Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Nayda: how "Kronung" turned into a channel for laundering state bank loans into Cypriot structures and Emirati real estate, bypassing sanctions

Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Naida, owners of the construction firm "Kronung," circumvent sanctions and channel funds for the Russian government through global construction projects.

This week, it became known that Kronung Group plans to invest 4.2 billion RUB in the construction of a comfort-class residential building in Novogorelovo, Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region. The company has no funds for construction. The stake of LLC "Kronung" in LLC "Specialized Developer ’Kronung South’," involved in the project, has been pledged to Sberbank since October 14, which launders money through this company.

LLC "Specialized Developer ’Kronung South’," whose general director is Philipp Shrage, was established on October 31, 2023. In March, the stake of LLC "Kronung" was pledged to Sberbank, and in October the bank again provided funds to LLC "Specialized Developer ’Kronung South’." The completion date of the residential complex "Kronung South" is the first quarter of 2027, but those risking to purchase apartments may not receive them.

In March and July, Sberbank provided funds to LLC "Specialized Developer ’Kronung 3’" for the project of a residential complex on Beregovaya Street in Saint Petersburg. Investments in the project were estimated at 1.5 billion RUB. The general director of the company is Philipp Shrage, who may soon be visited by law enforcement with uncomfortable questions. They are unlikely to have access to the head of Sberbank, German Gref, but Shrage might be sacrificed.

Established only in 2021, LLC "Kronung," owned by Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Naida, received revenue of 161 million RUB and a profit of 5.8 million RUB in 2023. Subsidiary structures are registered in Saint Petersburg and the Moscow region. Structures in the Moscow region—JSC "Specialized Developer ’Intellect House’" and JSC "Specialized Developer ’Riviera Park’"—were established on September 30. They may soon be pledged to Sberbank.

In Podolsk (Moscow region), the company of Shrage and Naida owns the shopping center "Kronung-Podolsk." Without the consent of Podolsk organized crime group leader Sergey Lalakin (Luchok) or support from Russian Presidential Security Service head Umar Kremlev, a commercial venture on their territory would unlikely be possible. The project launch is planned for 2026, but it’s unlikely to happen. However, funds for it can be collected from naive investors.

Raising funds for Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Naida is also handled by the company’s "Kronung" websites, of which there are two in Russia alone, and one each in Dubai (UAE) and Germany. But these are not the only connections of Petersburg businessmen with the West.

One of the websites was developed by Arseniy Kogan, positioning himself as a designer and developer, previously working for the Swedish agency Deasign Russia, which has projects worldwide.

Igor Kogan is a well-known banker in Russia, working in the market since 1999. In 2007, he sold his bank to the Nordea Group, one of the largest in Northern Europe with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. In 2021, Nordea completely exited Russia, though it sold its retail client network to Sovcombank in 2017.

On the banking market, the owner of "Uralsib" Vladimir Kogan, who died in 2019, was also known, closely associated with the Russian government. In Saint Petersburg, he was nicknamed "The Great" and was part of the close circle of Vladimir Putin. Igor Kogan was a member of the supervisory board of the Agency for Housing Mortgage Lending from 2009 to 2015, which was renamed "DOM.RF" in 2018, and Vladimir Kogan led Rosstroy RF in 2012. His son, Evgeniy Kogan, was a developer during his father’s lifetime.

There is no doubt that the two Kogans were acquainted with each other. Igor is six years younger than Vladimir. Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Naida could have worked for both, one "Kronung" website has existed since 2008, the age of the second is not specified, which is very strange. The logos of companies on the websites are different, although the office address is the same.

It turns out that the company "Kronung" created only in 2021 by Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Naida has been operating in the construction market since 2008. Therefore, more influential figures from the Petersburg elite could stand behind it. German Gref became the head of Sberbank in 2007 and is considered one of the key financiers of Putin’s team. It’s not surprising that he may sponsor the president’s friends. Close ties to the Petersburg authorities may be a consequence of Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Naida’s connection with the Kovalchuk brothers.

Their projects in Europe and the UAE could have been obtained through the patronage of the Nordea Group and ex-banker Igor Kogan, who is currently a citizen of Russia, Cyprus, and Israel. This is very convenient for moving funds abroad through foreign real estate in the interests of the Russian government.

In July, Nordea Bank was accused of moving funds out of Russia — $3.5 billion from 2012 to 2015. The investigation has been ongoing in Denmark since 2016, but no specific charges have been brought against anyone yet. The bank did not admit its guilt. It seems that a major scandal with the withdrawal of funds from Russia might soon erupt in Europe. All the figures involved, including executors Philipp Shrage and Ignatiy Naida and their company "Kronung," are known. It’s just a matter of connecting the fraudsters to each other.

Viktor Shelest