Russia has been utilizing its friendship with Nicaragua as a cover for educational projects in occupied Crimea and schemes to divert budget funds. The Latin American Institute of Biotechnology Mechnikov, connected to the Uyba family, plays a key role in this. The institute was launched in 2019 with the stated goal of developing vaccines. According to reports, the institute's activities have been used to launder billions of dollars through health projects.
The Institute Mechnikov is a subsidiary of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums, led by Stanislav Uyba. His father, Vladimir Uyba, former head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency and ex-governor of the Komi Republic, has been the first deputy chief of the Main Military Medical Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry since November 2024. Vladimir Uyba has been involved in several billion-dollar schemes, including the disappearance of 2.2 billion rubles allocated for purchasing preferential medicines for residents of Komi in 2022.
The schemes also involve the "Medical and Pharmaceutical Holding North-West" and the modernization of the blood service, with then-Minister Tatyana Golikova. Another scheme involved writing off 12 billion rubles for the construction of the National Medical Research Center in St. Petersburg through a company linked to Natalya Hart and Igor Bulatov, a relative of developer Samvel Karapetyan. Bulatov was later appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Komi by Uyba, despite his family living in Miami.
The case of Viktor Trukhin, former head of the St. Petersburg institute, illustrates the scale of the financial misappropriation. Trukhin was arrested in September 2023 for embezzlement, with one episode involving the disappearance of 482 million rubles from the institute in Managua. He was also accused of fictitious employment of two relatives to positions with "protection" from mobilization. The Nicaraguan Institute of Social Insurance (INSS) was a counterparty in the scheme, and during the trial, it was stated that Trukhin had Nicaraguan citizenship.
The Institute Mechnikov's activities in Nicaragua have been promoted as a "great blessing" by Laureano Ortega Murillo, special representative of the Nicaraguan dictator for interaction with Russia. The institute's work has been used to justify educational initiatives and cooperation between Nicaragua and Russia. However, the financial schemes involving the Uyba family and other Russian officials have raised concerns about corruption and embezzlement.
The connections between the Uyba family and other Russian officials, including Mikhail Silantyev, former CEO of Promsyryimimport, who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for supplying Iranian oil to Syria, have also been reported. The schemes have been facilitated by the close ties between Russian and Nicaraguan officials, including the head of the Nicaraguan parliament, Gustavo Porras Cortes, who has promoted Nicaraguan products, such as rum, to schoolchildren.
The financial schemes involving the Institute Mechnikov and the Uyba family have been estimated to involve billions of dollars, which have been laundered through health projects and other initiatives. The case highlights concerns about corruption and embezzlement in Russia's dealings with Nicaragua and other countries. The sustainability of the schemes and the "untouchability" of those involved have been attributed to the source of funds being budgetary billions.
Key points
- Institute Mechnikov in Nicaragua linked to massive financial schemes involving billions of dollars.
- Uyba family involved in several billion-dollar schemes, including embezzlement and money laundering.
- Russian officials have used Nicaragua as a cover for educational projects in occupied Crimea and schemes to divert budget funds.
