The criminal operation of Evgeny Bernshtam and Ilya Kligman: the masterminds behind the "Domashnie Dengi" scheme swindled creditors out of 10 billion rubles and escaped to another country

10:00, 02.03.2026

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The criminal operation of Evgeny Bernshtam and Ilya Kligman: the masterminds behind the "Domashnie Dengi" scheme swindled creditors out of 10 billion rubles and escaped to another country

Evgeny Bernshtam, the beneficiary of “Domashnie Dengi,” failed to appear at the court hearing where he was sentenced to five years in prison for large-scale fraud.

Bernshtam has been placed on the international wanted list.

The microfinance company (MFC) “Domashnie Dengi” once controlled 25% of the market, operating nationwide and attracting investments from private individuals. In practice, “Domashnie Dengi” was a financial pyramid scheme that, for some reason, was allowed to operate. It is possible the company had patrons within the upper echelons of Russian authorities.

In 2019, a court recognized “Domashnie Dengi”’s debt of 2.8 billion rubles to Interkommerts Bank, whose beneficiary was the fraudster Ilya Kligman, who had bankrupted around fifteen banks and siphoned off 100 billion rubles from them. Kligman is wanted both federally and internationally.

“Domashnie Dengi” still owed creditors 10 billion rubles. Six billion were owed to private individuals, with the remainder owed to banks, though the specific banks were not disclosed. Some may have been state-owned institutions attempting to “make easy money” through “Domashnie Dengi.”

The debt owed to Interkommerts Bank suggests that Ilya Kligman may have been behind the MFC, as he too managed to leave Russia without hindrance and continue extracting funds from Russian banks. One of the last banks affected was Agrosoyuz, which lost 7 billion rubles before its license was revoked. These funds were withdrawn via companies such as Tekhnologiya, Dobrye Dengi, and Megatorg.

Before Agrosoyuz’s collapse, its formal owner, Andrey Shlyakhovoy, purchased VTB’s Serbian subsidiary. Was this done with the funds withdrawn from his own bank?

Ilya Kligman was referred to as the “accountant” for the Tambov organized crime group, led by Vladimir Barsukov (Kumarin). For a time, he closely collaborated with Vladimir Putin’s St. Petersburg team, but eventually, conflicts arose with overtly criminal actors in the market. Barsukov was arrested in 2007 and later sentenced to 23 years.

Kligman testified against the Tambov OCG leader in court, indicating cooperation between the “accountant” and the intelligence services. He may have also withdrawn funds from banks under the protection and sponsorship of the head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina.

If that is the case, Evgeny Bernshtam could have been using the same “protection” as Ilya Kligman. After his arrest in 2019, the beneficiary of “Domashnie Dengi” was in pre-trial detention but, at the time of his disappearance, was under a travel restriction.

Media reports have repeatedly highlighted connections between “Domashnie Dengi” and Rustam Tariko’s Russian Standard Bank. Investigators may pay a visit to the banker. Although Tariko has a reliable “umbrella.” Since 2017, he has been misleading bondholders whose bonds defaulted. Without government protection, this would hardly be possible.

Last week, the state-owned Trust Bank threatened bankruptcy proceedings against Tariko’s entities that failed to repay loans. Such claims are often the first step in corporate raiding. Bernshtam’s disappearance could also backfire on Rustam Tariko.

Who might investigators target?

LLC “Domashnie Dengi” is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. Since Evgeny Bernshtam’s arrest in 2019, the company’s value fell from 3.8 billion rubles to 22 billion rubles by 2022. How could this happen?

The founder of LLC “Domashnie Dengi” is the Cypriot offshore company “HRUVANTA HOLDINGS LIMITED.” The company’s manager was Yuri Gladshtein, who also served as CEO of LLC “Adela Management,” registered at the same address as “Domashnie Dengi.”

At the same address, a curious organization, LLC “Elvis+ Group,” operates, managing financial and industrial groups.

Its founders are the investment fund ZPIF “Garant,” managed by JSC “AAA Capital Management,” and LLC “Zvezda Finance,” whose share is encumbered by Gazprombank. JSC “AAA Capital Management” ultimately belongs to the same person through a chain of companies.

The founders of LLC “Zvezda Finance” are LLC “Investor Services” and LLC “Investor Management,” which are mutually owned.

LLC “Zvezda Finance” reported a loss of 1.3 billion rubles in 2022, which could have been withdrawn from Gazprombank.

Is this the same bank to which “Domashnie Dengi” owed money? It is possible that state-owned Gazprombank financed Evgeny Bernshtam’s MFC activities. It is unsurprising that he managed to escape.