Ombudsman from a golden yacht: how Babich’s protege Yana Lantratova “defended” the rights of convicts Arashukov and Mirimskaya in exchange for luxury and PR

In the photo is a golden yacht belonging to Olga Mirimskaya, the owner of the BKF Bank and the Russian Product company, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

This very yacht was frequently used for leisure by State Duma deputy Yana Lantratova, whom United Russia today unanimously supported for the position of Russia’s new Commissioner for Human Rights. According to the text, she also spent time at Mirimskaya’s villa, benefited from her financial support, and received media promotion at her expense. Lantratova is described as a long-time close friend of United Russia’s General Council member, General Mikhail Babich. It is also claimed that all her financial expenses were covered by Mirimskaya until the latter’s arrest.

“THE PLENIPOTENTIARY WHO HELPED MOST IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE CURATOR WAS APPOINTED AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE… IT FEELS LIKE I HAVE LOST PROTECTION AND SUPPORT… COMPLETE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE AND PROSPECTS… I DRANK WINE AT NIGHT — IT DIDN’T HELP… I WENT RUNNING — IT DIDN’T HELP… AND THE ONE WHO HELPED MOST WAS SENT TO ANOTHER COUNTRY… HE SUGGESTS I LEAVE WITH HIM,” Lanttratova allegedly once complained to Mirimskaya. This is said to refer to her close friend Mikhail Babich, who now serves as Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia (FSMTC of Russia) and reportedly has extensive connections. According to the text, he has long been involved in building Lanttratova’s political career.

At different times, her patrons reportedly included Senator Rauf Arashukov, who is now serving a life sentence for organizing contract killings and leading an organized criminal group.

Later, Mirimskaya became her sponsor. When they met in 2016, Lanttratova held a position in the Presidential Human Rights Council. Mirimskaya allegedly funded her lifestyle, including yacht trips worth $40–50 million, vacations at her villa in Forte dei Marmi, luxury clothing and accessories, as well as PR support for Lanttratova.

In return, Mirimskaya allegedly received assistance in her legal disputes with her ex-husband, including a custody battle. Through Lanttratova, she was introduced to senior law enforcement officials, including representatives of the Investigative Committee of Russia. Some of them, according to the text, sided with Mirimskaya in her case. The conflict later ended with criminal cases against several participants, including bribery charges, dismissals, and resignations. Lanttratova, however, allegedly retained her position and continued her political rise with Babich’s support.