Russian Easter Eggs, Oligarchs, And Trump

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airport management, Alexander Ivanov, aluminum, Baden Baden Germany, communications, Congressional Recess, Congressman Quigley, construction, construction projects, Cyprus, Cyprus fact finding trip, Czarist Russia, Deutsche Bank, development, Easter Eggs, energy, Faberge Eggs, Faberge Museum, FIFA, FIFA World Cup 2018, Illinois, Imperial Faberge eggs, Imperial Russia, James Bond, Josef Ackermann, Kremlin, Lamesa Holding, Malcolm Forbes, metallurgy, metals, mining, Mirror Trades, nanotech, Octopussy, oil, Panama, Putin, Renova Group, Resurrection Egg, Russian Empire, Russian Tsars, St. Gallen, St. Petersburg, Swiss Bankers, telecommunications, Trump casinos, Trump lender, Tsar, US House Intelligence Committee, utilities, Viktor Vekselberg, Wilbur Ross

Fabergé Resurrection Egg owned by Russian Oligarch Viktor Vekselberg
Photo by Testus, CC-BY-SA-4.0, cropped.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_(Fabergé_egg)

Trump Commerce Secretary pick, Wilbur Ross, helped Trump keep control of his Casinos in the 1980s. Up until March 1, 2017, he was Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Cyprus. The largest shareholder of Bank of Cyprus is Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. His Renova Group has been involved in aluminium, oil, energy, telecoms and a variety of other sectors, such as airport management-construction. Their web site lists them as involved in metallurgy, energy, development, telecommunications and nanotechnolgies.

The Chairman of the Board of Bank of Cyprus (BOC), since November 2014, has been Swiss Banker (St. Gallen born and educated) Josef Ackermann, who “was elected as chairman of the board of directors of the Bank of Cyprus following the proposal of the new major shareholder of the bank Wilbur Ross.“ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Ackermann

Ackermann was head of Deutsche Bank – a major lender to Trump – when it was involved in questionable Mirror Trades, which involved Russia and Cyprus shell companies (and London, New York, etc.) https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2017/02/28/trump-lender-deutsche-bank-fined-for-mirror-trading-10-billion-russian-money-laundering-scheme/

As of March 31, 2016, Lamesa Holding – affiliate of Viktor Vekselberg’s Renova Group – held 9.9% of the Bank of Cyprus (3.5% directly and 6.4% indirectly), according to the Bank of Cyprus web site. According to a New York Times article on Trump Commerce Secretary Pick, Wilbur Ross, and the Bank of Cyprus, “The only Russian with a prominent role in the bank today is Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire businessman who bought shares in 2014, around the same time as Mr. Ross. Like all wealthy business people still working in Russia, Mr. Vekselberg has maintained good relations with the Kremlin…” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/world/europe/wilbur-ross-russia-bank-of-cyprus.html

On Tuesday, March 14, 2017, Reuters reported in “Russia’s Putin meets tycoon Vekselberg: TASS” that Putin held a meeting discussing infrastructure projects in which Vekselberg’s Renova Holding Company is involved. This includes a new airport in Rostov, where part of the FIFA World Cup is to be held in 2018. This article lists Renova assets as in metals and mining, utilities, construction and communications.

Did Vekselsberg open the Fabergé Museum to please Putin? As a public relations stunt that he is giving back to Russia? Recall that this sort of thing was recommended to the original US robber barrons for public relations. Or, could it possibly be a front for money laundering-repository for objects related to money laundering? Hypothetically, it could be. But, is it? The museum houses over 4,000 items, not just the imperial eggs.

From VOA:
“Russian Businessman Buys Faberge Egg Collection – 2004-02-05
Last Updated: October 30, 2009 6:52 AM
A Russian businessman has purchased nine rare Czarist Russia-era Faberge eggs in New York.

Sotheby’s auction house was scheduled to auction off the Imperial eggs, along with more than 100 other Faberge objects, later this year. But a Sotheby’s spokesman says Victor Vekselberg bought the entire collection in a private sale. The purchase price was not disclosed.

The first Faberge egg was commissioned by Russia’s Czar Alexander the Third in 1885 as an Easter gift for his wife. The miniature sculptures of gold, enamel and precious stones, designed on an Easter egg theme, are renowned for their extravagant workmanship and intricate design. Most of the eggs are no more than 15 centimeters tall, and contain even smaller artworks within them, such as royal portraits.

Only 50 Imperial Faberge eggs are believed to have been produced. Of those, 28 are in museums, nine are with Mr. Vekselberg, five more are in private hands and eight are missing.

The collection was originally acquired by American publisher Malcolm Forbes, who died in 1990. His family says it is time for other collectors to enjoy such treasures.” http://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2004-02-05-38-russian/291839.html (Emphasis our own.)

Vekselberg’s Russian Fabergé competitor, Alexander Ivanov, has a museum in Baden Baden Germany: “Russian billionaire feathers his Fabergé nest egg Moscow’s most prolific art collector is channelling his expensive obsession into an extraordinary museum.“, By Shaun Walker Friday 10 December 2010: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/russian-billionaire-feathers-his-faberg233-nest-egg-2155869.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Ivanov_(art_collector)
He decided to keep one of his Fabergé eggs in Russia – or did Putin decide?”Putin, the Oligarch, and the Tax Dispute Over a $14 Million Fabergé Egg” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-15/putin-the-oligarch-and-the-14-million-faberg-egg
Alexander Ivanov recently accused Sotheby’s of selling fakes and selling items for too much: “Sotheby’s in ‘fake’ Fabergé row with billionaire Russian art collector 6th Dec 2016, by Adam Sherwin, iNews: “Alexander Ivanov, accuses Sotheby’s of manipulating art market prices as well as knowingly selling fake items. Sotheby’s denies selling fake items, however, they have removed the items Ivanov spoke of from the most recent auction.” https://news.culturecrime.org/entry/Sherwin:2016aa.html

James Bond Octopussy Fabergé Egg-fake switch at auction: http://youtu.be/NvcKSUD8ZvU

The Problem of Money Laundering in the Art World

While Ian Fleming apparently based his James Bond books partly on life, Russia may be basing life partly on James Bond: https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/dual-identity-soviet-born-cambridge-researcher-linked-to-cambridge-analytica-also-teaches-at-russian-state-owned-university-putins-alma-mater-from-cambridge-spy-ring-to-cambridge-analytica-spectr

Vekselberg’s museum: “The Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, is a privately-owned museum which was established by Viktor Vekselberg and his Link of Times foundation…“. It “contains more than 4,000 works of decorative applied and fine arts, including gold and silver items, paintings, porcelain and bronze. A highlight of the museum’s collection is the group of nine Imperial Easter eggs created by Fabergé for the last two Russian Tsars.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabergé_Museum_in_Saint_Petersburg,_Russia

The lovely Fabergé eggs teach many things. Foremost, they teach that Russia is a European, mostly Scandinavian and Germanic, exploitive imperialist project which spread across most of Eurasia. The Rus were Scandinavian. Peter Carl Fabergé himself was half French Huguenot (protestant) and half Danish. St. Petersburg Russia only became Russian in 1703, before that it was Swedish, before that indigenous-Ingria.

The Imperial Fabergé eggs were made for Tsar Alexander III’s wife, Maria Feodorovna, who was a Danish Princess – Dagmar of Denmark. The Danish palaces egg is the pink one in the middle. On the screens are miniature paintings of the Danish palaces. Unfortunately, the view is the back of the screens.

CC-BY-SA: elrohir ancalin Flickr-Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Palaces_(Fabergé_egg)

“The Danish Palaces egg is a Tsar Imperial Fabergé egg, one of a series of fifty-two jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was crafted and delivered to the then Tsar of Russia, Alexander III who presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna on Easter day 1890.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Palaces_(Fabergé_egg)

The last Tsar Nicolas of Russia and his first cousin George V of England

How did the eggs leave Russia? “In a bid to acquire more foreign currency, Joseph Stalin had many of the eggs sold in 1927, after their value had been appraised by Agathon Fabergé. Between 1930 and 1933, 14 Imperial eggs left Russia. Many of the eggs were sold to Armand Hammer (president of Occidental Petroleum and a personal friend of Lenin, whose father was founder of the United States Communist party) and to Emanuel Snowman of the London antique dealers Wartski.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabergé_egg

Summary from the office of Congressman Eric Swalwell:
“Wilbur Ross: Ross, President Trump’s Secretary of Commerce, was the top shareholder in the Bank of Cyprus, an institution with deep Russian ties and investors who made fortunes under Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to McClatchy, the banking system in Cyprus, because of its dependence on Russian investors, is money-laundering concern for the US State Department. Ross served as the vice chairman of the board of directors for the Bank of Cyprus. The second largest investor in the Bank of Cyprus was Viktor Vekselberg, who once served on the Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft, which is under partial sanction by the US Treasury Department. Vekselberg is known to have a close relationship with Vladimir Putin. In February [2017], six senators sent a letter to Ross inquiring about his relationship to Vekselberg. The senators also inquired about Ross’s relationship with Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, who is also linked to the Bank of Cyprus, was a former KGB agent, and is believed to be a Putin associate.” https://swalwell.house.gov/issues/russia-trump-his-administration-s-ties

Another Ross connection found in the Paradise Papers:
“Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross benefits from business ties to Putin’s inner circle”, NOVEMBER 5, 2017 https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/donald-trumps-commerce-secretary-wilbur-ross-and-his-russian-business-ties/

While the US Congress was on Recess for (Easter-Passover-Spring) last year, one Congressman from the House Intelligence Committee, US Congressman Quigley of Illinois, was on an investigative hunt seeking ties between Trump and the Russians in Cyprus: “Apr 14, 2017 Press Release WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement upon his return from a fact-finding trip to Cyprus. “As part of the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in our elections, and in support of ongoing counterterrorism efforts, my recent trip to Cyprus was both informative and timely. It is essential for the Intelligence Committee to examine the nature and scope of Russian money laundering and how the use of offshore accounts, like those used in Cyprus, is one of many tools the Kremlin utilizes to exert undue influence abroad. Trips like this help our Committee continue to connect the dots specific to Russia’s election meddling and other nefarious activities they have undertaken around the world.” https://quigley.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/quigley-statement-recent-cyprus-visit

In December 2010, a record seizure of 354 countefeit Fabergé eggs (more than 8 million euros) in France (Roissy airport) destined to Christmas markets: “Saisie record de 354 œufs contrefaisant la marque FABERGÉ (plus de 8 M€), destinés aux marchés de Noël parisiens (DR Roissy Fret) – 12” http://www.douane.gouv.fr/Portals/0/fichiers/information/publication-douane/bilans-resultats/rap-2010.pdf

Video of the Fake Eggs which explains that they were from Russia and obviously fakes: http://youtu.be/f6X5MhmHtaE

Fabergé Resurrection Egg owned by Russian Oligarch Viktor Vekselberg
Photo by Testus, CC-BY-SA-4.0, cropped, some lights-glare digitally removed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_(Fabergé_egg)

Danish Palaces, Napoleonic and another egg, CC-BY-SA: elrohir ancalin via Flickr-Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_Palaces_(Fabergé_egg)

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Russian Easter Eggs, Oligarchs, And Trump

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