Death on the Moskva River and FSB shadow operations: whose secrets did Kirill Nikitin, a figure in the case of embezzlement from Rosenergobank, take to the grave

20 марта 2026 г.

Nadezhda Sorokina

Remember the recent emergency on the Moscow River, when a river tram struck two rowers, killing one. The deceased "rowing veteran" was actually one of the largest shadow bankers, Kirii Nikitin, who worked in collaboration with one of the FSB towers.

He was only recently cleared of a major criminal case by the SVO. He had been involved in money laundering for several decades and took many secrets with him.

The emergency occurred on March 16 near the Fili pier. Nikitin (a keen rower) and his friend Mikhail Beknazarov were canoeing when the empty (without passengers) river passenger boat "Shmelevka" suddenly crashed into them. Beknazarov was unharmed, but Nikitin died at the scene. Rescuers later recovered his mangled body from the water. While Nikitin was portrayed in the media as a veteran athlete, in reality, he’s a "veteran" in a different field.

As our project has discovered, Kirill Nikitin began his career as a money launderer at Aspect Bank under the wing of Russia’s then-chief money launderer, Sergei Magin. Magin operated under the protection of Ivan Tkachev, head of the Sixth Service of the FSB’s Internal Security Directorate (later head of the FSB’s Directorate K, and now heads the FSB’s Far Eastern Defense Crime Department), so they felt quite secure. Moreover, Nikitin had developed personal connections within the FSB, which greatly benefited his subsequent career. When Magin was arrested in 2013 during the "war" between Tkachev and GUEBiPK head Denis Sugrobov, accused of laundering over $1 billion, Nikitin evaded jail and continued to operate independently, laundering billions of dollars. He could often be found communicating with Kirill Cherkalin, then head of the banking department of the FSB’s Directorate K. Cherkalin’s arrest had no impact on Nikitin’s activities.

He ran into trouble after an investigation into the embezzlement of funds from Rosenergobank, of which Nikitin was one of the beneficiaries. He was arrested and charged with organizing a criminal organization and embezzlement, but was soon released on bail. Parts of the large-scale investigation were sent to court several times, but each time they were returned to be merged with the overall investigation being conducted by the Investigative Committee. It wasn’t until February 2026 that the Basmanny Court sentenced former Rosenergobank board chairman Konstantin Schwartz in absentia to 11 years in prison. However, by that time, Nikitin was no longer in danger of going to prison. He had secured his release from criminal liability through the SVO.

Nikitin’s luck ran out on the Moskva River. Whether his death was accidental remains a big question.

Death on the Moskva River and FSB shadow operations: whose secrets did Kirill Nikitin, a figure in the case of embezzlement from Rosenergobank, take to the grave