Vyacheslav Chikalin, a former vice president of Evrazbank (liquidated in 2010) and a former member of the board of directors of Sol Rusi, was detained in Moscow’s subway. He was on a wanted list for accusations related to embezzlement and fraudulent activities. During his encounter with the police, Chikalin claimed to be homeless and a participant in the war against Ukraine, as reported by the TASS news agency.
«Chikalin has signed a military contract and is currently participating in the SVO (special military operation against Ukraine). He arrived in Moscow to spend his vacation,» a spokesperson for the Moscow police confirmed in an interview with TASS.
The former banker was detained at the Tyoply Stan metro station during an identity check after a face recognition system identified him in the city’s metro system.
Russian authorities accused Chikalin of fraudulent activities and the embezzlement of billions of rubles, placing him on the wanted list. Additionally, he was sentenced to several years in prison in absentia.
According to law enforcement officials, the detainee came to Moscow for a vacation granted after serving on the frontline in the war against Ukraine. Once investigative procedures are completed, he will likely be sent back to the combat zone.
Previously, Chikalin was the head of the board of directors of Sol Rusi, a financial pyramid scheme accused of fraudulent activities. He also served as a member of an Orthodox church in Moscow.
In 2010, Evrazbank ceased to exist as an independent bank, merging into Intercommerz Bank, which closed in 2016. In January of that year, the Bank of Russia announced that Intercommerz should expand its compulsory reserves by an additional 3 billion rubles ($29 million), prompting a massive outflow of corporate funds. The discrepancy between assets and liabilities reached 40 billion rubles ($388 million). The bank was the last participant in an illegal scheme related to VAT recovery, which was investigated by Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer hired by Hermitage Capital. Russian authorities accused Magnitsky of swindling and took him into custody, where he died. The first package of sanctions imposed against Russia by the U.S. was named after him.
Another legal case involving the embezzlement of 3 billion rubles from Intercommerz Bank was linked to Timur Ivanov, a former deputy defense minister of Russia, accused of misusing public funds. Ivanov allegedly transferred money to the accounts of foreign companies such as Tourinvest Services Limited (registered in Hong Kong) and Fromarc Investments Limited (registered in Cyprus). These money transfers were disguised as transactions for purchasing and selling foreign currency.
