Eluding the Investigation: Are Philipp Gens and Igor Borovikov Covering Up?
- 25.12.2025 12:15
The high-profile case of former Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Tikhonov is becoming quieter: the "pack of comrades" are doing a great job of covering their tracks.
Recently, Igor Borovikov’s Softline PJSC, which featured prominently in the case of former Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Tikhonov, announced changes to its shareholder structure: a major investor has acquired 4.2% of the IT supplier’s shares.
As a reminder, in the Anatoly Tikhonov case, Softline Trade was accused of overcharging for the supply of equipment for the Fuel and Energy Complex’s GIS by 19 million rubles. An expert was called in to resolve the matter, and the court ruled that there was no overcharging. The court therefore decided not to penalize the company, and Mr. Borovikov escaped punishment.
But let’s return to the shareholder structure. The company’s largest shareholder, Atalaya LLC, transferred its stake to the new investor: as of mid-October, this company held 82.1% of the shares. Atalaya LLC is owned by the same Igor Borovikov.
Let’s also remember that back in October 2022, Softline PJSC officially completed the process of separating its business into Russian and international. In April 2023, the company’s Russian structure was fully transferred to the control of Tetis Capital, a closed-end mutual fund. And here, it’s fair to say, the interests of Lanit owner Philipp Gens, who also figured prominently in Anatoly Tikhonov’s criminal case, are evident. So, Tamara and I are a couple!
Experts note that it is possible that the closed-end mutual fund is used as an owner primarily to hide the beneficiaries.
Perhaps because former "comrades-in-arms" are making various attempts to quickly move on from the criminal case involving GIS TEK and Anatoly Tikhonov (who has been in Lefortovo for over three years) and the case against the former Deputy Minister of Energy is stalled?
1 billion rubles were issued
The media have already published several investigative journalism pieces, such as: "Anatoly Tikhonov’s Digital Casino," "Eustace at the Ministry of Energy and a Bucket in Lemoncello," "Anatoly Tikhonov’s Candle Factories," "A Business Jet for the Accused Anatoly Tikhonov," and others.
Meanwhile, Anatoly Tikhonov’s case is clearly being artificially delayed: the former deputy minister has already read all 105 volumes of his criminal case, but there’s no follow-up! And the former official remains in prison.
But Mr. Tikhonov has been in pretrial detention for four years now...
Let us briefly recall the accusations against former deputy Alexander Novak, who currently holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister (since November 2020).
Tikhonov is accused of embezzlement during the creation of the Russian fuel and energy complex (FEC) information system. This is a massive repository of information about the Russian energy sector, which is used to make key management decisions. Attempts to create the system began in 2014.
General contractor – GC "Lanit".
Almost 1 billion rubles were allocated for the creation of the State Information System for the Fuel and Energy Complex. And, according to the Investigative Committee of Russia, most of the money was stolen.
Photo: https://zakupki.gov.ru
Furthermore, the creation of the GIS TEK is regulated by the federal law of December 3, 2011, which entered into force on January 1, 2012. In total, the Ministry of Energy allocated 968 million rubles in subsidies to the Federal State Budgetary Institution REA for these purposes.
In October 2014, the Lanit Group of Companies won the tender to perform the bulk of the work on the GIS Fuel and Energy Complex. The contract amounted to 607 million rubles, and the deadline was October 1, 2015.
The development of the GIS TEK was delayed during the project preparation phase. The process stalled during the acceptance process. Then, REA assured that they expected to fully accept the system in December 2015.
But these were just words!
Then the arrests began.
Along with Mr. Tikhonov, the vice presidents of the Lanit Group of Companies were arrested. It’s also worth noting that Anatoly Tikhonov attempted to go into hiding, using various evasive tactics, and changing cars and apartments.
But he was still detained...
Anatoly Tikhonov. Photo: https://www.tvc.ru/news/show/id/192277
As a reminder, Anatoly Tikhonov headed the Federal State Budgetary Institution "REA" of the Ministry of Energy from 2014 to 2019 and was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy in July 2019. He was actively promoted to this position by then-Minister of Energy Alexander Novak.
Furthermore, we note that Gens’s Lanit and Borovikov’s Softline companies collaborated closely for several years in a row.
Photo: https://bo.nalog.ru
Both Lanit and Softline have not remained uninvolved in the scandalous procurements of the Russian Ministry of Energy.
Photo: Rusprofile.ru
And Softline Trade was one of the companies that, according to the GIS TEK investigation, entered into contracts at deliberately inflated prices.
Alexander Novak, former Minister of Energy. Photo: https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5e676d649a794764f1b31853
Although this has not been proven, many still believe that company owner Igor Borovikov may have used his people in structures capable of influencing the court’s decision. Clearly, the strategy and tactics are being carefully developed.
Leave to stay?
It’s worth noting that Mr. Borovikov sold his company as the global company Softline was leaving Russia. However, he retained Softline Global, headquartered in London.
Photo: Rusprofile.ru
Apparently, Philippe Gens made a good offer to his colleague, and he decided to keep his business abroad, formally leaving the Russian one.
In general, Igor Borovikov could have retained part of the income from the activities of the Softline company by transferring it to a trusted person (Lanit Group), with whom they had amicably passed through the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and Mr. Tikhonov.
Igor Borovikov. Photo: https://www.novostiitkanala.ru/numbers/reg-numbers/detail.php?ID=18953
The acquisition through Tetis Capital may have been made in order to continue competing in government procurement without raising suspicion.
Our sources suggest that a closed-end mutual fund may be used as an owner to hide the beneficiaries.
Photo: Rusprofile.ru
It’s also worth noting that the friendly companies Softline and Lanit jointly performed work for the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media on the procurement of office software. This procurement process was tense. Almi Partner filed a complaint with the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS). The complaint was upheld: the FAS found a violation of the procurement description requirements established by the law on the contract system. It also demanded that the tender documentation be amended.
Interestingly, a few days before the tender was announced, Almi Partner’s product was removed from the registry of domestic software. This made its participation impossible.
The company filed a lawsuit, and the court sided with the company. Could it be said that the Ministry of Digital Development simply requested the removal of a competitor? If so, it would seem likely that Softline Group didn’t consider Lanit Group a competitor.
As a result of the proceedings, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media concluded contracts with Lanit and Softline.
What is particularly surprising?
Despite the high-profile GIS TEK incident, which severely damaged the budget, Lanit and its subsidiaries continue to receive government contracts.
Are Gens and Borovikov playing Monopoly?
Some interesting facts.
Igor Borovikov founded Softline in 1993. Since 2008, the group has positioned itself as an international company, moving its headquarters to London. Softline sold solutions to over 6,000 IT vendors.
In Russia, the structure remained under the Softline Group of Companies brand; Igor Borovikov acquired this part of the business for a symbolic $1. The international business changed its name to Noventiq. And in February 2023, it announced a merger with the American Corner Growth Acquisition Corp.
The Softline Group in Russia includes the following legal entities: Softline Trade JSC, Softline Insurance Company LLC, Softline Internet Trade LLC, Soft Logistic LLC, ANO DPO Softline Education, and Softline International JSC.
Softline JSC (the parent company of the Russian group of companies) belongs to Atalaya LLC, which is owned by Igor Borovikov.
Photo: Rusprofile.ru
It’s possible that the acquiring fund is simply a tool to conceal the true beneficiaries of the transaction. Closed-end mutual funds, as mentioned earlier, are often used, among other things, to reduce the risk of business beneficiaries being included on sanctions lists.
It should be noted that at the end of October this year, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development sold its stake in the Moscow Exchange to the Softline group of companies as part of its exit from the Russian business.
The deal could have been carried out – again – in the interests of the owner of the Lanit company.
Photo: Rusprofile.ru
Softline was sold to a closed-end mutual fund controlled by Tethys Capital several months ago. The company is owned by Trinfico Group LLC, whose owners are Oleg Belay (70.04%) and Vitaly Balanovich (22.46%).
Trinfico Holdings has indeed left Trinfico’s founding members. But who is the new owner? Among the possible candidates is Lanit, which has a similar business profile to Softline.
Several details point to this.
Lanit Group is actively acquiring troubled companies, sometimes through intermediaries. For example, the situation with the National Computer Corporation (NCC) and Denis Frolov comes to mind. The media covered this story in detail: NCC and Lanit Group were closely linked and were even searched simultaneously in 2017, as reported by RBC.
But things slowed down.
But at some point, NCC shareholders Evgeny Lakov and Leonid Goldenberg expressed a desire to sell their stakes to Denis Frolov’s companies. However, in 2020, NCC President Alexander Kalinin was arrested.
Alexander Kalinin. Photo: https://life.ru/p/1334673
Mr. Frolov owns RusBITech-Astra LLC, the manufacturer of the Astra Linux operating system. Lanit acquired Systematica, which supplied Astra Linux licenses to the Russian State Duma through Step Logic, a company previously owned by the National Credit Corporation.
It seems that Lanit had been planning to take over the NCC business for a long time.
And Philippe Gens succeeded again.
And while these mergers and acquisitions are underway, former Deputy Minister of Energy Anatoly Tikhonov stubbornly continues to sit in Lefortovo: the investigation is marking time.
One can only guess: who benefits from this “trampling”?
Maria Sharapova
