have revealed details about the mysterious death of former shadow banker No. 1 in Russia, Sergey Magin, in a Turkish prison.

Magin had expressed a desire to be extradited to Moldova, where he planned to testify about the connections of the “Laundromat,” but after visiting a dentist, his condition suddenly deteriorated. Almost simultaneously, Kirill Nikitin, a longtime partner of Magin in the shadow banking business, died in Moscow. Both were under the same FSB protection.

According to a source, the events involving Sergey Magin unfolded as follows. After leaving Russia, he lived in Israel. Later, charges related to the “Laundromat” case were brought against him in absentia, and he was placed on the international wanted list. The accusations seemed strange, as at the time of all the alleged events, Magin was serving a long sentence in a Russian prison for setting up schemes for illegal cash withdrawals. Consequently, Russian reports vaguely refer to him as the “ideologue” of the “Laundromat.” Interpol initially refused to act on the international notice, as Magin’s lawyers pointed out serious inconsistencies in the criminal case.

Magin moved to Northern Cyprus (essentially a “gray zone,” home to many bankers and businessmen wanted by Russia who have not received a final decision from Interpol regarding their fate). Soon after, new advisers appeared in his circle. He dismissed his previous lawyers and, following the advice of the new consultants, relocated to Turkey, where he was promised a quiet life and guaranteed political asylum in case of any problems.

Shortly afterward, Interpol’s file commission accepted the documents from Russia regarding Magin, and a request from Russia arrived in Turkey for the banker. He was placed in pre-trial detention, applied for political asylum, but his request was denied. He then requested extradition to Moldova (where a major Laundromat case is also being investigated), ready to testify about all high-ranking individuals involved in the “laundromats” in which Magin himself had participated.

Then Magin visited a dentist, after which his health suddenly and sharply deteriorated. As a result, Magin died. Experts were unable to establish an exact diagnosis, vaguely noting that some kind of illness began developing after the dental visit.

Shortly afterward, another shadow banker, Kirill Nikitin, died on the Moskva River. Nikitin was a long-time partner of Magin and had started his career at Magin’s bank, Aspect. While Nikitin and friends were kayaking, a sightseeing boat with no passengers unexpectedly reversed from the dock and struck them. Nikitin’s friend was unharmed.

Magin’s laundering channel was once considered one of the largest, largely thanks to the protection of the then-head of the Sixth Service of the FSB’s UBS, Ivan Tkachev (who later headed the FSB’s K Directorate and now leads the FSB’s DVKR), along with other security officials. Rumor has it that Magin’s channel was used by Alexander Udodov (Mikhail Mishustin’s “wallet”) and many other influential individuals and structures.

Magin first ended up in prison during a “power struggle” between Ivan Tkachev and the then-head of the GUEBiPK, Denis Sugrobov. Sugrobov’s subordinates detained Magin primarily as a valuable informant on Tkachev’s activities. After his release from the colony, Sergey Magin moved to Israel.

After Magin’s imprisonment, Nikitin cooperated with the group of leading shadow bankers at the time, including Yevgeny Dvoskin and Ivan Myazin, which alone laundered 2 trillion rubles in 2006–2007. The entire group enjoyed strong support from the Sixth Service of the FSB’s UBS and the FSB’s M Directorate. Many of the employees who worked with this group then now hold high positions. For example, Igor Nikolaev, the former deputy head of the M Directorate, is now head of the FSB in Sverdlovsk Oblast. And Ivan Tkachev, who at the time headed the Sixth Service, is now head of the DVKR of the FSB and is reportedly a contender for the FSB Director position.