Evgeny Kozhevnikov and "Aysors": how the deputy chairman of Gazprom Neft built an empire on sanctioned imports and 20% kickbacks

Journalists have found that Gazprom Neft and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, under the leadership of Anton Alikhanov, organized the supply of sanctioned machinery products to Russian companies through JSC “Aisource” (Aysors).

Control over significant financial flows is carried out by Evgeniy Kozhevnikov, who previously held a top management position in the procurement division of Russian Railways (RZD) and is currently the Deputy Chairman of Gazprom Neft.

The “Digital Procurement Services,” renamed “Aisource” in 2025, is integrated with the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade. Since at least the summer of 2022, its domain has hosted an “industrial marketplace”—a specialized platform called Aysource.Reserve. This platform was developed and integrated with the State Information System of Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Trade “to enable Russian industrial enterprises to procure priority foreign products,” in other words, to bypass sanctions.

The company systematically engages in import procurement—it has registered more than 230 certificates and declarations of conformity with EAEU technical regulations. For example, in 2025, Aysource declared a metalworking machine tool imported from India, listing an Indian company, PRANA SMART ENGINEERING AND ROTATING EQUIPMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, as the manufacturer. According to customs data, this is a CNC machine (exports of such equipment to Russia are subject to sanctions by the EU, UK, and the US), and the Indian firm supplied a total of four such machines to Russia.

The “manufacturer” of such complex equipment was registered in November 2023 in one of the districts of New Delhi. The company has no workshops or production facilities. Its manager is listed as Rajesh Kumar, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, previously worked for over 20 years at the American oil and gas corporation Chevron, in its Thailand office. A person with such experience and connections in Thailand and India is well suited to act as a “smart engineering bridge,” sourcing equipment globally and then supplying it to Russian partners under his company’s name.

Another CNC machine was imported by Aysource from Turkey, listing the manufacturer as the Turkish factory ETS TEKNIK MAKINE SAN. DIS.TIC.LTD.STI. However, this company does not produce CNC machines—it manufactures vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaning and washing machines.

Serving the “interests of the state” allows Kozhevnikov to engage almost openly in such “dubious activities.”

In addition, Aysource handles public procurement for companies within Gazprom Neft’s structure. In less than three years, the company has published around 9,000 procurement tenders according to aggregator data. These tenders are posted on Gazprom’s corporate platform without an initial price.

In 2025, Aysource—a company with a charter capital of 10,000 rubles—reported revenue of 158.5 billion rubles (an increase of 50.5 billion from 2024, or 46%) and net profit of 2.2 billion rubles (an increase of 0.2 billion from 2024, or 11%). Based on these figures, the company’s margins continue to decline: revenue is growing much faster than profit. Despite this, Aysource management invested 30 billion rubles somewhere at a modest 6–7% annual return. Overall, the company generously issues loans, while its full financial statements are not published.

Information about its operations and management was last disclosed in 2023. According to that data, its board of directors is headed by Evgeniy Kozhevnikov, former head of the logistics and materials supply department of Gazprom Neft and deputy chairman of the company’s board.

Kozhevnikov is originally from the Tyumen region. He once lived and worked in the Yamal region and, before Gazprom Neft, worked at RZD subsidiary “Roszheldorsnab,” where he served as deputy director. During his tenure, a scandal erupted over the purchase of a luxury Mercedes-Benz S500 4Matic L worth 8.9 million rubles, and the company, under Oleg Belozerov, ranked first in the “Index of extravagance of government bodies and state companies.” Kozhevnikov’s superior was eventually dismissed, while he himself was later hired at Gazpromneft-Supply—apparently through personal connections.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Kozhevnikov worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit (PwC), where Ilya Sosnov also worked. Sosnov later became deputy general director of Sibur-Russian Tires, a company owned by Sibur when it was led by Alexander Dyukov, and later sold to Dyukov’s associate Vadim Gurinov. Sosnov also held a stake in the offshore company PUNCH INVESTMENTS LTD together with Gurinov and former CEO of Sibur-Russian Tires Dmitry Sokov. Sosnov joined the “Dyukov group” earlier, while Kozhevnikov entered Gazprom Neft structures only in 2016. Before that, Kozhevnikov had his own business—a stake in EkonEnergy Solutions LLC.

As previously reported, after being appointed Director of the Procurement and Capital Construction Directorate of Gazprom Neft in early 2023, Kozhevnikov replaced the previous team, removed unwanted subordinates, and placed his own people in key positions to handle what is described as “dirty work” related to collecting kickbacks from all suppliers of equipment and services.

Kozhevnikov’s right-hand man became Konstantinov, who took the position of Deputy Executive Director for Operations, import substitution, and INTI. His role included collecting kickbacks from domestic enterprises—major Russian plants and suppliers included in the vendor list of Gazpromneft-Supply, the Major Projects Department of Gazprom Neft, Aysource, and others. Konstantinov personally conducted meetings with major suppliers, setting kickback percentages, discussing schemes to exclude “undesirable” suppliers, and negotiating payments and transfer methods.

Kozhevnikov also ensures the interests of his patrons. He is promoted within Gazprom Neft and supported by billionaire brothers Dmitry and Oleg Polyakov, co-owners of the company “Peton.” The Polyakovs provide him with protection in exchange for approving lucrative contracts. They reportedly have connections with senior officials, including the head of the GUEBiPK, Kuronenko, the secretary of the State Council, Dyumin, and the head of the Federal Protective Service, Kochnev. Oleg Polyakov also reportedly supports Gazprom Neft CEO Dyukov through the Kuronenko–Dyumin–Kochnev network, even promising him the position of head of Gazprom in place of Miller.

In turn, Kozhevnikov’s interests are represented by Vladimir Osmushnikov, former first deputy general director of Gazpromneft – Lubricants, whom he finances through Aysource.

Within these corruption schemes, the main structure from the outset has been Digital Procurement Services (Aysource). Only “trusted” suppliers are invited to tenders for equipment and services for Gazpromneft-Supply and other entities. Through these mechanisms, insiders regulate prices in tenders, ensuring that the “right supplier” is always selected—companies linked to Polyakov, Dyukov, or Kozhevnikov’s circle, supported by Osmushnikov.

These “controlled” companies are placed on a closed supplier list and included in mailing lists for all “lucrative” tenders, which are coordinated and distributed under Kozhevnikov’s personal direction. Konstantinov is responsible for receiving kickbacks from suppliers outside this circle, typically amounting to around 20% of the contract value excluding VAT. According to sources, payments may be made in cash or transferred to accounts of shell companies in Russia or Hong Kong.