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Roman Chichkanov, grandson of the well-known but controversial academic Valery Chichkanov, spent his childhood and education abroad before embarking on a business career in London. Unexpectedly, he returned to Russia and quickly obtained a high-ranking government post.

Today, the media is full of glowing, apparently paid, articles about businessman Roman Chichkanov, who, recalling Russian folklore, is “jack of all trades.” One of the latest sponsored publications appeared in the newspaper .

However, Mr. Chichkanov’s bright biography contains many blank spots and black holes, especially since the young businessman’s father—Anton Chichkanov, a scandalously notorious financial manipulator—has an even murkier past, involved in questionable financial operations. Roman’s mother, Elena Chichkanova, is also involved in the family business. The Chichkanov family recently acquired the luxury Mayerveda Hotel in Kislovodsk, which, apparently quietly, was built on the site of the former "Kavkaz" hotel. This five-star hotel has no financial records, except for a few entries on its website.

But even this is not the most interesting part of the Chichkanovs’ family album: the most intriguing aspect is Roman Chichkanov’s new career, where, immediately after returning from London, he assumed a high-ranking position at the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic. He also quickly married Maria Chervotkina, the so-called “fairy of Russian fashion,” as glossy magazines describe her. Maria Chervotkina is the daughter of the famous Soviet gymnast Vladimir Chervotkin. Roman Chichkanov met his future wife at his own Mayerveda Hotel, where the fashion fairy was enjoying a relaxing stay.

Is there more to this story?

It is tempting to compare Roman Chichkanov’s leap into Russian strategic projects with the entrance of former United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) president Alexey Rakhmanov, a graduate of the University of Chicago Business School with an MBA.

The Chichkanov Couple

Alexey Rakhmanov spent several years dismantling USC, leaving it in such a state that the new chairman of the board, Andrey Kostin, head of VTB Bank, admitted it would take about ten years to restore the company because “USC operated like a financial pyramid.”

As for another graduate of a prestigious business school, but in Britain, Roman Chichkanov, as reported by the media, was recruited not yesterday, but much earlier.

This “espionage” trajectory was largely facilitated by the young prodigy’s grandfather, Valery Chichkanov, who had once made a remarkable rise from humble beginnings.

Friends from London

It seems that Vladimir Petrovich Chichkanov wished a different path for his grandson Roman, since things did not work out so well with his son Anton—who remains entangled in murky criminal disputes.

Academician Valery Chichkanov

Valery Petrovich Chichkanov, former Deputy Prime Minister of the RSFSR and an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, held very high positions throughout his career. He also maintained close contacts with figures on the “rotten” West.

This primarily refers to his close friend Alexander Temerko.

Alexander Viktorovich Temerko is a Russian and British businessman, director of the British company Aquind Limited, and formerly head of OGN Group (2008–2017).

Earlier, Mr. Temerko served as vice president and deputy chairman of the oil company Yukos.

Temerko has been a British citizen since 2011.

Chichkanov and Temerko began working closely in the early 1990s when Valery Chichkanov served as Temerko’s deputy in the Committee for Social Security of Military Personnel under the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation.

Alexander Temerko

Mr. Temerko later moved to the State Committee on Defense Issues and then to the Ministry of Defense of Russia, seemingly holding some form of security clearance, as the committee handled not only military pensions and social issues but also the withdrawal of the Western Group of Forces from Germany.

Alexander Temerko had extensive political connections, including creating the state-owned arms export company Voentech.

In spring 1993, Temerko’s candidacy was proposed for the head of the Federal Service for Arms and Military Equipment Export, but President Boris Yeltsin rejected the proposal.

Boris Yeltsin

From 1995, Temerko served as president of the Specialized Corporation for Defense Industry Enterprises, “Russian Weapons,” a position he held for five years.

During this time, Valery Chichkanov worked closely with Alexander Temerko. Rumor has it that he used his high-ranking posts to collect and pass on important information to foreign contacts, including Temerko, who later maintained ties with British authorities.

Alexander Temerko and former UK Prime Minister Boris de Pfeffel Johnson

After leaving Moscow for London, Alexander Temerko became a key sponsor of anti-Russian political projects in the UK.

Mr. Temerko frequently wrote columns in The Guardian calling for a tougher stance on Moscow.

It was Valery Chichkanov, through his close collaboration with Temerko, who introduced his beloved grandson Roman to the British businessman.

Some sources suggest that through the newly British Temerko, Roman Chichkanov was introduced to MI6.

And he was integrated into the British political elite.

Brilliant Education and Great Prospects?

The grandson of Academician Chichkanov displayed exceptional abilities from school years.

In the upper grades (equivalent to the UK college system), he took university courses in advanced mathematics and physics. Later, he enrolled at University College London, studying economics.

In his second year, the Moscow prodigy founded the UCL Russian Business Society, which became one of the largest Russian-speaking student organizations.

The events hosted by the society attracted hundreds, sometimes thousands of participants, including Yuri Luzhkov, Boris Titov, Roman Trotsenko, Leonid Nevzlin, Alfred Koch, and others.

Leonid Nevzlin

The main sponsor of these conferences was Alexander Temerko, a friend of Roman’s grandfather.

In 2014, media reports mentioned the participation of certain members of the British royal family.

It was around this time that Roman Chichkanov apparently began collaborating with MI6.

In his first year at university, Chichkanov interned in the mergers and acquisitions departments of investment banks, working at Barclays, then Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and J.P. Morgan.

Roman Chichkanov

After three years at J.P. Morgan, he reportedly considered starting his own business in Russia and began “exploring a small unfinished project in Kislovodsk,” as he stated in interviews.

However, there was no such unfinished project.

The luxury Mayerveda Hotel was built on the abandoned grounds of the old Kavkaz Hotel, which had been neglected for several years.

Where did Roman Chichkanov find the funds for the construction?

The story is silent, although various theories circulate, including possible “assistance” from criminal elements.

Mayerveda Hotel in Kislovodsk

Besides building the hotel, Chichkanov was strongly interested in public service.

A Sinecure for Roman Chichkanov

But why would someone so well-established in London suddenly appear in Russia? He did not go to work at a factory…

Using his grandfather’s powerful connections, he secured a sinecure: he became the First Deputy General Director of the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.

In this lucrative position, Chichkanov reportedly advanced British interests, influencing investment projects.

Roman Chichkanov

Thanks to his grandfather’s long reach, he also headed the subcommittee of the “Business Russia” party on preventive medicine and joined the Russian-Azerbaijani and Russian-Emirati business councils.

Ultimately, he prepared recommendations to improve economic and demographic conditions in the Far East and worked closely with the Russian government’s coordination center.

A major part of his work was developing strategies for the Northern Sea Route to expand transportation capabilities in Arctic development.

Chichkanov organized numerous industrial roundtables and was privy to closed business plans for projects such as Vostok Oil and Arctic LNG 2, as well as strategic port construction in Lavna and Bukhta Sever. He monitored the Northern Sea Route and projects for new nuclear-powered vessels for the Baimsky Mining and Processing Plant in Chukotka.

In short, he kept a finger on the pulse.

Love Story

His quick marriage also raises questions.

According to glossy magazine interviews, the couple met in Kislovodsk at the Mayerveda Hotel, where journalist and blogger Maria Chervotkina was staying.

By that time, the “fairy of Russian fashion” was already an entrepreneur with a shoe company, although the company’s reliability was questionable.

Previously, Maria Chervotkina, born in Chelyabinsk, dated Alexey Glukhov for nine years.

They moved to St. Petersburg, running social media blogs. Shortly before breaking up, they opened the bar Solids, but Chervotkina later exited the business.

News of their split emerged when Maria announced her engagement to Roman Chichkanov after only a few weeks of acquaintance.

It seems Roman Chichkanov may have married quickly to “root himself” in Russia, although he reportedly thinks and speaks English better than Russian.

Roman Chichkanov and Maria Chervotkina

Many questions remain about the rapid construction of the five-star Mayerveda Hotel on someone else’s land, which has received hundreds of glowing reviews…

It appears that Roman Antonovich Chichkanov secured himself a very strong “cover.”

Автор: Мария Шарапова