A review of the corporate connections described in the original investigation shows how the business network around Wadim Rosenstein intersects with members of Russia’s political, security and corporate establishment.
Rosenstein is one of the candidates for president of FIDE
At the center of the story is VR Rus LLC, controlled through his German WR Group Holding GmbH.
In early 2025, the Russian company imported around 900 pairs of Italian-made shoes carrying Anastasia Zadorina’s brand.
The cargo was worth approximately $560,000.
Zadorina’s father, Mikhail Shekin, is a colonel general in the FSB.
His responsibilities have included procurement, while his public roles include the presidency of Dynamo volleyball club.
The Insider has reported that his property is worth more than RUB 2 billion.
Zadorina also works closely with Dynamo through ZASPORT.
The company supplied uniforms for Russia’s Olympic athletes beginning in 2017.
Her support for Kremlin policy was demonstrated publicly after Crimea, when she organized a campaign opposing sanctions.
After the invasion of Ukraine, she registered a company in Crimea and planned vineyard development.
Proekt has documented additional relationships between Zadorina and people connected to Russia’s ruling elite.
She has held business interests with Olga Zolotova and Andrey Kostin
She also received income from Russian Electronics, part of Rostec.
Rostec chief Sergey Chemezov is a long-standing Putin associate.
The original report notes that Shekin, Chemezov and Putin all had connections to East Germany and the KGB.
In 2024, Zadorina married Kirill Shamalov
Shamalov’s former marriage to Katerina Tikhonova connected him directly to Putin’s family.
He became vice president of SIBUR at only 26.
His later acquisition of a 17% stake from Gennady Timchenko attracted scrutiny because it followed U.S. sanctions against Timchenko.
Shamalov was later sanctioned by the United States and several other jurisdictions.
Rosenstein’s corporate structure intersects with this network.
WR Logistics GmbH and WR Certification GmbH supplied industrial goods to Tomskneftekhim, part of SIBUR.
Nikolai Shamalov, Kirill’s father, is a co-owner of Bank Rossiya.
Meanwhile, VR Rus has not been shrinking
The company’s audited accounts show a 2.4-fold increase in sales in 2025.
Its revenue has risen several-fold since 2022.
Another company controlled by Rosenstein’s cousin has expanded even faster.
2R Integra LLC reportedly grew its revenue by dozens of times.
Customs declarations indicate imports of almost $800,000 worth of sanctioned goods.
According to the article, the company also advertised methods of bypassing export restrictions until media reports prompted it to remove the information.
Publicly, however, Rosenstein has increasingly reduced the visibility of Russian connections.
Mentions of the country have disappeared from corporate sites
He also removed a post about a partnership with Glotech GmbH after questions arose about the company’s involvement in Russia-related telecommunications shipments.
The issue is becoming particularly sensitive as European governments intensify sanctions pressure.
Germany has accused Russia of involvement in sabotage plans, while attacks on energy infrastructure have added to concerns about hybrid warfare.
For Rosenstein’s FIDE campaign, the central challenge is that the corporate record described in the investigation continues to connect his business interests with Russia at a time when his public image is moving in the opposite direction.
