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The generous former TopProm CEO Evgeny Renge and the black diggers: a corruption scheme to legalize stolen coal through ASR-Uglesbyt

• 21.07.2025 06:20

Evgeny Renge, constantly shifting between Hong Kong, London, and Dubai, shows no intention of coming back to his Homeland — the risk of a lengthy prison sentence looms too large.

The faceless man (there isn’t any decent daguerreotype on the internet), 44-year-old Evgeny Renge, a native of Novokuznetsk, has hidden himself and his existence so skillfully that one wonders: does this billionaire, who has inflated his net worth on coal contracts, even exist? Or is he a phantom? Or is it the achievement of his father, resuscitologist Vladimir Renge, who provided his son with all the necessary "keys" for survival?

Mr. Renge quickly and easily made his dizzying career right after graduating from the Siberian State Industrial University: at 23, he became both the founder and general director of LLC "Yuzhkuzbassugol Supply", later the general director of CJSC UK "TaltEK", then managing partner of CJSC "TopProm" and so on. In 2018, to avoid trouble—when the investigative authorities became seriously interested in Renge’s "leftist" coal—he moved to the United Arab Emirates. And opened offices in Dubai and Hong Kong.

Such a brilliant fellow. But Mr. Renge does business his own way: it’s opaque, or rather murky. That is why a few years ago severe people in uniforms were very interested in the slippery figure of Evgeny Renge. So he made a run for it. Report by POLEMIKA

"Godfather"—Makhmudov?

But who gave such a running start to the young talent? Straight from the university bench, 23-year-old Renge leaped into big business.

Let’s list some other facets: Renge is a co-partner of CJSC "TopProm" in legal entities: LLC "Ilyinskaya Mine" (26%), CJSC "Kusheyakovskaya Mine" (26%) (today—LLC "Active Coals"), LLC "Taibinskaya Enrichment Plant" (26%) (formerly LLC "Collider"), LLC "TopPromTrans" (26%), LLC "Mining" (25%), then LLC "ASR-Explosion", LLC "Novotek", LLC "ASR-Group".

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They say that the high-ranking patron of the recent student might have been Iskandar Makhmudov, who at the time had already widely unfolded in the coal collapses of the Kemerovo region, as the owner of UGMK (Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company), under the arches of which worked JSC UK "Kuzbassrazrezugol".

Iskander Makhmudov 

Makhmudov began buying stocks starting in 1997. By 2003, Iskander Makhmudov had established some sort of control over all the coal of Kuzbass.

And at 23, the recent student Renge announced the establishment of LLC "Yuzhkuzbassugol Supply" (LLC "YKUS"), where he held 100% ownership.

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This office operated until 2009. And it was registered at the home address: Novokuznetsk, Builders Avenue, house 18, apt. 4.

The fact of founding and owning this office is present in the scant official biography of Evgeny Renge. But if you seriously delve into the bustling activity of the Siberian State Industrial University student E. Renge, say, in 2001-2002, it becomes clear that he delved headfirst into the coal business even earlier, because it was then that he founded LLC "SHAHTOSNAB" jointly with Daniil Kucheryavy.

Rusprofile.ru 

This office was also registered at a home address in Novokuznetsk: Friendship Street, house 20 A, apt. 39.

Novokuznetsk, Friendship Street, 20 A 

It is clear that both these offices, to which Renge was related in his younger years, dealt with supply. Apparently, Mr. Mahmudov, with knowing the business, was preparing valuable personnel?

But there is information that his father, resuscitologist Vladimir Renge, also helped his son in promoting his business projects. And there are even amazing facts!

But about this – coming up.

Rusprofile.ru

And the "trampoline" was quite fitting: Evgeny Renge swam into big business. And, it seems that he himself enjoyed creating companies. And also eliminating them.

For example, in 2006 he created LLC "Open Mining Work", and in 2010 he liquidated it himself.

Even earlier, in 2005 Renge created LLC "RZS-Uglesbyt", and in 2010 – liquidated it. 

And he was the liquidator of his company UK "Taldinskaya".

Was this some sort of game for him: created a company, liquidated a company? And he had about a dozen and a half such companies at that time.

Or was he preparing for a new role? 

"Butterflies for a Day" Renge 

Indeed, having finished all dealings with LLC "Yuzhkuzbassugol Supply"—and that was 2009—Mr. Renge came to work at the coal holding JSC "TopProm": in December 2009, he took the seat of deputy director - commercial director.

From January 1, 2012 - executive director. From July 4, 2013 - general director.

Rusprofile.ru

But he held the position of the general director only 11 months: owner Nikolai Korolev terminated the contract with Mr. Renge in June 2014, as Mr. Renge had messed up quite a lot. He managed a trick: gave three loans to shell companies worth almost 300 million rubles.

These were LLC "Metall-Service", LLC "SIBICO", and LLC "KDK Mega TR".

"Butterflies-for-a-day" withered. And the millions evaporated.

They say that these millions became the financial foundation for Renge’s new company – LLC "ASR-Group".

Nikolai Korolev tried to get his money back through court… But Renge thought through this move as well: Korolev lost all court cases. Because Renge had a high patron… Presumably, Mr. Mahmudov again?

And all the loans were eventually taken offshore. And the company Coal Sales (Cyprus), which Renge was (and is) related to, turned out to be involved in the case.

Note, there is such a large buyer of Kuzbass coal – coal trader CarboOne (Cyprus). Registration date - September 18, 2002. And coal mining enterprises supplied him with coal precisely through an intermediary - the offshore company Coal Sales associated with Renge.

cyprusregistry.com 

But Nikolai Korolev’s troubles continued: tax authorities suddenly showed great interest in him. Korolev allegedly sold coal through intermediary firms.

Soon a criminal case was opened on the fact of tax evasion in the amount of more than 460 million rubles. And the investigative actions were led by Alexander Rychkov, a good acquaintance of Evgeny Renge through his father, resuscitologist Vladimir Renge.

Today A.V. Rychkov is the head of the Investigative Department in Novokuznetsk.

Alexander Rychkov 

And therefore, if there were still any claims against Evgeny Renge, after the initiation of the criminal case against Korolev, they disappeared.

By the way, Vladimir Renge is a rather active businessman himself, founder of 4 companies.

Just the number of lawsuits is quite astonishing: over 200 arbitration cases for 37 billion rubles. 

"Left" Coal and Tax Collector Claims

Meanwhile, Evgeny Renge "climbs" higher: he comes to LLC "Management Company "Coal Taltek". This is a trading house within the coal holding "Taltek". The owner of the holding is Yuriy Kocherinskiy.

In this position, Renge creates the company "ASR-Uglesbyt", which deals with coal trading.

He agrees with Yuriy Kocherinskiy on sharing coal flows, including "leftist" ones.

Yuriy Kocherinskiy

And if in 2016 the income from the sale of illegal coal "ASR-Uglesbyt" could amount to almost 3 billion rubles, in 2017 it was already over 7.5 billion rubles. Official revenues of LLC "ASR-Uglesbyt" in 2016 were 11.2 billion rubles, in 2017 - 20 billion rubles, in 2018 - 27.3 billion rubles.

But then suddenly the Tax Inspectorate of Kuzbass showed a lively interest in Mr. Renge’s earnings: the tax collectors conducted an audit of the activity of the company "ASR-Uglesbyt". And made serious claims to Renge’s office for tax evasion. Renge was tallied up to 2 billion rubles.

The case became quite loud.

The questions to the head of the Federal Tax Service Administration for the Kemerovo Region Lyubov Arshintseva on Renge’s case were asked by Governor (at the time) Sergey Tsivilev, the current Minister of Energy of Russia.

Sergey Tsivilev 

And here dad-doctor apparently couldn’t help his billionaire son anymore.

Moreover, the son got caught in a story with an expensive gift to General Nitsuk: he presented him with a snowmobile worth 1.5 million rubles for the general to "cover up" the check of the tax authorities.

At that time, Major General Vladimir Nitsuk held the position of head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the city of Kemerovo.

And by order of the Central Investigative Department from Moscow, the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region issued a decision to refuse the initiation of a criminal case. But twice this decision was overturned by the Kemerovo Region Prosecutor’s Office.

General Vladimir Nitsuk

And there was information that the Federal Security Service for the Kemerovo Region conducted a check on the fact of the snowmobile gift to Major General Nitsuk costing more than 1.5 million rubles.

But this murky story eventually faded away.

Despite such somersaults, Renge was nevertheless not put on any national or international wanted lists.

And this once again speaks of Renge’s high "roof".

Again under cover?

In 2018, after Mr. Renge was dragged through investigator’s offices, he decided to flee abroad. And he fled. However, he prudently left the list of founders of the companies that he owned for many years. And continues to multiply his capital.

We remind that the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region issued a decision on October 25, 2019, to refuse the initiation of a criminal case due to the absence of a crime.

Although the Tax Inspectorate of Kuzbass was very interested in the murky activity of LLC "ASR-Uglesbyt". But did Renge pay the 2 billion rubles in taxes?

And what happens now? The criminal case was hushed up, Renge disappeared abroad, and his business empire is expanding. And this "genius" continues to manage his companies remotely.

Evgeny Renge, nearly a photofit

Rumor has it, he works with Poland, Italy, France, UAE, Hong Kong.

There is information that Evgeny Renge withdraws profits through intermediary companies under the cover of the new Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev, who—as mentioned earlier—was very interested in Evgeny Renge’s tax case when he was still the governor of Kuzbass.

As Kemerovo media wrote about Tsivilev, as the former owner of the coal company "Kolmar" in 2018, he was put in charge of overseeing the coal region. So, it turns out he keeps overseeing it?

It turns out Evgeny Renge created an entire empire, the structures of which are managed by his accomplices. There are offices that earn money, and there are those through which these millions are withdrawn.

And law enforcement has already determined key figures—namely Sergey Borozdin, Alexey Karmaev, and Natalya Shalygina. And there is information that the investigative authorities are dealing with all three.

And utmost attention—to Sergey Borozdin, who headed Renge’s companies, in particular, the company "Event 2017".

Rusprofile.ru

Mr. Borozdin was at the helm of this office for 7 years. But this company did not generate income, although it conducted some business activities.

The company has already been liquidated. 

And this happened in November 2023, which might also indicate possible financial manipulations.

The investigation is trying to unravel the intricacies of corporate networks, skillfully created by Evgeny Renge with his partners. It could be about a complex scheme of laundering funds and hiding earnings.

In that case, it won’t be long to wait for the outcomes: the "criminal ball" is being untangled and untangled.

And very soon Evgeny Renge clearly may need the help of his resuscitologist father.

Autor: Maria Sharapova