Russian Federation

Map of Russia
SA WEST Global intelligence with headquarters in the very center of St.Petersburg, Russia, covers the entire country with a network of affiliated companies and trusted contractors.

Combining database screening, Open Source Intelligence, Social Networks Aanalysis, undercover operations, human sources information with professional intelligence analysis we provide bespoke services in Russian Federation and surrounding areas.

The Most in Demand Services of SA WEST in Russian Federation

Human due diligence researches

A:>Human due diligence on individuals of European and U.S. origin working with Russia. Geopolitical tensions between Russian Federation and the West undoubtfully had significant influence on business reputation and image of European investors who worked (or are currently working) in Russian Federation or with individuals linked to Russia. Our clients share their concerns about possible consequences of partnerships with these investors.

SA WEST helps in separating facts from rumors and gossip, provides independent and balanced assessment of subjects’ activity in Russian Federation.

Every project, as well as every subject and every client is unique, but basically in reports of this type we provide our clients with important insights on:

  • the background of subject’s activity in Russian Federation [we trace links and history of cooperation of the subject with decision-makers of Russian origin; investigate projects of the subject to find unreported tiers to corrupted officials, organized crime, security agencies etc.]
  • evaluation of uncovered facts to distinguish unethical activities from local business customs and rules. In countries of the former USSR as well as in the ME this task is uneasy especially in cross-cultural projects, because we must also consider client’s narratives, biases and formal procedures.
  • what is publicly known on the subject, what can be found out during investigation on the subject (if governmental or private entity will try digging the data on the subject), what facts will never be found. This part of the research can be used as a guideline to reputational management of the subject.

B: >Human due diligence investigations on Russian individuals (mostly private investors) operating abroad. Surprisingly in 2018 we saw increased demand for due diligence researches on Russian individuals from countries of Asia (Japan, China, Vietnam).

Investigative corporate due diligence in Russia

The number of corporate due diligence projects faced decline in 2018 and in general this decline indicates slowing of business relations between Russian Federation and the West.
Remarkable share of investigative due diligence projects in 2018 were reflections of conflicts between business owners of Russian origin currently residing abroad and their nominees or business partners operating in Russia.

Background screening

In 2018 we had a lot of requests on background checks and pre-employment screening.

Several new trends of 2018 worth mentioning:

  • Large companies are developing their own departments of employment screening. Foreign companies working with Russia prefer hiring expats of Russian or Ukrainian origin to conduct desk researches instead of hiring subcontractors. Consequences of this trend are obvious – most requests are extremely focused and dedicated to issues unavailable or hardly available from the desk: site-visiting, education check, criminal records check etc.
  • The range of publicly available data on Russian companies has significantly expanded in 2018. Information that was previously available only in discreet sources can be obtained by subscription or even for free. This leads to increase in the number of foreign companies offering background screening services in Russia.

Questioning of Sources in Russian Federation

Several incidents, especially incident in Saulsberry and following leaks of classified data to the public, raised concerns of security agencies over unauthorized access of domestic and foreign researches to sensitive data on Russian individuals and organizations. Vigorous revitalization of efforts to break the ties between investigative journalists and corrupted officials lead to easily predictable consequences:

  • Access to some sources was finally restricted.
  • Reliability of the raw data is at the history lowest level (the share of fakes had doubled even taking into consideration that sources became more expensive).
  • Some sources are continuously adjusted to ensure that even in case of leak the attacker will not obtain accurate data for further analysis.

Taking into account the above, source-based work in Russian Federation is becoming more difficult for foreign desk researches. This trend will continue in 2019-2022.
SA WEST has unique capabilities in Russia and a long history of cooperation with clients from across the world. We do not provide our clients direct access to sources and records if they are not available legitimately – we take your reputation seriously.

Read our posts about Russian Federation below.

Géza Andreas von Geyr – Designated German Ambassador to Moscow

Last week it was announced that this summer Géza Andreas von Geyr may succeed Rüdiger von Fritsch (28.12.1953) in the German Embassy in Moscow. In this review we provide some insights on biography, connections

Posted in Geopolitics, Germany, Russia | Comments Off on Géza Andreas von Geyr – Designated German Ambassador to Moscow

Hidden Data of Russian Passport

Every Russian citizen has domestic passport – the main document for identification of a person. This document is used also for domestic travel and includes main data about the person: date of birth, registered

Posted in Background check, For investigators, Russia | Comments Off on Hidden Data of Russian Passport

OUR OPINION ON KROLL GLOBAL FRAUD REPORT 2015-2016

November 23, 2015, Mr.Alessandro Volcic, Managing director (HEAD, RUSSIA & CIS) of Kroll, published the article “Business as usual in Russia, despite political headwinds”. As a part of the world-recognized Kroll Global Fraud Report,

Posted in Country specific information, Geopolitics, Russia | Comments Off on OUR OPINION ON KROLL GLOBAL FRAUD REPORT 2015-2016

NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR RUSSIAN BANKS

Bank executives face new disclosure requirements. A new law obliging Russian banks to disclose information about qualification and professional experience of the executives came into effect in mid-November. It concerns the majority of key

Posted in Background check, Russia | Comments Off on NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR RUSSIAN BANKS

NEW TAX RULES ON FOREIGN ASSETS

Russian business needs to decide where to store the money. On November 21 the Russian State Duma imposed new tax rules for controlled foreign companies (CFCs). New legislation obliges Russian residents (both individuals and

Posted in Background check, Due Diligence, Russia | Comments Off on NEW TAX RULES ON FOREIGN ASSETS

CRIMINAL RECORDS MAY BE INCLUDED TO THE RUSSIAN USRLE

Russian lawmakers can deal a serious blow to the market of criminal history check, as they are considering including information about shareholders criminal records under the Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (“Fraud”)

Posted in Background check, Russia | Comments Off on CRIMINAL RECORDS MAY BE INCLUDED TO THE RUSSIAN USRLE

Couple of new links for foreign desk researchers

Russian Federal Bailiff Service shared on-line its Register of individuals wanted on enforcement proceedings and Register of persons who are wanted on suspicion of committing a crime. These registers are yet not full and

Posted in Background check, For investigators, Russia | Comments Off on Couple of new links for foreign desk researchers