The Largest Grants From Putin's Foundation Went To Kabayeva And The Leaders Of The Podolsk Organized Crime Group
- 23.06.2026, 13:18
The money went to “Rotan,” “Luchok,” and one of the wealthiest State Duma deputies.
The largest recipients of funds in Russia from the Presidential Grants Fund were projects linked to the mother of Putin’s mistress Alina Kabaeva, and the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), whose leadership includes former members of the Podolsk organized crime group (OCG). This was pointed out by Novaya Gazeta Europe.
For instance, the second-largest grant—59.9 million rubles—went to the “Tsarskoye Selo Station” Foundation, whose board of trustees includes Lyudmila Kabaeva. The organization is restoring an abandoned train station in Pushkin, Leningrad Oblast, which was built specifically for Russia’s last emperor, Nicholas II. The total cost of the work is estimated at 123.5 million rubles.
Another major grant—37.5 million rubles—was awarded to the “We Are Together. Sport. Mentor” project of the Russian Paralympic Committee, which aims to train 300 “veterans of the Special Military Operation” with disabilities to become coaches in powerlifting, swimming, cross-country skiing, and biathlon.
The RPC’s leadership includes individuals linked to the Podolsk organized crime group. In particular, the committee’s first vice president is State Duma deputy Boris Ivanyuzhenkov, formerly known as “Rotan,” and the board of trustees is headed by the group’s founder, Sergey Lalakin, nicknamed “Luchok.” Lalakin also controls the “Nasledie” (Legacy) Foundation, which sends humanitarian aid to the front lines and organizes training camps for “Special Military Operation veterans” with national Paralympic teams.
The largest grant—74.4 million rubles—went to the “Memory of Generations” Foundation, which assists combat veterans. This money is intended to cover the medical treatment and rehabilitation of 85 participants in the war with Ukraine, as well as to purchase prosthetics and hearing aids for them.
The foundation’s board includes one of the wealthiest State Duma deputies Dmitry Sablin. After the invasion of Ukraine, he established the “GROM ‘Kaskad’” unit (formerly “BARS ‘Kaskad’”), which became a safe place for high-ranking officials to serve while seeking to obtain the status of “special military operation veteran” and the associated benefits, the publication notes. Among others, State Duma deputies Oleg Golikov and Sergey Sokol, as well as Tambov Region Governor Evgeny Pervyshov, served in this unit.
The director of “Memory of Generations,” Ekaterina Kruglova, served as Vladimir Putin’s representative in the 2024 elections. She is also a member of the supervisory board of the “Defenders of the Fatherland” Foundation, which is headed by the president’s niece Anna Tsivileva.
In total, 1,500 projects received support from Putin’s foundation. The total amount of grants distributed exceeded 4 billion rubles.