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Oleg Burlakov

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Oleg Burlakov
Born(1949-08-24)24 August 1949
Leningrad, USSR
Died21 June 2021(2021-06-21) (aged 71)
Lapino, Moscow Region, Russia
OccupationBusinessman

Oleg Leonidovich Burlakov (Russian: Олег Леонидович Бурлаков; 24 August 1949 – 21 June 2021)[1][2] was a Russian oligarch[3] and billionaire. He was also the co-owner of Stroylesbank, the main shareholder of the Burneftegaz company (85%), the former owner and chairman of the board of Novoroscement, the owner of the Terpentin paint and varnish factory in Višegrad and the Impulse Investment and Construction Company.[4][5]

In 2021, Burlakov was ranked 177th in the Russian Forbes list with a fortune of nearly 3 billion pounds.[6] In the same year, he died from COVID-19.[7][4]

Biography

[edit]

Oleg Burlakov was born in Leningrad in 1949. He graduated from school in the village of Bagerovo near Kerch. Burlakov's father was transferred to serve in a military unit engaged in the development of means of delivering atomic weapons to test sites such as those in Semipalatinsk and Novaya Zemlya. Upon finishing his preliminary education, Oleg Burlakov entered the Kiev military aviation school. In 1972, Burlakov became an officer in the Soviet Air Force. He devoted most of his time to scientific research and was involved in secret military research for the aviation and space industries.[5][8][9]

In 1980, he successfully defended his dissertation and became a Candidate of Technical Sciences at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy.[10]

He then served in Kharkov as head of the Department of Aircraft Equipment Operation at the Higher Military Aviation Engineering School.[8][10]

In 1989, he left military service on moral grounds, a few years after which he and his family moved to Canada.[8][2]

In 2018, someone attempted to assassinate the businessman in Moscow. The Police learned that an unknown man ran up to Burlakov while he was sitting in a Cadillac Escalade, and called out to him. When the businessman rolled down his window, the man fired several shots in the direction of the car. However, no one was injured in the incident.[11]

In the same year, Oleg Burlakov was hospitalized, and arsenic was found in his body, suggesting an attempted poisoning. The businessman attributed the attempts to a conflict over the division of property during his divorce proceedings and the alleged embezzlement of family funds by his wife Lyudmila Burlakova (Marchenko), who had filed for divorce in December 2018.[12][13][10]

Oleg Burlakov had been living in Monaco, where he had received a residence permit in 2011.[14][2] The businessman also had a Canadian passport.[2]

Death

[edit]
Main article: Burlakov case

Oleg Burlakov died on June 21, 2021, in the Lapino clinic near Moscow after battling COVID-19.[1][2]

The businessman's sister Vera Kazakova wanted to bury him at the Serafimovsky Cemetery in St. Petersburg, where the graves of his mother, father and grandmother are located and where Burlakov himself, according to Kazakova, wanted to be buried. However, the businessman's widow Lyudmila Burlakova and her daughters Veroniсa and Elena insisted on burying the body in Canada, despite that, according to Izvestia, they never visited Oleg Burlakov in the hospital.[2][15][16] Kazakova claims that throughout the course of the businessman's illness, none of Burlakov's immediate family asked for information about his state of health.[15] However, representatives of Burlakov's wife and daughters have stated that they did request such information.[17][16]

The authorities refused to release the body to Vera Kazakova. Later, people who introduced themselves as lawyers of Lyudmila Burlakova removed the body from the morgue.[12][17]

Vera Kazakova demanded the Investigative Committee check on the circumstances of her brother's death and find out whether the mortuary staff had the right to refuse to give her his body.[2]

The deceased was moved to another morgue by order of the investigator, but Burlakov's widow appealed the decision. The body was eventually taken by the lawyers again.[2]

In February 2021, potential violations in the removal of the body were being investigated and the issue of initiating a criminal case was being studied. In October 2021, the circumstances of the removal of Oleg Burlakov's body abroad began and were analyzed by the Solntsevsky interdistrict investigative department (Investigative Directorate, the Western Administrative District of Moscow). The inspection showed that Vnukovo customs officers had accepted false documents in regard to the export of the billionaire's body, as a result of which, the body was sent to Switzerland,[18][19] and then to Canada.[2][needs update]

Oleg Burlakov was buried in a cemetery in Toronto.[16]

However, according to the magazine «Company» source,[when?] Burlakov's body was buried in the columbarium wall without an identification plate.[10]

Scientific activities

[edit]

Burlakov is the author of more than 30 scientific publications and more than 5 scientific inventions, for which he was awarded the title "Honored Inventor of the USSR". One of his works was awarded with a diploma of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Forces.[10]

He was the author of methodological recommendations for correspondence students for the course "Fundamentals of Radio-Electronics". He was the co-author of a textbook for the Air Force Academy entitled "Fundamentals of Radio-Electronics", the textbook "Aviation equipment", and the textbook "Fundamentals of Aviation Electronics Radio-Electronics", as well as the creator of methodological recommendations for conducting the military training of cadets at the Faculty of Aviation Equipment, the Kharkov Higher Military Aviation Engineering School of the Red Banner.[10]

Scientific works

[edit]
  • "Assessment of the reliability of complex structures for the construction of control and diagnostic algorithms", article [20]
  • "On the issue of the development of ring thyristor three-phase current inverters", article, co-authored with Davidov P.D. and Starkov G.N.[21]
  • "On one method of construction of essential diagnostic matrices", article, co-authored with Bakulin S.N. and Starkov G.N.[22]
  • "On the mathematical modeling of the constant velocity hydro-mechanical drive", co-authored with Bakulin S.N.[22]
  • “Prediction of technical condition of hydro-mechanical constant speed drives”, article[23]
  • "On choosing of predictive parameters of hydro-mechanical drives of a constant speed", article[23]
  • “On the issue of mathematical modeling of the contactless direct current valve oscillator taking into account the nonlinear approximation of a magnetization curve", article, co-authored with Kapustin A.G. and others[24]
  • "Formalized method of the calculation of magnetic circuits of electric machines", article, co-authored with Kosnevich A.G. and others[24]    
  • "Ways to increase cognitive activity of cadets during military internship", report, co-authored with Yakunin G.V. and others[25]
  • "On the calculation of electric machines with reciprocating armature", article, co-authored with Makarevich V. S.[26]

Most of the scientific projects that Oleg Burlakov worked on are confidential, but it is known that he worked on:[10]

  • researching issues of applying the on-board digital computers for the purposes of regulation, control and protection of power supply systems
  • developing software for a digital control system for an aircraft AC power with alternating current of constant frequency
  • a study of potential improvements to practical training for cadets of the Faculty of Aviation Equipment, the Kharkov Higher military aviation engineering school of the Red Banner, during the practice period
  • exploring the possibilities of the application of high-frequency currents for nondestructive control of insulating coatings of conductive elements of the power supply system of aircraft

Business

[edit]

Fuel systems manufacturing

[edit]

In 1989, Burlakov, together with Nikolai Ivanovich Kazakov, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, geochemical engineer and entrepreneur (and the husband of Burlakov's sister Vera) organized the multi-profile cooperative scientific-production association “Integral” in Kharkov, which was engaged in the development of fuel systems for the Soviet military industry and parts for spacecraft. Burlakov was personally involved in the development of the company, which became one of the largest companies engaged in such work in the 1990s.[8][2][10]

Oil industry

[edit]

In the 1990s, together with N. I. Kazakov, he created Sovinterfrance, a Soviet-French joint venture in Kharkov.[27][8]

Activities began with the construction of refrigerated warehouses. Burlakov then decided to reorient the company and move into trade: it purchased submersible oil pumps from Kharkov Electromechanical Plant and sent them to Russia in exchange for oil. In 1992, the Sovinterfrance company opened a branch in St. Petersburg and exported 217 thousand tons of Russian oil. A year later, the company opened a subsidiary and the Ukrainian Sovinterfrance was closed.[28][8][10]

In 2005, Oleg Burlakov, together with Pavel Mitrofanov, founded Burneftegaz, a company that bought up oil fields at auctions. Burlakov was involved in attracting investment to expand the business. As a result of his efforts, 8 development licenses were obtained, and in 2013, oil and gas condensate production amounted to 291,975 tons.[8][29][10]

In 2014, Mitrofanov left Russia, accused of offering a 5 million ruble bribe, at which point Burlakov decided to sell Burneftegaz.[30] Burlakov's investments amounted to $700 million, 85% of which were borrowed funds. The company was sold to Bashneft for $1 billion, about $600 million of which went to pay off debts. Burlakov received about $360 million for his 85% share.[31] The businessman invested most of the money in financial instruments.[8][29]

Cement production

[edit]

In 1992, Oleg Leonidovich and his companions received control over the Belgorod cement plant, investing around $500 thousand . They eventually sold the plant in 2003.[2]

In November 1993, companies belonging to Burlakov and Kazakov acquired shares of the cement giant Novoroscement at a voucher auction. The holding consisted of three plants with a capacity of more than 4 million tons of cement a year, 1 million tons of which was exported. In 2003, the businessman obtained a controlling interest by buying out a 31.7% stake from Holderbank.[2]

In 2007, Burlakov and Kazakov sold Novoroscement for $1.2 billion to Lev Kvetnoy, another Russian businessman on the Forbes list.[2] Burlakov was directly involved in the strategic development and management of the company. As a result of his decisions, by 2007, the cement output of Novoroscement had increased by 1.3 mln tons in comparison with 2003 (when Burlakov took over the controlling interest), reaching 3.8 mln tons.[32][33][10]

Other

[edit]

In the 1990s, Oleg Burlakov was an entrepreneur who, in partnership with Kazakov, successfully bought and sold assets in different industries.[2] In 1998, they acquired the Roscem – a berth and cargo unit in Ust-Luga in Leningrad Oblast.[27][10]

In 2008, they purchased Krasnodarpromzheldortrans in Krasnodar.[2][27][10]

In the same year, Burlakov privatized the Terpentin paint and varnish factory in Visegrad, and in 2012, he concessioned a lignite and bentonite deposit in Serbia, investing about 23.5 million convertible marks.[34][8]

Burlakov also invested in real estate development and construction, a market he was brought into by Alexander Kripak, former deputy chief of the Navy. He also invested in Karelian platinoids mining at the invitation of Vladimir Grishaenko, a former KGB handler for Gokhran.[8]

As of 2014, he owned a 74.88% share in Stroylesbank and a 20.99% share in Krasnodarpromzheldortrans.[29] As of 2021, he officially owned the transportation company Krasnodarpromzheldortrans, the “Kalinka” business center including “Tyumen Hilton” hotel in it in the downtown of Tyumen, and Stroylesbank.[35]

Black Pearl (yacht)

[edit]
Black Pearl (yacht)
Main article: Black Pearl (yacht)

Oleg Burlakov has been fond of ship modeling since childhood and for a long time nurtured the idea of building his own boat. In 2005, after reading the news about the first flexible liquid-crystal solar batteries, the businessman had the idea to use solar batteries instead of sails.[36][8] Mr. Burlakov considered his yacht a scientific project and prototype, planning to later apply the technology to develop cargo ships powered by alternative energy sources. To this end, Burlakov had successfully negotiated with representatives of the United Shipbuilding Corporation about using these developments in Russia.[37]

In the implementation of this design, Burlakov worked with the English designer Ken Freivokh, who developed the Maltese Falcon in 2006, a yacht with a unique 15-square-sail system that can be set up in only six minutes. A similar sailing system was installed on Burlakov's yacht, the Black Pearl, but with flexible solar panels integrated into the fabric of the sails.[36][14][8]

Construction on the yacht began in 2010.[35] By 2018, Oleg Burlakov had invested more than €250 million euros in its design and creation, of which €150 million were loans from European banks.[8][35] The total amount of investments is estimated to be between €250[2] and €400[14][38] million euros.

Mr. Burlakov was directly involved at every stage of the creation of the yacht. Among other things, he invented a mechanism for the masts, which he began patenting in 2018.[39][40][9] Burlakov gave considerable attention to ecology in the construction of the ship: the water on board is reused and the team uses treated sewage to wash the floors. It features separated garbage collection, reusable packages, and a minimum of plastic and chemicals - the "environmental policy" on board is very strict.[14]

The Black Pearl was finally launched in 2016 and is the only vessel in the world capable of storing energy from alternative sources and utilizing them.

Family

[edit]
Main article: Burlakov case

Burlakov's mother was a medical worker, and his father was a military engineer.[8] His sister Vera is an economic engineer married to Burlakov's business partner Nikolai Kazakov.[12][10]

Burlakov was married Lyudmila Burlakova, (02/07/1951),[35] with whom he had two daughters: Elena (29/10/1973) and Veronica (18/12/1985).[2][10]

Burlakov's wife Lyudmila and their children are involved in a large-scale property-related conflict resulting in a big series of international court processes commonly entitled Burlakov case. Burlakov told police in 2018 that his wife may be involved in a murder attempt.[41]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Семья миллиардера Бурлакова хочет провести независимую экспертизу обстоятельств его смерти". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 26 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Юлия Романова (2021-10-20). "Наследный принцип: чем закончится спор за миллиарды Олега Бурлакова". Известия (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  3. ^ "Russian Inheritance Battle Reaches Switzerland". finews.com. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Бизнесмен из списка Forbes умер от коронавируса". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 26 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  5. ^ a b "Россиянин из списка Forbes умер от коронавируса". РБК (in Russian). 26 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  6. ^ (in Russian) https://t.rbc.ru/tyumen/15/12/2021/61b9b7f69a79470ca45bda21
  7. ^ "Олег Бурлаков". Forbes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Зеленые паруса. Как один из самых скрытных участников списка Forbes Олег Бурлаков увлекся судостроением". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 12 October 2017. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  9. ^ a b "Завещание по праву проживания: наследство Олега Бурлакова может получить его сестра". newizv.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Продолжается борьба за наследство Олега Бурлакова". ko.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  11. ^ "В Москве совершено покушение на бизнесмена Бурлакова". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 6 November 2018. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  12. ^ a b c "Наследники рвут тело покойного - Вера Казакова, Людмила Бурлакова и София Шевцова бьются за счета, $ 650 млн и "Чёрную жемчужину" Олега Бурлакова". versia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  13. ^ "В Москве расстреляли автомобиль бизнесмена из списка Forbes". РБК (in Russian). 6 November 2018. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  14. ^ a b c d Евгений ПРОСКУРЯКОВ (2021-11-23). "Наследники российского богача спорят из-за "пиратской яхты" стоимостью в 21 млрд рублей". kp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  15. ^ a b "Тело миллионера Бурлакова передано его жене". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 8 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  16. ^ a b c "Миллионера Бурлакова похоронили в Канаде". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  17. ^ a b ""Начался танец на костях": сестра умершего миллионера Бурлакова обратилась в СК". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 27 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  18. ^ "Стало известно о незаконном вывозе тела миллиардера Бурлакова в Швейцарию". www.mk.ru (in Russian). 18 October 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  19. ^ Натали Нойманн (2021-10-18). "Тело миллиардера из списка Forbes Бурлакова незаконно вывезли в Швейцарию". Общественная служба новостей (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  20. ^ Научно-методические материалы по вопросам эксплуатации. Сборник под редакцией Румянцева Е.А., ВВИА, 1978
  21. ^ Научно-методические материалы по авиационному оборудованию. Сборник под редакцией Кочеткова Ю. А., ВВИА, 1979
  22. ^ a b Научно-методические материалы по авиационному оборудованию. Сборник под редакцией Бабич О. А., ВВИА, 1980
  23. ^ a b Научно-методические материалы по электрификации летательных аппаратов под редакцией Куприна Б. В., ВВИА, 1981
  24. ^ a b Научно-технический сборник под редакцией Губчика А. А. Выпуск 3, ХВВАИУ, 1982
  25. ^ Материалы научно-методической конференции под редакцией Якунина Г. В., ХВВАИУ, 1982
  26. ^ Научно-технический сборник под редакцией Губчика А. А. Выпуск 7, ХВВАИУ, 1986
  27. ^ a b c "Завершена реконструкция памятника – дачи Леоновой на Каменном острове". nsp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  28. ^ Виктория Андреева (26 June 2021). "Непризнанный гений: какое чудо сотворил умерший владелец "Черной жемчужины"?". Пятый канал (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  29. ^ a b c ""Башнефть" купила "Бурнефтегаз" за $1 млрд, включая долг". Ведомости (in Russian). 27 March 2014. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  30. ^ "Покинувший Россию депутат Митрофанов нашелся в Хорватии". РБК (in Russian). 19 November 2015. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  31. ^ "Мировой и Российский рынки слияний и поглощений". cyberleninka.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  32. ^ "Новый цемент от Кветного". Рейтинговое агентство Русмет (in Russian). 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  33. ^ "Ведомости". www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 2004-01-17. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  34. ^ "Россия и Республика Сербская: история отношений, перспективы сотрудничества" (PDF).
  35. ^ a b c d ""Чёрная жемчужина" за $250 млн: что будут делить наследники мультимиллионера Бурлакова". Life.ru (in Russian). 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  36. ^ a b "Яхта на батареях: участник списка Forbes Олег Бурлаков строит лодку на альтернативной энергии". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 11 October 2017. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  37. ^ Елизавета Халикова (26 August 2019). "Видео: Владелец уникальной суперяхты "Черная жемчужина" впервые показал ее журналистам". Пятый канал (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  38. ^ "Лодка не для развлечений. Владелец Black Pearl о ее стоимости и реальном предназначении". itBoat (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  39. ^ "RU2752112C2 - ЗАВАЛИВАЮЩАЯСЯ МАЧТА ЯХТЫ - Яндекс.Патенты". yandex.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  40. ^ Бурлаков Олег. "Заваливающаяся Мачта Яхты". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  41. ^ (in Russian) https://secretmag.ru/criminal/sledstvie-aktivizirovalo-delo-o-pokushenii-na-rossiiskogo-millionera-posle-ego-smerti-ot-koronavirusa.htm "Покушение на Олега Бурлакова произошло вечером 3 ноября 2018 года. Неизвестный окликнул сидевшего во внедорожнике Бурлакова по имени, а потом начал стрелять. Пули попали в корпус машины, но миллионер выжил. Позже в ходе медосмотра обнаружилось, что в еду бизнесмена добавляли мышьяк. Бурлаков рассказал следствию, что возможным заказчиком убийства могла стать его супруга Людмила Бурлакова, с которой он находился в процессе развода."
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