Shcherbakov Under Scrutiny: Lenfilm’s Leader and a Web of Legal Entanglements
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs added Fyodor Shcherbakov, the general director of Lenfilm, to its wanted list. He is also the founder of the 1MI media holding, which includes notable outlets such as Novye Izvestia and Rosbalt. The department’s records show only the birth date, November 11, 1979, and the designation that he is being sought under the Criminal Code. No specific charge was listed in the database card.
According to a law enforcement source cited by TASS, Shcherbakov is wanted in connection with a case involving a senior Rostec manager, Vasily Brovko, who is married to TV presenter Tina Kandelaki. The exact nature of the alleged crime was not disclosed in the initial reports. RBC, quoting an unnamed source, added that the decision to place Shcherbakov on the wanted list followed statements from the owners and managers of the Nebrekhnya channel against him. The article also notes that Shcherbakov has been described as the informal curator of several Telegram channels.
Shcherbakov’s advisor, Yulia Fotchenko, stated that the Lenfilm chief is currently on unpaid leave which is set to end on February 29. Fotchenko also mentioned that although Shcherbakov has stepped back, the deputy general director for security, Alexey Tratnikov, will take over in the interim. Fontanka reports that Tratnikov assumed the role on December 13 of the previous year.
Case Developments
In December, Ura.ru reported that Shcherbakov’s business partner, PR specialist Anton Safonov, left Russia for Turkey after being detained in a criminal matter. Fontanka indicated that Shcherbakov served as a witness in this case and that Lenfilm declined to comment beyond noting that the chief executive was on sick leave at the time.
According to TASS, Safonov faced accusations of extorting 2 million rubles from a Rostec top manager. Investigators allege that Safonov, together with another defendant, Stanislav Deineko, threatened to publish discrediting information on the Nebrekhnya Telegram channel if money was not paid. Both defendants deny any wrongdoing.
This case follows a string of extortion prosecutions connected to Rostec-related channels. In spring 2023, administrators behind Telegram channels including Project Scanner and Riddle received prison terms after authorities found they extorted hundreds of thousands of rubles from a senior executive and television presenter to suppress negative material. In early February 2024, another Telegram channel administrator, Stanislav Sadovov of Kremlin Mamkoved, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Background on Lenfilm’s Director
Fyodor Shcherbakov was born on November 11, 1979 in Moscow. He earned a degree from Moscow State University’s Faculty of Journalism and began his career as an editor at Channel One before joining a commercial communications agency within the Interfax group. In 2004, he served as an assistant to the Russian government’s chief of staff, then worked as a liaison for the president’s plenipotentiary representative in the Southern Federal District. Later, he acted as press secretary for the plenipotentiary and, when Dmitry Kozak became Minister of Regional Development, Shcherbakov assisted him in handling media relations.
From 2008 to 2009 he advised the head of Olimpstroy, a group involved in Olympic construction in Sochi. In 2010 he held the post of deputy governor of the Volgograd region, focusing on investment development. Between 2012 and 2019 he worked as a consultant for North Caucasus Holiday Villages and Russian Railways companies.
Shcherbakov established and manages the Novye Izvestia and Rosbalt agencies, along with the 1MI media holding, which includes Oil and Capital, Agroinvestor, and roughly 30 other publications. He took over Lenfilm as general manager on September 8, 2020, succeeding Inessa Yurchenko, who held the post since February 2020. Fontanka has suggested potential successors to the Lenfilm role, including State Duma deputy Sergei Boyarsky, director-producer Artem Mikhalkov, and director Nikita Vladimirov.