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A London businessman won a Ukrainian government contract to help protect a key power plant from Russian attacks while secretly helping Moscow’s secret services launder money and evade sanctions, investigators and procurement documents show.
Andrei Bradens, a Latvian citizen who lives in London and describes himself as an “international entrepreneur,” also worked with companies that helped Moscow acquire sanctioned electronics during its invasion of Ukraine.
Awarding such a sensitive government contract to a company owned by an individual currently under sanctions for running a multibillion-dollar money-laundering network used by Russian spies is likely to be an embarrassing security challenge for Kiev.
Bradens, who also goes by the name Andreys Careneaux, was on Wednesday sanctioned by the US Treasury for his role in a money-laundering network which, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency, “was used to finance Russian espionage operations”, as well as helping European cocaine kingpins.
Ukrainian documents on public procurement In March, Ukrhydroenerga, the country’s largest hydropower company, awarded a $23.4 million contract to a Turkish company owned by Breydens.
The contract related to the supply of cables and other parts that are part of the project for the construction of underground structures to protect the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Plant in the southeast of Ukraine from Russian airstrikes.
According to authorities, the plant, which lies on the Dnieper River near the city of Zaporozhye, has been seriously damaged by several missile strikes this year.
Bradens did not respond to questions from the FT.
“Ukrhydroenergo” confirmed the contract with the Breydens company and noted that the project “is being carried out in accordance with the terms of the contract.” The contract states that all goods must be delivered and work completed by the end of this year.
Ukrhydroenergo said that Bradens was not under sanctions during the “procurement period and at the time of the conclusion of the contract.” It says that before agreeing on contracts, a “thorough check of counterparties for links with the aggressor country” is carried out, referring to Russia.
After getting acquainted with the sanctions against Bradens, “Ukrhydroenerga” reported that “additional inspections have begun, as a result of which measures will be taken in accordance with the current contract and the legislation of Ukraine.”
Russia has damaged, destroyed or seized more than half of Ukraine’s energy facilities since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022. But in recent months it has expanded its missile and drone campaign, the destruction caused by severe power shortages ahead of the coldest days of winter.
Defensive installations like those described in the Bradens contract are critical to Ukraine’s efforts to protect its key facilities. Discussions mediated by Qatar between Kiev and Moscow to stop attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure did not succeed.
Dnipro, 80 km upriver from the power plant, is an industrial Ukrainian town that Moscow has shelled Experimental hypersonic rocket “Hazelnut”. last month.
Breydens’ Turkish company Altair Lojistik Ve Ticaret is not under any Western sanctions. Brayden lists himself on his LinkedIn profile as a director of the company. The Turkish company’s records show Braden as the company’s chairman and sole owner. Altair Lojistik did not respond to questions from the FT.
British company records show Bradens is a director of several operating companies with offices in London, including TGR Corporate Concierge, which was sanctioned by the US Treasury on Wednesday.
The US also imposed sanctions on a Thai company called Siam Expert Trading Company, which it said was “linked to Braden” for facilitating the export of electronic components to Russia.
An FT analysis of Russian export records shows Siam Expert Trading has made numerous shipments this year to US-sanctioned Russian company Tornetcom, which supplies the country with data processing systems and other technology.
