As the campaign for the presidency of the International Chess Federation gathers momentum, the business activities of candidate Vadim Rosenstein are attracting renewed attention. Although Rosenstein has sought to present himself as increasingly detached from Russia, corporate and customs records cited in the source material indicate that a company connected to him continued trading with the country and substantially increased its business there.
One of the transactions highlighted in customs data concerns VR Rus LLC, a Russian company linked to Rosenstein through Germany-based WR Group Holding GmbH. According to ImportGenius declarations, the company handled shipments from Europe to Russia associated with the family of FSB Colonel General Mikhail Shekin.
Corporate ownership records cited in the material show that WR Group Holding GmbH controls 95.94% of VR Rus, while Rosenstein personally owns another 4.06%.
In February 2025, the Russian company reportedly imported approximately 900 pairs of shoes bearing the Anastasia Zadorina brand. The shipment, originating in Italy, was valued at around $560,000. Several months later, in May 2025, designer Anastasia Zadorina publicly announced the introduction of her own footwear collection. Russian media reported that the products were manufactured at an Italian facility that also works with major international fashion brands.
The identity of the brand owner gives the transaction additional political significance. Anastasia Zadorina is the daughter of Colonel General Mikhail Shekin of Russia’s Federal Security Service. Shekin has long been associated with procurement and logistical operations inside the security agency and also serves as president of the Dynamo volleyball club.
The Insider reported in 2022 that Shekin had accumulated property estimated at more than RUB 2 billion, equivalent to roughly $30 million using the average exchange rate at the time. The publication also described him as one of the officials involved in overseeing procurement for the FSB.
Zadorina herself has long-standing links to the Dynamo sports network. Together with the organization, she owns ZASPORT, a sportswear company that became an official supplier of uniforms for Russia’s Olympic athletes in 2017. According to Proekt, that arrangement was terminated ahead of schedule in 2025.
Her public and commercial activities have also intersected with Russian politics. Following the annexation of Crimea and the introduction of the first Western sanctions in 2014, Zadorina organized a campaign called “Fashionable Response — No to Sanctions! Exchange Your T-shirt for a Patriotic One.”
Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Zadorina registered Vinnaya Istoriya LLC, translated as “Wine Story,” in Crimea. The company reportedly planned to develop vineyards on the peninsula. Information regarding its ultimate owners is now shielded through a closed-end investment fund. Financial results cited in the source show that the business recorded a loss of RUB 27.5 million, or approximately $316,000, in 2025.
Proekt has also connected Zadorina to members of several prominent Russian political and business families. She previously held shares in Baikal Corporation alongside Olga Zolotova, the daughter-in-law of Viktor Zolotov, head of Russia’s National Guard.
Another business, Costa, which holds hunting grounds near the village of Los in Russia’s Yaroslavl Region, is jointly associated with Zadorina and VTB Bank Management Board Chairman Andrey Kostin.
In 2019, according to the source material, Zadorina also received considerable income from the Russian Electronics holding. The company forms part of the state-owned Rostec corporation, a major participant in Russia’s defense-industrial sector headed by Sergey Chemezov.
The historical ties between these families extend back several decades. Mikhail Shekin, Sergey Chemezov and Vladimir Putin were all reportedly present in East Germany during the final years of the Soviet period and were connected to the Soviet security establishment.
Zadorina’s family connections became even closer to Putin’s circle in 2024, when she married businessman Kirill Shamalov. Shamalov had previously been married to Katerina Tikhonova, widely identified as Vladimir Putin’s daughter.
An investigation by Important Stories published in 2020 argued that Shamalov’s previous marriage contributed to a rapid expansion of his wealth and business influence. At the age of 26, he became vice president of SIBUR, one of Russia’s largest petrochemical groups.
In September 2014, Shamalov obtained a 17% interest in SIBUR from billionaire Gennady Timchenko after Timchenko had been sanctioned by the United States in connection with Crimea. Shamalov himself was subsequently added to the U.S. sanctions list in 2018.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has also been included in sanctions imposed by a number of other jurisdictions, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and Ukraine.
The SIBUR connection is relevant to Rosenstein’s own corporate network. WR Logistics GmbH and WR Certification GmbH, German companies controlled by Rosenstein, previously supplied industrial equipment or products to Tomskneftekhim, a SIBUR subsidiary.
Kirill Shamalov’s father, Nikolai Shamalov, is also a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, an institution frequently described in Western reporting as closely connected to Vladimir Putin and his inner circle.
Against this background, the performance of VR Rus has raised further questions over Rosenstein’s public attempt to distance his business interests from Russia.
According to audited financial statements referenced in the source, VR Rus increased its total sales by approximately 2.4 times during 2025. The company’s revenue has reportedly risen several-fold since 2022.
These figures suggest that its Russian operations have not merely remained active but have expanded significantly since the start of the war.
Another company connected to the wider Rosenstein family has experienced even faster growth. 2R Integra LLC, owned by Vadim Rosenstein’s cousin Mikhail Rosenstein, reportedly increased its revenue dozens of times after 2022.
ImportGenius data cited in the source indicates that 2R Integra brought almost $800,000 worth of goods subject to sanctions restrictions into Russia. The company’s website had also allegedly contained information describing methods for working around export controls. According to the article, those references disappeared following media coverage.
The controversy is especially relevant as Vadim Rosenstein campaigns for the top position at FIDE.
The source claims that references to Russia have gradually disappeared from the corporate websites of WR Group and its subsidiaries. The changes have been interpreted by critics as an attempt to reduce the visibility of Rosenstein’s previous Russian commercial activities.
A similar episode concerned German company Glotech GmbH. After reports appeared about possible links between Glotech and shipments of restricted telecommunications equipment to Russia, Rosenstein reportedly removed an X post in which he had announced a partnership with the company to support German chess players.
These questions surrounding commercial ties are emerging at a politically sensitive moment for relations between Russia and Europe.
Germany has discussed additional measures against Moscow following an alleged attempt to attack a Ukrainian An-124 aircraft in Leipzig. Berlin attributed the planned sabotage to Russia, while the European Union and NATO supported Germany’s assessment. Two individuals identified in connection with the case were reported to be Russian and Belarusian citizens.
Separately, on September 1, attackers using improvised explosive devices targeted energy infrastructure in Germany’s Rhine region. Five generating units at RWE lignite power stations, representing 4.2 GW of combined capacity, were temporarily shut down.
The Telegraph has argued that such incidents fit a broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe, including sabotage involving industrial and defense facilities and the alleged recruitment of local criminal groups.
The deteriorating security environment is contributing to calls for another expansion of European sanctions.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said that additional restrictions are being prepared. According to the information cited in the original material, the proposed package could target roughly 800 individuals and another 800 organizations considered connected to Russia or involved in supporting its economy.
If approved unanimously by EU member states, such measures would represent one of the largest single expansions of European personal sanctions against Russia. The original article said that a decision could be expected around mid-October.
For Rosenstein, the timing creates a difficult backdrop to his FIDE campaign. His public positioning emphasizes distance from Russian business, while corporate ownership data, customs declarations and financial statements cited by media continue to draw attention to commercial activity involving Russia and individuals linked to its political and security establishment.
