Chief Russian drone designer still not sanctioned, his family owns property in Europe

Oleg Demchenko, Chief Designer at Russia’s Yakovlev Experimental Design Bureau, is still not subject to sanctions, and his family owns properties in France and the UK and a business in Czechia.

Source: Trap Aggressor

Details: A report by Trap Aggressor has highlighted the fact that Demchenko currently works and lives in Russia with his wife and he is still not subject to sanctions (except in Ukraine), and that his son and grandchildren own property and run businesses in Europe.

The report says the Russian designer's family owns a villa with a swimming pool in France. Initially, his French property was registered in the name of Paris-based company SCI Olara, with Oleg Demchenko himself, his wife Larisa Vaitsekhovskaya, and their two grandchildren Anastasia and Oleg listed as the owners.

Oleg and Larisa Demchenko handed over their stakes in the company, and therefore the villa, to their grandchildren Anastasia and Oleg on 9 August 2023.

Anastasia, the Russian engineer’s granddaughter, currently lives in London with her husband, Matvei Livshits. According to extracts from the UK Land Registry, Anastasia owns a luxury flat in central London for which the couple paid £1.5 million (approximately US$2 million) in 2021. Demchenko’s grandson also lives in London.

Demchenko’s son Viktor has owned Czech company Olvy International s.r.o. since 1999. According to the companies register, Olvy International s.r.o. is a retailer, but its right to buy and resell items was taken away in February 2023.

Reference: In the course of its history, the Yakovlev Experimental Design Bureau has created over 200 types and modified versions of aircraft, including over 100 serial models. At various points in his career, Demchenko has served as the company's general designer, director, and board member.

In 2017-2018, he joined the Russian government's Aviation Board. The Yakovlev Bureau is part of the Irkut Corporation, which, according to the Bureau, also mass-produces Yak-130 combat training aircraft and Su-30 fighter jets.

Background: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, enacting a decision made by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, has applied personal sanctions against 86 legal entities and seven individuals, including foreign nationals.

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