On 27-28 July 2023, one of the big Russian cities St. Petersburg will host the Russia-Africa summit. The scale of the event is impressive, a lot of Russian officials from politics, business, science and education science and education will be participating in this event. The agenda covers almost all areas: from high-matter diplomacy in the Russian interpretation to the disposal of household garbage. Probably again from the Russian point of view.
At first glance, everything is fine. Indeed, there is nothing wrong with establishing relations with the countries of the African continent, which, despite the difficulties, remains economically attractive. Nevertheless, Russian hypocrisy catches the eye from the first lines of the cultural program. They would speak about the colonial past of African countries, while inviting summit delegates to visit numerous St. Petersburg’s monuments of the Russian imperial colonial past. But let’s leave emotions and personal subjectivism out of this.
Let’s move on to pragmatic things:
The summit is taking place ten days after the refusal of the Russian Federation to extend the Grain agreement, which allowed Ukraine to export agricultural products despite the full-scale aggression of Russia. Concerns on the threat to world food security are heard from everywhere and from all levels. Those threats will directly affect the countries of the African continent.
Moscow insidiously hints at possible problems with the functioning of maritime transport corridors for Ukrainian exports. Surely, during the summit Russians will mention the dishonesty of Ukraine, the absence of «collective West» efforts to reduce food shortages in Africa, etc. Moscow narratives are developed and ready to be used.
At the summit, they will be talking a lot about the need to ensure stability, an appropriate level of security and predictability of the development of the situation on the African continent and its countries. Probably for these reasons, Russia sends hundreds of experienced mercenaries of the Wagner group to the Central African Republic. The purpose of their mission is extraordinary — to «guarantee security» on the eve of a referendum on changing the constitution in this country, which will be held on July 30, 2023 (Ομάδα Wagner: Εκατοντάδες μέλη έφτασαν στην Κεντροαφρικανική δημοκρατία). Gunpoint at democracy and free will, here is a real profile of Russian democrats.
This is how the Russian Federation held referendums in the occupied Crimea, in the occupied territories of the South and East of Ukraine. Moreover, the Kremlin wants to hold elections there too on September 10, 2023. (https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1622489462801420288?s=20&t=bKhMXSa7Iv4nK2ACAV3PVg).
The question is what does Cyprus have to do with it?
Some representatives of companies with Cypriot roots will participate in the St. Petersburg’s festival of hypocrisy. Moreover, they are registered as representatives of Cyprus, although they have a distant relation to the state. The link is not added for security reasons.
For example, Askona Life Group, the beneficiary of which is the Cypriot company Dealrose Limited, will be represented by Vladimir Sedov.
The representation at the Russia-Africa summit from the company Promoted DM LLC, the beneficiary of which is Promoted Holdings (Cyprus) LTD is even more interesting. Three top managers will participate from it at once: Maksim Smagin, Dmitry Zemskov, Mikhail Avramenko.
It would be interesting to know the opinion of G.T. GLOBALTRUST FIDUCIARIES LIMITED and G.T. GLOBAL ΤRUST SERVICES LIMITED, who are directors of Promoted Holdings (Cyprus) LTD. Moreover, in just a few clicks, you can stumble upon a bunch of materials about the involvement of Promoted in corruption in the highest echelons of the Russian authorities, including criminal sentences.
All this is happening during a difficult time for the EU and Cyprus economy, casts a shadow on the business reputation of Cyprus and Cypriot companies providing administrative services. Moreover, promiscuity and imprudence in doing business with the Russians is a potential possibility of undergoing sanctions.
Moreover, Kirill Rubinsky, one of the directors of Promoted (https://promomed.ru/en/about/corporate-governance/), has already been included in the Ukrainian sanctions register of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption as a «sponsor of terrorism» (https://sanctions.nazk.gov.ua/en/shame/index/?id=683).
In such circumstances, it is necessary for Cypriot business to show greater care and selectivity in doing business with Russians. These examples and manipulations by the Russians convincingly prove the predatory and hypocritical essence of the so-called «Russian soul.»