Oleg Burlakov

Oleg Burlakov died on June 21, 2021, in the Lapino clinic near Moscow after battling COVID-19.[1][2]

The businessman's sister Vera Kazakova wanted to bury him at the Serafimovsky Cemetery in St. Petersburg, where the graves of his mother, father and grandmother are located and where Burlakov himself, according to Kazakova, wanted to be buried. However, the businessman's widow Lyudmila Burlakova and her daughters Veroniсa and Elena insisted on burying the body in Canada, despite that, according to Izvestia, they never visited Oleg Burlakov in the hospital.[2][15][16] Kazakova claims that throughout the course of the businessman's illness, none of Burlakov's immediate family asked for information about his state of health.[15] However, representatives of Burlakov's wife and daughters have stated that they did request such information.[17][16]

The authorities refused to release the body to Vera Kazakova. Later, people who introduced themselves as lawyers of Lyudmila Burlakova removed the body from the morgue.[12][17]

Vera Kazakova demanded the Investigative Committee check on the circumstances of her brother's death and find out whether the mortuary staff had the right to refuse to give her his body.[2]

The deceased was moved to another morgue by order of the investigator, but Burlakov's widow appealed the decision. The body was eventually taken by the lawyers again.[2]

In February 2021, potential violations in the removal of the body were being investigated and the issue of initiating a criminal case was being studied. In October 2021, the circumstances of the removal of Oleg Burlakov's body abroad began and were analyzed by the Solntsevsky interdistrict investigative department (Investigative Directorate, the Western Administrative District of Moscow). The inspection showed that Vnukovo customs officers had accepted false documents in regard to the export of the billionaire's body, as a result of which, the body was sent to Switzerland,[18][19] and then to Canada.[2]

Oleg Burlakov was buried in a cemetery in Toronto.[16]

However, according to the magazine «Company» source, Burlakov's body was buried in the columbarium wall without an identification plate.[10]

• "Assessment of the reliability of complex structures for the construction of control and diagnostic algorithms", article [20]
• "On the issue of the development of ring thyristor three-phase current inverters", article, co-authored with Davidov P.D. and Starkov G.N.[21]
• "On one method of construction of essential diagnostic matrices", article, co-authored with Bakulin S.N. and Starkov G.N.[22]
• "On the mathematical modeling of the constant velocity hydro-mechanical drive", co-authored with Bakulin S.N.[22]
• “Prediction of technical condition of hydro-mechanical constant speed drives”, article[23]
• "On choosing of predictive parameters of hydro-mechanical drives of a constant speed", article[23]
• “On the issue of mathematical modeling of the contactless direct current valve oscillator taking into account the nonlinear approximation of a magnetization curve", article, co-authored with Kapustin A.G. and others[24]
• "Formalized method of the calculation of magnetic circuits of electric machines", article, co-authored with Kosnevich A.G. and others[24]    
• "Ways to increase cognitive activity of cadets during military internship", report, co-authored with Yakunin G.V. and others[25]
• "On the calculation of electric machines with reciprocating armature", article, co-authored with Makarevich V. S.[26]

Most of the scientific projects that Oleg Burlakov worked on are confidential, but it is known that he worked on:[10]

• researching issues of applying the on-board digital computers for the purposes of regulation, control and protection of power supply systems
• developing software for a digital control system for an aircraft AC power with alternating current of constant frequency
• a study of potential improvements to practical training for cadets of the Faculty of Aviation Equipment, the Kharkov Higher military aviation engineering school of the Red Banner, during the practice period
• exploring the possibilities of the application of high-frequency currents for nondestructive control of insulating coatings of conductive elements of the power supply system of aircraft

In 1989, Burlakov, together with Nikolai Ivanovich Kazakov, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, geochemical engineer and entrepreneur (and the husband of Burlakov's sister Vera) organized the multi-profile cooperative scientific-production association “Integral” in Kharkov, which was engaged in the development of fuel systems for the Soviet military industry and parts for spacecraft. Burlakov was personally involved in the development of the company, which became one of the largest companies engaged in such work in the 1990s.[8][2][10]

In the 1990s, together with N. I. Kazakov, he created Sovinterfrance, a Soviet-French joint venture in Kharkov.[27][8]

Activities began with the construction of refrigerated warehouses. Burlakov then decided to reorient the company and move into trade: it purchased submersible oil pumps from Kharkov Electromechanical Plant and sent them to Russia in exchange for oil. In 1992, the Sovinterfrance company opened a branch in St. Petersburg and exported 217 thousand tons of Russian oil. A year later, the company opened a subsidiary and the Ukrainian Sovinterfrance was closed.[28][8][10]

In 2005, Oleg Burlakov, together with Pavel Mitrofanov, founded Burneftegaz, a company that bought up oil fields at auctions. Burlakov was involved in attracting investment to expand the business. As a result of his efforts, 8 development licenses were obtained, and in 2013, oil and gas condensate production amounted to 291,975 tons.[8][29][10]

In 2014, Mitrofanov left Russia, accused of offering a 5 million ruble bribe, at which point Burlakov decided to sell Burneftegaz.[30] Burlakov's investments amounted to $700 million, 85% of which were borrowed funds. The company was sold to Bashneft for $1 billion, about $600 million of which went to pay off debts. Burlakov received about $360 million for his 85% share.[31] The businessman invested most of the money in financial instruments.[8][29]

In 1992, Oleg Leonidovich and his companions received control over the Belgorod cement plant, investing around $500 thousand . They eventually sold the plant in 2003.[2]

In November 1993, companies belonging to Burlakov and Kazakov acquired shares of the cement giant Novoroscement at a voucher auction. The holding consisted of three plants with a capacity of more than 4 million tons of cement a year, 1 million tons of which was exported. In 2003, the businessman obtained a controlling interest by buying out a 31.7% stake from Holderbank.[2]

In 2007, Burlakov and Kazakov sold Novoroscement for $1.2 billion to Lev Kvetnoy, another Russian businessman on the Forbes list.[2] Burlakov was directly involved in the strategic development and management of the company. As a result of his decisions, by 2007, the cement output of Novoroscement had increased by 1.3 mln tons in comparison with 2003 (when Burlakov took over the controlling interest), reaching 3.8 mln tons.[32][33][10]

In the 1990s, Oleg Burlakov was an entrepreneur who, in partnership with Kazakov, successfully bought and sold assets in different industries.[2] In 1998, they acquired the Roscem – a berth and cargo unit in Ust-Luga in Leningrad Oblast.[27][10]

In 2008, they purchased Krasnodarpromzheldortrans in Krasnodar.[2][27][10]

In the same year, Burlakov privatized the Terpentin paint and varnish factory in Visegrad, and in 2012, he concessioned a lignite and bentonite deposit in Serbia, investing about 23.5 million convertible marks.[34][8]

Burlakov also invested in real estate development and construction, a market he was brought into by Alexander Kripak, former deputy chief of the Navy. He also invested in Karelian platinoids mining at the invitation of Vladimir Grishaenko, a former KGB handler for Gokhran.[8]

As of 2014, he owned a 74.88% share in Stroylesbank and a 20.99% share in Krasnodarpromzheldortrans.[29] As of 2021, he officially owned the transportation company Krasnodarpromzheldortrans, the “Kalinka” business center including “Tyumen Hilton” hotel in it in the downtown of Tyumen, and Stroylesbank.[35]