Mega-Cherkizon: God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev received a super-project with state funding for almost 40 years

2 years ago, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the list of candidates for the board of directors of OJSC All-Russian Exhibition Center. As Kommersant reports, ex-governor of the Kaliningrad region Georgy Boos and businessman God Nisanov entered. Nisanov is known primarily as a co-owner of the scandalously closed Cherkizovsky market in Moscow, although he owns and co-owns the most tidbits of Moscow real estate. Nisanov promised that, together with his partner Zarakh Iliev (another former co-owner of Cherkizon), he would invest $1.5 billion in the reconstruction of the All-Russian Exhibition Center.

Rogues Zarakh Iliev and God Nisanov

“By its order, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the list of candidates for the board of directors of the All-Russian Exhibition Center,” writes Kommersant. - The state, which owns 70% of the All-Russian Exhibition Center (30% belongs to the Moscow City Hall), proposes ex-governor of the Kaliningrad region Georgy Boos and co-owner of Kyiv Ploshchad CJSC God Nisanov to the board of directors. Another new candidate, Alexey Mikushko, who became general director of the All-Russian Exhibition Center a month ago. Prior to this, Alexey Mikushko headed the Ukraine Hotel, which belongs to Mr. Nisanov and his partner Zarakh Iliev. His candidacy was approved after it became known that businessmen were investing about $1.5 billion in the reconstruction of the All-Russian Exhibition Center.

The Encyclopedia of “Russian Israel” covers Nisanov’s biography:

“One of the wealthiest representatives of the Mountain Jewish community ($1.1 billion). In 2011, he took 90th position in the ranking of Russian billionaires by Forbes magazine. Conducts business in Moscow, mainly in the areas of hotel real estate and market trade. Donates funds to the needs of the Chabad movement. Has relatives in Israel.

Born on April 24, 1972 in the village of Kuba (Krasnaya Sloboda, Azerbaijan) in the family of a cannery director. He studied to become an economist and lawyer.

According to Forbes magazine, by the age of 20 he opened several stores in Cuba.

According to the Kommersant publication, he moved to Russia in 1990 (according to Forbes - in 1992). Worked in Telman Ismailov's AST group of companies.

In 1992, he began helping his fellow countryman Zarakh Iliev in wholesale trade, with whom he lived in the same yard in Kuba and had known him since childhood. According to Forbes, their joint business began with renting out space in Moscow clothing markets. Since then, the partners have equal shares in all projects.

In 2000-2005 worked at the diamond processing company Diamond cutters, whose office is currently located in the Electronic Paradise shopping center owned by G. Nisanov.

In 2001, together with Z. Iliev, he opened the Moscow trade and fair complex in Lyublino in the south of Moscow.

In 2002, he was one of the founders of the Kyiv Ploshchad company, which was created for the purpose of reconstructing the square of the Kievsky Station (one of the partners of G. Nisanov and Z. Iliev was the sculptor Z. Tsereteli). In 2003, the Moscow City Hall concluded an investment contract with Kievskaya Square for the construction of a “business and commercial center” with an area of ​​72 thousand square meters. m. At the same time, the “Ploshchad Evropy” company was created, into whose ownership it was planned to transfer 100% of the area of ​​the new complex. The shareholders of this company were the Moscow Property Department (30%) and Kyiv Ploshchad (70%). The project for the development of the Kievsky Station area was completed in 2006. The Evropeisky shopping and entertainment center was opened on the site of the station park. As a result, its total area was about 180 thousand square meters. m, and rented - 63 thousand sq. m. m. After the resignation of Yu. Luzhkov, the new mayor S. Sobyanin included the European Center in the medium-term program for the privatization of city property for 2011-2013. In July 2011, the Moscow government discovered that it could not sell its 30% stake in the Europe Square company, because... the city now owns not 30% of the area of ​​the European center, but only a tenth of it.

The Tats are the actual owners of the capital

In November 2003, he was one of the founders of the Trade Investments company (retail trade, restaurants, cafes). One of the partners was the former chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of Lawyers, Ilham Rahimov, a classmate and judo training partner of Vladimir Putin (for many years, I. Rahimov rented an office in the premises of the Venice restaurant, owned by G. Nisanov and Z. Iliev).

In 2005, the Biscuit company, owned by G. Nisanov and Z. Iliev, purchased the Ukraina Hotel for $275 million at an auction by the Moscow government. After that deputy mayor, I. Ordzhonikidze, stated that he did not know a company with that name, but the prefect of the Western District of the capital, Yu. Alpatov, said that “Biscuit” owned several large objects on his territory (“Interlocutor”, 02/05/2007). In 2006, law enforcement agencies began checking the auction for the sale of the Ukraina Hotel - there were suspicions of prior collusion, but nothing could be proven. In 2010, after a three-year reconstruction, the hotel opened under the Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow brand.

In 2007, he ran for the State Duma from the LDPR, but was excluded from the election lists due to lack of Russian citizenship, although A. Kobrinsky, a member of the Central Election Commission from the LDPR, reported that G. Nisanov was allegedly issued a Russian passport three times: at the Lyublino police station in December 2002 city, Municipal Department of Internal Affairs No. 660 in April 2003 and the Federal Reserve Service Directorate for Moscow in August 2007.

In 2008, together with Z. Iliev, he acquired the Hotel-Invest company, which owns 50% of the Slavyanskaya company, becoming a co-owner of the Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya hotel. After the purchase, it became known that the deal could be challenged by the Moscow government, because it was also a shareholder of the Slavyanskaya company, but it was not offered the pre-emptive right to buy out the share. As a result, G. Nisanov and Yu. Luzhkov managed to come to an agreement.

In 2009, Moscow authorities closed the Cherkizovsky market. According to NewsRu.com, he was a co-owner of the market (in partnership with Z. Iliev and T. Ismailov). But I only benefited from its closure, because... a significant part of the entrepreneurs from Cherkizon moved to the Sadovod market controlled by G. Nisanov and Z. Iliev and to the Moscow shopping center (where the rent was higher than at the Cherkizovsky market).

According to Forbes, in 2009, the revenue of the Kyiv Ploshchad holding (manages the retail real estate of G. Nisanov and Z. Iliev, G. Nisanov is the Chairman of the Board of Directors) exceeded $490 million; in 2010 amounted to $520 million. In the management of the holding, G. Nisanov is responsible for interaction with authorities, in particular, using connections in V. Putin’s circle and in the Moscow mayor’s office.

In February 2011, together with Z. Iliev, he bought the Soyuz Hotel in the Vorobyovy Gory area from the Ministry of Defense. According to Kommersant, the partners are ready to invest about $300 million in the reconstruction of this hotel, as well as the construction of another one near the Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station.

Personal wealth: 2009 - $500 million; 2010 - $720 million; 2011 - $1.1 billion (90th place in the ranking of Russian billionaires according to Forbes).

He has relatives in Israel and periodically visits the country. In July 2011, he became the guest of honor of the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS L. Leviev at the conference of envoys of the Chabad movement. At the table for guests of honor, G. Nisanov was seated next to L. Leviev and B. Netanyahu. According to sources in the Chabad movement, he donated a large sum to its activities.

According to Forbes, he speaks six languages, including Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi. Married, has three children."

Lobbying.Ru reports that “in 2009, Nisanov and Iliev decided to get into the cruise business by purchasing five icebreaking yachts. They also created the cruise company Radisson Royal Moscow. In 2010, Nisanov and Iliev announced their intentions to build three hotels in Moscow - on Vernadskogo Avenue, Kutuzovskoye and Leningradskoye Shosse.”

Forbes.Ru wrote about Zarakh Iliev in February 2006 in the article “Is Zarakh Iliev an independent player or a successful money manager of the Moscow diaspora of Mountain Jews?” the following: “We are located in the village of Krasnaya Sloboda, 150 km northwest of Baku, near the border with Russian Dagestan. This is the largest compact settlement of Tats, Mountain Jews, in the CIS. The ancestors of the founders of the community were expelled from Spain in 1492, found temporary refuge in Persia, and in the middle of the 18th century, at the invitation of Hussein Ali Khan, they moved here to the Kuban Khanate.

The main occupation of local residents has always been trade and crafts. We lived well. Over there, on the other side of the river, is the Azerbaijani town of Kuba, even in the center there is devastation, chickens are nibbling the grass near the collapsed fences. And in Krasnaya Sloboda there are wide asphalt roads, behind wrought iron fences there are two-story mansions with columns. True, many “residences” are empty. Of the 11 synagogues that local merchants built by the end of the 19th century, only one is operational. The Tat families dispersed in all directions - some to Israel, some to America. Recently, more and more people are traveling to Moscow. 3,000–3,500 people live permanently in the village; the community in Moscow is five times larger.

It was in Krasnaya Sloboda that Zarakh Iliev was born 40 years ago. His father Binsion was working as a shoemaker at the time. All five of his sons - Lazar, David, Yaruhom, Zarakh and Savely - knew how to handle leather from childhood. But it was Zarakh who was the first to show his talent as an entrepreneur. While still at school, he and a friend sewed “aerodrome” caps, which sold in great demand at the collective farm market in Cuba, populated by Azerbaijanis. “Everyone in Krasnaya Sloboda has loved Zarakha since childhood; he is very energetic and talented. “He doesn’t have a head, he has a computer,” says local resident Savi Abramovich in a teahouse in Krasnaya Sloboda (everyone addresses this gray-haired, respectable man by his first name and patronymic, but he does not give his last name).

At the age of 17, Zarakh left for Moscow, where two of his uncles and a cousin were already doing business. In the Russian capital, a native of Krasnaya Sloboda eventually became the owner of real estate, generating about half a billion dollars in rental payments per year. Iliev does not share the secrets of his success - he refused to give an interview to Forbes magazine.

They say that at first the young man supplied cognac to a store on Lubyanka, which was run by his relative. In the early 1990s, Iliev bought several container retail outlets at the Izmailovsky market in Moscow. This scheme still operates in the capital's markets today. “Buying a container” (for an amount from $5,000 to $45,000) means purchasing from the person who controls the market the right to rent a specific retail outlet. Then you pay this person official rental payments - $1400–3300 per meter per year. And he himself has the right to decide whether to trade independently or sublease containers. Entrepreneurs who come to the capital for a couple of days with a consignment of goods are ready to pay dearly for space.

Iliev quickly won the trust of his fellow countrymen. He was tasked with solving the problem of storing goods coming from Azerbaijan. The warehouse was completed, Iliev proved that he could spend money wisely. Representatives of the diaspora subsequently provided Iliev with large loans more than once and directly participated in his projects. “It is his name that is associated with success,” explains Savi Abramovich, “but, of course, he has partners.”

Registered in 1993, “Firm Iliev” manages part (15 hectares) of the flea market known as the Cherkizovsky market. Near the Ilievsk territory are the “Old AST” and “New AST” zones of another Mountain Jew, Telman Ismailov. The general director of the Iliev Firm and the head of the trading kingdom is a famous athlete, coach of the Russian freestyle wrestling team Omar Murtuzaliev. Eight languages ​​are spoken at the Cherkizovsky market, and administration announcements are broadcast in four.

However, Zarakh Iliev took part in the Moscow program for transferring trade under the roof. In the summer of 2000, the Ilion-Trade company acquired a 57.7% stake in JSC ORTC Moscow, a project for the construction of a shopping complex based on a branch of the Moscow Bearing Plant in Lyublino. The second owner of the project is the Moscow government. “It was my idea,” says Vladimir Malyshkov. - There was a workshop with an area of ​​100,000 square meters. meters, they completed the second floor, it turned out to be 200,000 meters. There is nothing like this in Europe!”

They say that in the corridors of Moscow they still often see a short, fit man surrounded by bodyguards. This is Zarakh Iliev walking around the property - a complex of 5,000 pavilions, receiving up to 70,000 buyers a day, requires constant attention. In general, the management of “Moscow” is carried out by the company “Safra Instruments”, created in December 2000.

The company is now owned by Binston Investments Limited, a Belize-registered company. At least until the end of 2003, it was through Safra that investments came for Iliev’s new projects: the company’s documents record facts of additional issues of shares, which were distributed by closed subscription among individuals (Alesha Yakubov, Edin Khananiev, Don Mirov, Benyagu Shalmiev, Istakhar Ilkhananov and others). “Safra”, for example, owns large shopping centers “Electronic Paradise” on Prazhskaya and “Panorama” located near metro stations.

A little later, Iliev and partners acquired the Grand furniture center. The new owner changed the concept of Grand in accordance with his principle: more good and different goods. Previously, Grand sold only furniture, but now it also houses the Electroplaza hypermarket of the Eldorado company and a huge carpet store Art de Vivre. “Iliev is a very businesslike person. Unlike other shopping centers where we have stores, in Grand we were guaranteed that there would be no other tenants with carpets, this allowed us to open a hypermarket of 2000 sq. m. meters,” says Mikhail Volodin, head of the marketing department of the carpet company Art de Vivre.

The operational management of “Grand” is carried out by another representative of the diaspora, God Nisanov (“This is my nephew,” smiles the already mentioned Savi Abramovich, hearing the name of the entrepreneur.) It was Nisanov, on behalf of Biscuit LLC, who purchased from the Moscow government for $275 million in November last year hotel-monument "Ukraine". Grandiose plans for the reconstruction of the hotel have already been announced, including the construction of a bridge across the Moscow River to the Moscow City district and the creation of a pedestrian zone to the Evropeisky shopping center on the Kievsky Station Square. The construction of this shopping complex is being carried out by the Kyiv Ploshchad company, 88% of whose shares are controlled by the above-mentioned Binston Investments. The building has a total area of ​​180,000 sq. meters (seven floors, restaurants, a fitness club, cinemas and hundreds of small retail outlets) are planned to be put into operation at the end of 2006.

Finally, God Nisanov runs the City of Miracles company, created by Zarakh Iliev and Zurab Tsereteli in February 2005. It is possible that it is the “City of Miracles” that will take up the project for the development of Nizhny Mnevniki - in this area in the west of the capital, ten years ago, Tsereteli received 316 hectares for the construction of a “Russian Disneyland”.

As we can see, Iliev and his partners will have plenty to do in the coming years. It is also worth mentioning that Iliev's influence extended beyond the Moscow real estate market. Two months ago, the Arbat Food Plant company, registered by Iliev back in 1992, acquired a 28.9% stake in Interprombank. The clients of this bank are FSUE Rosoboronexport, Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation, Sukhoi Holding, and Kristall Vodka Factory. Co-owner of Interprombank Rakhamim Emanuilov is one of the most respected representatives of the Mountain Jewish diaspora in Moscow.

They say that Zarakh is helping his brother Yarukh (who is a co-owner of the enterprise) in this project. “This is Iliev’s shortcoming as a businessman,” says one of the entrepreneur’s Moscow partners. “He’s dragging a bunch of relatives along with him.”

However, from all projects Iliev derives some benefit for himself personally. The same “Gen-Deri” brought him support at the highest level. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the opening of the enterprise, spoke unambiguously: “The people running this factory can achieve success in other industries. They need to be supported at all levels,” wrote Forbes.Ru.

God Semyonovich Nisanov (born April 24, 1972, Krasnaya Sloboda, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR) is a Russian entrepreneur, chairman of the board of directors of the Kyiv Ploshchad company. God Nisanov is a co-owner of the Grand furniture center, the Radisson Royal hotel Moscow (Hotel Ukraine), Radisson Slavyanskaya, and the owner of part of the international business center Moscow-City.

Biography

God Nisanov was born on April 24, 1972 in the village of Krasnaya Sloboda in Azerbaijan, in the family of Semyon Davydovich Nisanov and Margarita Mordekhaevna Nisanova (nee Abramova). He gained his first managerial experience at his father's enterprise, performing the duties of a manager. In 1992, together with his friend and fellow countryman Zarakh Iliev, he started a business related to wholesale trade.

Today, the main interests of the entrepreneur are focused on the development of socially significant projects, such as the country’s first agricultural cluster - “ Food City", which was opened by God Nisanov and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in the fall of 2014. Already in 2015, the Moscow City Hall recognized this format as optimal for the food supply of the metropolis.

These and other projects of the Year of Nisanov were appreciated by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. In 2014, Vladimir Putin awarded Nisanov the Order of Friendship with the wording “for his great contribution to the implementation of economic projects and attracting investment funds to the economy of the Russian Federation.” A year later, Putin signed an order to present Nisanov with a commemorative medal “70 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”

In addition to implementing socially significant projects, God Nisanov is actively involved in charitable activities. He made a significant contribution to the restoration of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral named after St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

In 2015, with the assistance of God Nisanov, the Jewish school “Heder Menachem” was built

In September 2014, God Nisanov was elected vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, uniting communities in 115 countries.

And in December 2016, he was elected vice-president of the All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress, which unites the Azerbaijani diaspora of the Russian Federation.

God Nisanov’s new project is a luxury hotel, which will appear at the very beginning of Varvarka Street and will be closely adjacent to Zaryadye Park. MFK LLC, part of the Kyiv Ploshchad group of companies, is starting to reconstruct a complex of buildings in the center of Moscow. In order for the object to fit organically into the urban ensemble of historical buildings, it was decided to return the building to its pre-revolutionary appearance. The facades of the former apartment building "Anchor" will be restored according to surviving samples and drawings. The project assumes that the building's design will allow transition from a busy street to a park and back. The hotel atrium will become a continuation of Zaryadye Park - the space will be arranged at ground level, and fruit trees will appear in the courtyard. The part of the building facing the park will have a modern look and will become a delicate backdrop for the historical buildings of the area. The project implementation period is three years and two months.

“Kyiv Ploshchad” also became the only gastronomic operator of the Zaryadye Park. The company won the city tender and leased two restaurant facilities, the total investment in which amounted to about 600 million rubles. At the Zaryadye gastronomic center you can try traditional Russian cuisine. The Voskhod restaurant invites visitors to appreciate the culinary traditions of the former Soviet republics.

In January 2017, another Kyiv Square project was announced - the construction of a center for oceanography and marine biology in St. Petersburg. The project itself and its investor are recognized as strategic for the city, this was stated in the Investment Committee of St. Petersburg. The project to create the city's largest oceanarium is unique for St. Petersburg. Visitors will be able to see marine life that has not previously been represented in Russian aquariums. The project will be implemented by Optima LLC, which is part of the Kyiv Ploshchad group of companies. The volume of investment will be about 15 billion rubles. The oceanarium will occupy an area of ​​more than 15 thousand square meters and will accommodate 750 visitors at a time. The complex will also include a marine biology center with an area of ​​9.2 thousand square meters, an extreme sports area with an area of ​​more than 10 thousand square meters, parking, shops, a cafe and a cinema. The project is planned to be implemented within five years.

In December 2017, the Kyiv Ploshchad group of companies acquired the Olimpiysky sports complex. In the near future, residents of the capital will receive a modern sports and entertainment complex of the 21st century. The new owners intend to turn it into a venue with the best opportunities in Russia and Europe for professional training, competitions and concerts. The reconstruction, which will begin in 2019, provides for the complete preservation of the historical objects of the Olimpiysky Sports Complex. All of them will retain their functionality. The reconstruction will take place in stages and will take two years.

A new socially significant project of the Kyiv Ploshchad company was the purchase and reconstruction of one of the oldest markets in Moscow - Velozavodsky. Like the largest agricultural cluster in Russia, Food City, it solves the problems of food security in the capital and provides residents of the south-east of Moscow with fresh, environmentally friendly products directly from producers. In addition, a feature of the updated agricultural complex was that, along with large farms from the regions of Russia, their products Velozavodsk market owners of personal plots can sell for a symbolic rent.

State

According to Forbes magazine, God Nisanov’s fortune in 2015 was $4.3 billion.

God Nisanov enjoys scuba diving and horse riding. Speaks six foreign languages, including Arabic, Turkish, Farsi.

Awards

• Certificate of Honor from the President of the Russian Federation (for the restoration of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kronstadt, 2012).
• Order of Friendship (for great contribution to the implementation of economic projects and attracting investment funds to the economy of the Russian Federation, 2014).
• Leadership Award (2014).
• Award of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FJC) "Fiddler on the Roof", 2015.
• Commemorative medal “70 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (for active participation in the patriotic education of citizens and solving the socio-economic problems of veterans of the Great Patriotic War, 2015).
• Order “For Service to the Fatherland” (God Nisanov, by Decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, was awarded the Order “For Service to the Fatherland”, 3rd degree, for his services in strengthening friendship between peoples.)

God Nisanov began his career very early as a manager at the enterprise where his father worked. Today, the name of this man has received permanent registration in Forbes, and he himself has become one of the largest rentiers and developers in the Russian Federation. Nisanov God Semenovich's fortune is estimated at $3,100 million. To people far from the sphere of financial settlements, he is better known for his projects for the reconstruction of large metropolitan facilities.

Brief information:

• Full name:
• Date of birth: 24.05.1972
• Education: financial and credit technical school, Baku Law Institute
• Date of start of business activity/age: 1992, 20 years
• Type of activity at start: wholesale trade
• Current activity: Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Kyiv Ploshchad, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the construction OJSC Safra Instruments. General Director of Biscuit LLC. President of Grand Title LLC.
• Current Status: $3,100 million (Forbes).

God Nisanov is one of the most interesting Russian entrepreneurs, who in his success story has gone from a manager to the “father” of many socially significant objects in the capital. He, like no one else, manages to combine a creative vision with the business component of a future project.

Childhood and growing up

Year Semyonovich Nisanov was born in the Azerbaijani village of Krasnaya Sloboda on April 24, 1972. His family belonged to a rare ethnic national group of Azerbaijani Mountain Jews.

It is known about his education that he first graduated from a financial and credit technical school, and then entered the Baku Law Institute.

First steps at work

He gained his first skills at the enterprise where his father worked, where he invited his son to be a manager. There are facts that the activity was related to the sale of petroleum products - and the young God received his interest from the transaction. It is also known about several retail outlets he opened in the city of Cube. However, soon our hero felt cramped in his native lands.

In 1992, Nisanov moved to Moscow to engage in wholesale trade, which was thriving at that time, together with his fellow countryman and childhood friend Zakhar Iliev. So the hero’s short work biography included a business in the capital’s clothing markets, where he also rented out retail space.

Photo 1. The constant business duet - Nisanov and Iliev.
Source: stmegi.com

Nisanov also worked as a hired office employee responsible for making transactions. This place became the group of companies of Ismailov Telman “AST”. Another similar company, but already in the period from 2000 to 20005, was Diamond Cutters LLC, which was engaged in diamond processing - today the organization is located in the Nisanov building (Electronic Paradise shopping center).

Your own business

Simultaneously with their work in the “diamond company,” Nisanov and Iliev, already known to us, are launching the Moscow trade and fair complex in the south of the capital, in Lyublino. The year was 2001.

Meet me on Kievskaya Square

2002 opened up the opportunity for Nisanov to become a co-founder of the Kyiv Ploshchad company - this organization was created specifically for the reconstruction of the station of the same name. The other two co-founding partners were the same Iliev and Zurab Tsereteli. In 2003, the organization received an investment contract from the mayor’s office for the construction of a business sector facility, the total area of ​​which was to reach 72,000 square meters. meters.

In the same year, Nisanov created another company - “Europe Square”. It was planned to transfer all the areas of the future new trade and construction complex into the ownership of this institution. The shares of the new organization were equally divided between Kievskaya Ploshchad (participation - 70%) and the Capital Property Department (the remaining 30%).

All work related to Kievskaya Square was completed in 2006. Instead of the station park, the townspeople saw the Evropeisky shopping center with a total area of ​​180,000 sq. m. meters (of which 63,000 were leased).

Photo 2. The same Kyiv railway station with a shopping center in the background.
Source: s3.fotokto.ru

Hotel and restaurant business and more

In November 2003, the tireless Nisanov became a co-founder of another organization called Trade Investments. Here, retail trade and the restaurant business (as well as cafes) are already becoming areas of activity. In this case, the co-founder was Putin’s classmate (and at the same time his partner in judo training) Ilham Rahimov, who previously held the post of chairman of the Union of Lawyers in Azerbaijan. God Semenovich met this man when he rented an office in the premises of Venice (a restaurant owned by the business duo Nisanov and Iliev).

Our hero also pays attention to the hotel business - in 2005, through a joint company with Iliev, Biscuit, he bought the Ukrainskaya Hotel from the Moscow government. The transaction price was $275 million. After three years of reconstruction, the establishment reopens, but under the name Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow.

The hotel business is a very promising area. For example, in large cities it is relevant.

The next hotel in which the entrepreneur became a co-owner was Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya. This happened in 2008, after the acquisition of Hotel-Invest.

Photo 3. God Nisanov is one of the largest Russian rentiers.
Source: isroil.info

Existing data on the control of several markets also found their justification after the closure of the Cherkizovsky market. Nisanov even turned out to be a winner - a large number of entrepreneurs, after the closure of Cherkizon, moved to the Moscow shopping center and Sadovod, even despite the high rent.

By 2009, Kyiv Ploshchad had turned into a real holding company, where the entrepreneur already held the post of Board of Directors. Total revenue amounted to $490 million, and in 2010 increased to 520 million in US currency. Our hero is responsible for interacting with the authorities, which he does quite successfully.

This is especially obvious from the Soyuz Hotel, located in the Vorobyovy Gory area, purchased from the Ministry of Defense in 2011. The business duo is ready to invest up to $300 million for the reconstruction of this facility and the construction of another one. In August 2017, the businessman closed another deal, purchasing from the city a 100% stake in Arbat Renewal JSC - specifically the book building.

On the issue of competition, Nisanov has the following statement: “There are very few three or four star projects in the city center. And in such an iconic place as New Arbat, there should be hotels of various price categories.

Today's socially significant projects

Today, the oligarch has focused his activities on the development of Russian socially significant facilities. Many of them are really interesting and unusual.

For example, Moskvarium is the Center for Oceanography and Marine Biology, built so far from the sea coast. This project is truly unique, at least in its scale - it is recognized as the largest in Europe. The Center includes 80 aquariums, in which various representatives of marine flora and fauna live in appropriate conditions. The facility is ready to receive several thousand people every day - it also hosts various thematic classes for everyone.

Photo 4. “Moskvarium” is a landmark of the capital.
Source: i.ytimg.com

No less remarkable is the Food City agricultural cluster, which was presented in 2014. Today, its activities are configured in such a way that the project allows residents of the capital to buy fresh products at an affordable price and guarantees the sale of products to domestic producers.

At the opening of the center, even Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin himself admitted: “Food City is so powerful that it can supply a third of the city.” And it turned out to be true.

More details about the unusual project can be found here:

The third current project is the Shchelkovo bus station. The need for its reconstruction was caused by the outdated format of the building, which could not cope with the increased passenger flow. The refurbishment began in 2017 - in the end they promise that it will fully comply with all standards. Some details of the future appearance are already known: the facade will resemble a ship made of glass; all the necessary points, rooms, kiosks, halls with ticket offices and other important infrastructure will be located on five floors underground and six above.

Such projects did not go unnoticed by the state - in 2014, Nisanov received the Order of Friendship from Putin. The official reason for the award is a great contribution to the implementation of economic projects and attracting investment into the domestic economy.”

Photo 5. The government recognizes Nisanov’s merits.
Source: otvet.imgsmail.ru

A separate conversation about Zaryadye

This summer, a new park area with cultural and museum centers opened near Red Square and the Kremlin. There is also a Floating Bridge over the Moscow River, zones with different reliefs and landscapes, and underground structures. And, of course, our hero also made his contribution - in the form of a hotel adjacent to Zaryadye.

The original owner of the building (formerly an apartment building) was Dmitry Shumkov, who bought it from the city for 3.4 billion rubles, but a couple of years ago he died for unknown reasons. And just a few months later, the name of Nisanov begins to appear, who acquire 87% of the deceased’s share from the heirs.

Naturally, many were interested in whether this business duo would “force” another partner to sell their share - Artem Demin, the former general director of the Olimpiysky sports complex (and also the brother of the governor of the Tula region). Our hero objects: “No, we will maintain good partnerships. What is it like...to come to a person and demand to sell a business? I don’t understand... It’s not nice.”

Businessmen are also “indifferent” to buying hotels: “We want these businessmen to remain on the market. When there is competition, it's always good."

Oligarch's fortune

God Nisanov is among the 200 richest people in Russia, according to Forbes. This year he took 36th place. All changes for the period 2011-2017. are reflected in the table:

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Are preferences fair?

It’s clear that there should be controversial stories surrounding the mountain native who bought up almost half of Moscow. And the most famous of them is associated with the European shopping center, built at the dawn of Yuri Luzhkov’s rule of the capital. It was no secret to anyone that Nisanov was on good terms with the wife of the Moscow mayor. That is why the reconstruction of the building caused so much talk.

Public alarm sounded: the underground parking lot is located in a very risky neighborhood with passing metro tunnels. The clearing of the park was also carried out illegally. The complex dangerously borders the river bed. But all attacks from regulatory authorities were ignored.

When Sobyanin came to power, the question of privatizing the facility arose. And according to the documents, it turns out that Moscow owns only 10% of the shopping center area (and not 30%, as discussed). Long legal battles followed, after which the territories were still given to the capital, but with the possibility of subsequent redemption.

Charitable and cultural affairs

Our hero is also actively involved in charity work. He made a huge contribution to the reconstruction of the Orthodox Cathedral in Kronstadt. The entrepreneur does not forget his native roots - in 2014, at the World Congress of Jews, he was elected vice-president (the event brings together communities from 115 countries). And in 2015, the businessman completed the construction of the Cheder Menachem Jewish school.

By the way, another prominent Russian businessman of Jewish origin is.

It is known that our hero has relatives in the Promised Land and periodically visits Israel. According to some reports, he finances Chabad.

God Nisanov was born on April 24, 1972 in the village of Kuba (Krasnaya Sloboda) in Azerbaijan into the family of the director of a cannery where most of the Nisanov clan worked.

I graduated first from the Finance and Credit College for a year, and then from the Law Institute in Baku. And only after receiving education, family connections allowed him to enter the oil business - then he was busy transporting Azerbaijani oil products and controlled a certain part of sales.

Since the early 1990s, God Nisanov has been doing business in Moscow. Worked in Telman Ismailov's AST group of companies. In 1992, he began helping his fellow countryman Zarakh Iliev in wholesale trade, with whom he lived in the same yard in Cuba and had known each other since childhood.

In 2000-2005 he worked at a diamond processing company - Diamond Cutters LLC.

In 2001, the partners opened the Moscow trade fair complex in Lyublino.

In 2005, the Biscuit company, owned by Zarakh Iliev and God Nisanov, bought the Ukraine Hotel at an auction by the Moscow government.

In 2006, the Evropeisky shopping complex was opened near the Kievsky railway station.

In 2007, he ran for the post of deputy of the State Duma on the list of the LDPR party.

In 2009, Moscow authorities closed the Cherkizovsky market.

Family

Married, three children.

Own

• According to media reports, he is a co-owner of the shopping and entertainment centers "European" and "Kyiv Ploshchad", the furniture center "Grand", the trade and fair complex "Moscow", the hotel "Ukraine" and the Cherkizovsky market.

• One of the last documents signed by Yuri Luzhkov on the eve of his resignation from the post of mayor of Moscow was a plan for the privatization of city property, which included the city’s 50% share in the Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya hotel near the Kievsky railway station. The other 50% of the shares of this hotel since 2008 belong to a structure controlled by God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev. Then the city authorities were going to challenge the deal, since the previous owner did not offer the Moscow government to buy out his share, but the matter was not taken forward. Since the end of 2009, God Nisanov, through his press service, has expressed interest in the complete buyout of Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya and its subsequent reconstruction, but this may be prevented by the resignation of Yu. Luzhkov. Previously, all the most liquid assets of the city were privatized in a non-transparent manner, experts say, however, with the appointment of Sergei Sobyanin to the post of mayor of Moscow, the situation may change.

The former owners of the Cherkizovsky market, God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev, intend to begin new large-scale construction. Experts believe that the project can be successful, like other ventures of the partners.

Diverse Interests

A structure associated with the Kyiv Ploshchad company intends to build a multifunctional complex of Barvikha River buildings in Barvikha, Moscow Region. About 8000 sq. m will be given over to apartments; in addition, it is planned to place restaurants, offices and a supermarket in the complex.

According to the Deputy General Director for Development of the Hospitality Industry of CBRE Stanislav Ivashkevich, investments in the project could amount to $33–44 million.

The owners of Kievskaya Square are God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev, who this year took first place in the ranking of the largest real estate owners in Russia. According to Forbes magazine, the company's annual turnover is almost $1.3 billion.

Let us remind you that Nisanov and Iliev received the Evropeisky shopping and entertainment complex, located next to the Kievsky railway station, the Moscow trade and fair center in Lyublino, the Radisson SAS Slavyanskaya hotel, the largest agricultural market in the capital, Food City - more than 346,000 sq.m. retail space and about 300,000 sq. m. warehouses, etc.

However, this is not all that the partners own. Their business interests are quite varied. As Versiya reported, they have a shipping company, a building in the Moscow City complex and an aquarium at the All-Russian Exhibition Center are being completed. Finally, as they say, there is also interest in the hotel business. For example, Nisanov and Ilev intend to complete construction of a hotel in the center of Moscow on Varvarka, which belongs to the heirs of businessman Dmitry Shumkov.

Mountain friendship

However, in almost all texts that relate to God Nisanov and Zarakh Ilev, there is an element of understatement. Billionaires are not public people who prefer not to attract special attention to their persons. It is known, for example, that they categorically refuse to give interviews. Their lives are, by and large, a secret.

God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev are fellow villagers from the village of Krasnaya Sloboda in Azerbaijan. By nationality - Tats (Mountain Jews). Zarakh Ilev's father Binsion worked as a shoemaker. Zarakh Ilev, like his four brothers, knew how to handle leather very well. Labor education, coupled with business acumen, obviously determined the life path of this person. In any case, it is known that while still in school, he and a friend sewed aerodrome hats, which sold well in Cuba, populated by Azerbaijanis.

At the age of 17 he moved to Moscow, where his relatives already lived. Here one story ends - the son of a simple shoemaker - and another begins - the king of Russian real estate.

The details of this forward movement are as follows. In the early 1990s, Ilev bought several container retail outlets in Moscow on the Izmailovsky market and began renting them out. They say that as a result, Zakhar Ilev was tasked with storing goods coming from abroad. That the diaspora provided him with loans, and they also participated in many projects. And this may very well be true.

In any case, for a long time Firm Iliev LLC managed part of the Cherkizovsky market in Moscow, while the other part of the market was controlled by his fellow countryman Telman Ismailov.

Not much is known about God Nisanov either. For example, that he owned a thrift store in Krasnaya Sloboda, and also helped his father, the director of a local cannery.

Year Nisanov graduated first from the Finance and Credit College and then from the Law Institute in Baku. For some time he was engaged in the transportation of Azerbaijani oil products. Since the early 1990s, God Nisanov began doing business in Moscow. He worked in the AST group of companies of Telman Ismailov, and then began to assist Zarakh Iliev in wholesale trade. They lived in the same yard and had known each other since childhood.

However, soon the partners decided not to concentrate exclusively on the Cherkizovsky market, but to diversify their business.

In 2001, God Nisanov and Zarakh Ilev opened the Moscow trade fair complex in Lyublino. Later, Iliev and partners acquired the Grand furniture center in Moscow.

One of the largest projects was the construction of the Evropeisky shopping center near the Kievsky railway station. The building, with an area of ​​180 thousand square meters, was finally completed in 2006.

A rather strange story happened with “European”. The city was originally supposed to own 30 percent of the mall. The city authorities intended to include the building in the privatization program. But then it turned out that the capital owns only 10% of the “European”. As a result, the parties agreed that Ivlev and Nisanov would recognize the disputed areas outside the city with their subsequent purchase. Thus, they took complete control of the shopping complex.

Sources of success

The history of people who were able to earn huge fortunes is always impressive. God Nisanov proudly emphasized that the diaspora helped them in business. “Our strength is that we do not lose connections with our fellow countrymen,” said Nisanov.

Yes, of course, there is no doubt that these ties are very strong. In 2011, at a conference of envoys of the Chabad movement, Nisanov sat next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Three years ago, Nisanov was searched at Ben Gurion Airport. Customs officers found undeclared diamond earrings on him. As a result, he was received personally by Israeli President Shimon Peres, who apologized to him for what happened.

And, nevertheless, the national factor is one of the components of the success of businessmen. We must add here the military past of the Cherkizovsky market and an iron grip. And the fact that the owners of Kievskaya Square prefer not to tease the authorities with the unprecedented scale of family and other celebrations.

One can, of course, assume that God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev have insider information, because the partners act so clearly and thoughtfully.

In the case of the construction of a complex in Barvikha, analysts, for example, believe that in the future developers will be able to gain about 2-2.5 billion rubles. from the sale of apartments, and another 50 million rubles. per year is likely to be the net cash flow from the rental of the commercial part.

According to analysts, the new construction shows the partners’ confidence in the future. And this, to some extent, is a positive sign for the construction market in the current difficult situation.