Tough Business

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Tough Business
Vladimir Baranchikov

The merchant gets into a powerful Chechen business structure and has been working in it for 20 years, having passed all the tests – from internal competition to gang fights. The story describes meetings with famous people, curious adventures, successes and failures, as well as the tragedy of the main character. The book will be interesting for businessmen, merchants, as well as fans of non-fiction, crime fiction and memoirs.

Tough Business

Vladimir Baranchikov

I put aside my emotions and consider events from an unbiased point of view.

Author

© Vladimir Baranchikov, 2023

ISBN 978-5-0060-6593-2

Создано в интеллектуальной издательской системе Ridero

Prologue

On one incessant dark morning on December fourteenth, 1995, policemen from the DCEC – Department for Combating Economic Crimes – and, for solidity, a bus with riot police drove up to our office. Parallelepipeds in uniform and with machine guns blocked the entire building and penetrated to our floor, put guards at the entrance and exit, suppressed those present with glances and the shine of trunks, ordered: do not walk, do not call, do not turn on computers, do not answer calls. One-two! But, of course, it is difficult to arrest thirty offices at the same time, and in this situation the warning signal went to our leaders – unlike the «mattress period» they did not appear in the office in such situations, and the armed detachment was met not by «evil Chechens», but by peaceful citizens of Slavic and not quite nationality with no hint of aggressiveness on honest faces. Safes were opened, documentation and computer data were seized, ridiculous questions were asked:

– Why do you keep your driver’s license in a safe?

But something still managed to hide from the watchful eye of the authorities. Quite recently, a young and well-mannered girl named Dasha came to work for us as a secretary, her original appearance and the look of the child always evoked sympathy and an involuntary smile. So this incarnate innocence managed to hide two of the most important folders on her chair, sitting in her most beautiful place on these papers and sitting on them for as long as it was necessary in the classic pose of a student of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens. Nevertheless, despite the intrepidity and firmness of the staff, the work of several companies was virtually paralyzed, and investigative actions continued for two weeks – the study of accounting and commercial documents, the inquiry of persons involved in the business, and so on. Why suddenly to us, and not to the neighbors? That’s what I’m talking about in this book.

Do I have the right to tell my story this way, does it truly reflect that difficult time, did it really happen to me, are other actors represented as impartially as possible? I think not, this is the view of one person, a subjective picture of a small period of time, twenty years, from the end of the last and the beginning of this century, however, the events described really took place, and the characters are real, but due to certain circumstances their names and surnames have been changed. If the persons mentioned here have a different point of view or interpretation of what happened, the author will gratefully accept their opinion, however, as well as the opinion of readers.

Chapter one. Beginning

St. Petersburg, December 1992. Three middle-aged men smoke on the stairs of a yellow office building on Suvorovsky Avenue. An ordinary conversation during a short rest, unhurried and full of free topics.

One of the interlocutors shared the news:

– A friend got a job with some serious people.

– And here he is looking for a job, – my friend and colleague Kostya reacted quickly and very correctly, pointing at me.

– Can you give me a friend’s phone number? – I decided to take the bull by the horns right away.

– Write it down.

My career at the Peleng company was coming to an end. Two and a half years of interesting and hard work, the search for new ways – advertising, exhibitions, the St. Petersburg stock Exchange, the director of a brokerage office, the first contacts with foreign businessmen – all this was fresh, interesting, unusual. A youth team, purposeful people with healthy ambitions, fun holidays… I was grateful to these guys, but our paths diverged – I wanted something bigger, large-scale. All this time I had to improve my business English on my own – letters, contracts, methods of communication by phone. And Volodya was lured here from the position of head of the planning and economic department of the NGO Krasnoznamenets, where we had previously worked together. In the evening I call on the home phone of a «friend» and hear:

– We are engaged in business promotion, the green conversion line…

I immediately realized that there were no specifics, and directed the conversation in the right direction:

– Vsevolod Valentinovich, trade operations and foreign partners are closer to me. – Pause.

– Well, then you need to go to Felix Andreevich, he’s doing it.

– Can you give me a phone number?

So, carefully pulling the thread so as not to break, I found a specialist who was engaged in an interesting business for me.

– Come here! – Felix Andreevich was attentive, polite and specific in a conversation with a stranger. So far, everything has been surprisingly easy.

The place for the meeting is familiar to me – the Central Research Institute Rumb, the industry information center of the shipbuilding industry of the country. I was here, on Zaitseva Street, about five years ago, during the Soviet Union – a secret organization, security clearances. And today, without these difficulties. A solid Stalinist building with white half-columns, wide staircases, large windows, high ceilings is a place where it is prestigious to work. Or, in modern terms, «cool»…

Felix Andreevich’s office is spacious, as befits the head of the foreign economic department of a solid organization. The owner himself is located at a large table to the right of the door, on the table are business papers, a couple of telephones and a mauser (just kidding). The amazing thing is that I immediately took a liking to this extraordinary man. A thick-set brunette of about sixty with confident manners, a handsome manly face whitened with gray hair and life experience with a prepossessing smile. The presentation of my story and the desire to burn at work was received favorably. During the conversation, he X-rayed me with the attentive gaze of his gray eyes and read emotions like an experienced psychologist. But there was no feeling of discomfort or tension, despite the importance of this dialogue. I was given to understand – he will report to the management and he will inform the decision. I was happy, I wanted to work here and do exactly that, and it was with you, Felix Andreevich – that’s how the stars came together…

Two weeks later I received a second invitation. Felix Andreevich gave a short briefing in the same office – you are going to my boss, the Vice president for Foreign Economic Activity for an interview. How are you with English: if you stumble, you will have a saving phrase… The way to victory is to go through a fashionable reception room with two assistant secretaries and enter the cherished double door.

At the table is a young man, no older than twenty-five, tall and handsome, fashionably dressed. There is a laptop on the table, expensive office furniture and office equipment in the room, the owner skillfully owns it for the good of the organization and, without any doubt, demands the same from subordinates. Bold, determined, from another, rich and successful world: it was felt immediately. Oleg Borisovich. The acquaintance took place, I presented a number of documents by correspondence with the Americans, but I blurred the story in English – I was very worried. After the conversation, Felix Andreevich went to the chief and returned with an answer – the decision has not been made.

– Call me in a week, – he encouraged me. It was hard to expect anything else.

The third attempt took place ten days later again in Oleg Borisovich’s office. But there was one significant change – there was another young man, a light-eyed blond with a strong-willed face, in a white shirt, and he was sitting next to the owner of the office, closer to me, but it felt like this man would decide my fate now, and all this time it was his decision that was being waited for. Surprisingly, the interview was friendly in nature, unlike the previous «exam», my counterparts even smiled after my story about how I earned a million rubles on one transaction – it was felt that their scale was about two higher. Perhaps they liked my frankness, my obvious desire to rush into battle. My insufficient knowledge of English for the main person was not decisive at that moment – we need workhorses, and then we’ll see… Later Felix Andreevich told me the good news – I was accepted! Of course, with a trial period.

February sixteenth, 1993 – my first working day at JSC Financial Association Holding.

– While you sit here, – Felix Andreevich allocates me a table in his apartment, and sends my colleague Sergei Nikolaevich behind the wall, to a separate office. By the way, today is his birthday, but I’ll find out about it later. Sergey Nikolaevich Muzychenko has been working for two weeks, has a humanitarian university with philology behind him, a former English teacher, a head taller in a foreign language than me, a rocket technician, and we have a polite mutual understanding with elements of rivalry in the same boat.

And here is the first task. Intelligent Felix Andreevich said that the company’s management had an idea – the organization of assembly production of video recorders from imported components in our building (!), and I was instructed to work out this idea promptly and report on the results. By entrusting this, he made it clear to me that the money here is not paid in vain, and took away from himself the beloved sword of Damocles of imminent reckoning and possible consequences. He deliberately did not indicate his attitude to this idea, leaving me to think on my own. Intuition told me that the second day could be the last if my conclusions did not satisfy someone. I got bored, but soon I realized that there was a chance to present it in a language understandable to the customer. Fifteen years of experience in the scientific and industrial sphere is no joke, I am an engineer and a patent specialist, I have been to workshops and worked out technologies from blanks to the final product with my own hands, tested detonation means (in other words, I lit a fire – a conductive cord with a detonator). In other words, he smelled gunpowder in the literal sense of the word. Therefore, in this situation, it was necessary, without going into technical and organizational wilds, to tactfully say «no» in a language understandable to the management. Felix called someone, and I was offered to inspect the «future production facilities» – being located on the territory of Rumb, the holding used the services we were interested in (for example, a printing house), crowding the native institute and gradually seizing corridor after corridor, floor after floor, peacefully coexisting.

So, on the second floor, a stranger from the institute accompanies me and leads me to a local apocalypse – a huge room cluttered with various kinds of metal fasteners, remnants of ventilation, hanging wires and construction debris. The employee who met us looked at me with great interest – as a resident from another planet. I didn’t meet his expectations by asking a simple question:

– Was there an EC-1020 here?

– Yes, – he replied with surprise.

The secret is simple – I have already seen this computing machine in my research institute, so it was not difficult to guess from the standard equipment. Keeping a solemnly serious expression on my face, I examined all the corners, the floor and the ceiling, mentally estimated the dimensions. The event took place.

The next step. Without questioning the possibility of organizing production, recruiting personnel, training them, obtaining permission to launch from various commissions and technical supervision («we can do everything»), I was studying the process of purchasing components. Yes, and there are customs duties on components in accordance with the codes of the commodity nomenclature of foreign economic activity. This is our bread – CN FEA! To bounce off the tooth! And now the disappointing conclusion for the anonymous initiator is that the payment of fees for components of the assembly units of video recorders increases the cost of production and the project may be unprofitable! This is stated in writing with the attachment of copies of leaflets from the customs primer, and for clarity of perception – tables with calculations. Which is handed over to the authorities. Felix Andreevich studied the material, lit up a little (appreciated, apparently). A couple of days later, the answer came that the management took note of the conclusion, and this issue was no longer raised. The first barrier has been overcome!

Chapter two. In our office

A week has passed, the adaptation period is over, I’m moving in with Sergey Nikolaevich. We are located opposite each other, but the office is spacious, everyone has a living space. We unpacked and assembled my desk, requested new imported telephones with memory, two for each. And it started – calls, faxes, faxes and calls. The business card proudly flaunts – a business representative of the foreign economic department, there is an option for foreigners: Business Representative Department Foreign Trade. The position obliges – outwardly we try to match: strict suits, ties, we absorb corporate culture. We are trying to defend our independence from the pressure of those divisions of the holding that have been functioning for six months – the financial service, the supply department and the investment department. The latter got used to throwing us English-language texts for technical translation, they allegedly needed it badly, but we regarded it as a loss of sovereignty – such translations (except if it is our direct duty to the authorities) were regarded as a distraction from our main function – to conduct foreign trade transactions and earn money. The investment department was represented by two respectable people, and both in glasses, a candidate and a doctor of sciences, were doing some kind of development on the design of a line for the manufacture of something. I was not interested in their work, but at joint meetings of our organization, these guys reported solidly on the next stage of their highly intelligent work, finding understanding in the person of the management, who set this service as an example to us, the freaks from foreign trade, from whom it is of no use that goat – milk. Look up to the leaders!

Contacts, contacts: that’s what we really need. We offer metals and other products to foreign firms and organizations, chambers of commerce of different countries. Inevitably, phone bills are rising, the chief accountant – an imperious lady – scares us with expenses (in my opinion, the chief accountant is not a position, but a diagnosis). But our president (praise him!) cut it off once and for all:

– If they call, it means they are working.

And we tried to justify this trust with all our might. We carry bundles of commercial offers to the information department for mailing – there two girls fax them from morning to evening. But there are no results yet.

Meanwhile, there is a project – the import of clothes from England. Felix Andreevich signs a contract with some Londoner who speaks English poorly. A container with suits and shoes from London is sailing to us, and I am instructed to clear the valuable cargo at the port and deliver it by car to our store.

– Vladimir Ivanovich, do you know what an invoice is? – Felix Andreevich is interested in me.

– At the top of your voice! – I’m pronounce my version of the quiz «What? Where? When?» The chief’s smile once again proved his endurance and ability to work with the brave soldier Schweik…

The next day I survey the morning landscape of the St. Petersburg terminal. My container is already in the warehouse, that yellow one over there, I found it in even rows among its twins, but first this forty-foot-long box needs to be put on a special platform for customs inspection. I, like a madman, ran for an hour and a half, gesturing to the driver of the gantry crane – take this one, please! Finally hooked! I run to the customs office, and there it’s lunch time, holy business! I look at different ads and read:

– The cargo of the MST company is serviced out of turn!

Who is so happy? Perhaps this is Matvienko Sergey Timofeevich, the namesake of the well-known Valentina Ivanovna? (we didn’t use the word «corruption» then). A female customs specialist floated out of the cherished doors, asked to open the container, and there were large cardboard boxes. All seventeen, as indicated in the invoice. For the sake of order, one box was opened: it’s true clothes, but men’s. Oh, if perfume, then it would be possible to make a present to a beautiful lady, and here – men’s trousers. We put the customs seal on the container. We go back with a solemn gait and draw up the documents, the stamp is «Allowed». Time is inexorably ticking – the car rental is paid until six in the evening. And now it is necessary to put the seal of the cargo office on the documents for admission to the port entrance, and on the container – a seal impression with a huge stamp half a meter long and weighing seven kilograms. The office employees did not bother themselves and did not want to go down from the second floor to the courtyard, they gave me a composter. I returned the piece of iron to them, and off we go! We unloaded at Vasilyevsky Island at five o’clock, then the four of us counted suits, trousers, jackets. It came together the second time, and the ties did not give up five times: then a hundred, then a hundred and one…

The next day, when I was approaching the office, the Lada car stopped at my feet, Felix Andreevich got out of it and shook my hand.

The next container with clothes was brought to our building – we paid for customs clearance services. It so happened that Sergey Nikolaevich, or just Sergey, and I approached this truck almost simultaneously. Our friendly handshake was expected, but, to my surprise, he did not see me point-blank, having started communicating with the driver. Having found out what he was interested in, Sergey had already descended and greeted me by the hand. The contrast with Felix was striking. A thought flashed through my mind:

– Volodya, draw conclusions.

Overall boxes with clothes were dragged to the fourth floor together with Sergey in our dress uniform and stacked in an empty office next door, the boxes were opened. Our trophies are fashionable suits, jackets, trousers, men’s shoes and, of course, ties, all made in England. Of course, everything was sorted, counted and checked against the invoices. I’m not a fan of rags, but some copies were very even. And then we had frequent guests – employees of friendly companies (it’s not for nothing that we are a «Holding») – who don’t want to be a bit of a dandy, some picked up good options for themselves and took them with them. Sergey and I helped the process and kept records. Suddenly the door opened and our president quickly entered the room. After a cursory inspection of the exhibition and sale, he selected two boxes of shoes and said, addressing me:

– Bring it to my office tonight.

The chief accountant came with her strict instructions later. I listened to them with due attention and added, looking into her eyes:

– Except for these two boxes – Khazir Daudovich asked me to leave them for him.

The mention of the head of the holding company dramatically changed the tone of the conversation.

Chapter three. Holding

The financial association «Holding» is a powerful business structure on the St. Petersburg scale. In 1993, it consisted of several foreign trade firms, trading companies with shops, as well as traditional services, which I mentioned earlier, a legal department, had its own travel and insurance companies. The investments were handled by Holding-Invest, considerable funds were invested in the business center at the Nevsky Palace Hotel together with American businessmen Paul Tatum and his partner Richard Monroe. I had the good fortune to communicate with Mr. Monroe personally, we were driving in his car on business somehow, and he praised my English pronunciation (apparently, he was tired of listening to self-taught people). A typical gentleman and a classic scout – a solid attractive image, soft manners, a calm voice, an attentive look. Who has never heard of Paul Tatum, I will briefly say – one of the first American businessmen in Russia, large interests in Moscow at the Slavyanskaya Hotel, connections at the mayor’s office, joint business with the famous Chechen businessman Umar Dzhabrailov. According to authoritative sources, in 1991, at a critical moment of the confrontation, namely Paul Tatum provided Boris Yeltsin’ telephone communication with the military units of General Grachev and Lebed, which greatly contributed to his victory over the GKCHP. Mr. Tatum was killed in the center of Moscow in a pedestrian crossing by a burst from a machine gun in 1996. Tough Business… The US State Department sent a note to the Russian government and demanded to find and punish the perpetrators. They didn’t find it.

The second interesting project was the joint venture AmRus Communications. The director of the company was Oleg Borisovich, he is also the vice president of the Holding. The company borrowed and introduced advanced American development in Russia – equipment for signal consolidation of telephone lines and communication channels, as well as household antennas for receiving television channels. I had a chance to take part in this direction with the specialists of the Bonch-Bruevich Institute of Communications. A professor from institute asked me a question:

– Why do I find a common language with you, but not with your supervisor?

The unvoiced answer was that, although I have three higher educations, one of which I received in the building next to you on the Moika Embankment, opposite the Stroganov Palace, but in the new conditions, money decides everything. And you, comrade Professor, will do what is required of you, and if they want, they will buy your knowledge inexpensively. As well as mine, as, in fact, and me.

I will introduce the heads of the association: Khalid headed Holding-Invest, Oleg – foreign trade and his beloved AmRus, Amir – Vice President for Trade Operations. The holding is headed by Khazir Daudovich, President. In the middle of 1993, the authorized capital of the Holding was one billion rubles. Most divisions had their own Lada cars with drivers, and the vice-president and the president himself drove new Ford Torus cars bought in the USA in the amount of as many as seventeen pieces. Three cars were left in St. Petersburg, the rest were sent on their own to the Caucasus. It was said that at the last checkpoint in front of the Chechen Republic, this cavalcade was stopped by a police colonel of the traffic police. But then our Felix Andreevich, a retired captain of the first rank, a counterintelligence officer, came out to him and solved the issue – the caravan moved on. I have already written about the relationship with the Central Research Institute «Rumb» – after all, we ourselves were sitting there on the fourth floor. These were our opportunities, but they were not exhausted by this.

The financial association needed financial freedom, and it was realized in the establishment of the bank Tavrichesky together with Mr. Zakharzhevsky. Khazir Daudovich took the post of vice-president of the bank Tavrichesky. I remember, in May of ’93, we inspected the building of the future bank being repaired on Radishcheva Street together with a beautiful Scandinavian-type Marina Lavrinets, whom I invited from the Peleng company directly into the caring hands of Vsevolod Valentinovich. He was experiencing a shortage of personnel, and I was obliged to him… Marina had a fascinating effect on men from fifteen to seventy years old inclusive, a natural blonde with huge gray eyes and a dazzling smile. Besides, she was the person I could trust – I didn’t have any friends in the Holding. It’s not surprising that the next day after the interview, she was already working on our floor and then often dropped by with Sergey and me, bringing a little charm and magic of natural female beauty into our everyday lives.

Chapter four. Military

The fantasy of the leadership is in full swing, and we were born to make a fairy tale come true. The challenge to Oleg Borisovich is the formulation of my new task: uniform. It is necessary to purchase samples of military uniforms of the Russian army. The further fate of the purchases is not discussed, most likely it is the development of a supply channel for a mysterious customer – perhaps for American or Chechen friends (well, not to go in the office on Zaitseva Street in uniform!). I followed a self-imposed rule: no more than two questions! The first is samples of various branches of the armed forces? Yes, except for the naval (which means that the naval landing is excluded). The second is the quantity? Two or four copies of different sizes. We do not specify the deadline, and so it is clear: ASAP (as soon as possible) is an international abbreviation.

The fact is that in those years, the market reached the Russian army, «which will solve everything.» The Ministry of Defense has created a department for the sale of military property – a step, in general, sound, a lot of things have accumulated in warehouses. You can buy decommissioned or unnecessary vehicles, but you can’t buy an AK-74 machine gun or a tank. Sergey smiles after my calls to the military – he has his own version of purchases, but this is a secret. I work out a list of eight dozen items on the nomenclature, approve the money, sign the contract by fax, issue a power of attorney for myself to sign the contract in Moscow, pay the bill. The next day I am already in the capital, we are completing the formalities, I receive an order for the removal of goods from the warehouse – so, I can go home. In the subway underpass on Nogin Square, I saw a table with books, out of habit I looked to see if there was anything useful? I was interested in the directory «List of foreign firms and joint ventures in Moscow» with addresses and phone numbers and bought it, of course. Subsequently, this book played a crucial role in my career.

The next day in the office, according to the instructions from above, I handed over the list of goods to the supply department for delivery and received a response from the head of the department :

– Go yourself.

Khazir Daudovich was in the office – I had to knock on his door. For the first time I heard how he knows how to talk tough with subordinates – you can’t envy his interlocutor… Three days later, the ordered military uniform was in the room next door. I brought forty chairs into this room, carefully hung out and put officer’s jackets, trousers with red, blue, green piping, caps, flasks, belts on each chair. It turned out well. Felix Andreevich visited the exhibition as a military consultant and said:

– Vladimir Ivanovich, you will go far!

The Vice President and the president appreciated the exposition. There is a great atmosphere and a new assignment in Khazir Daudovich’s office:

– Take some photos in the form.

– Who should I photograph?

– Anyone you choose in the office.

I really wanted to make a joke and offer those present, but I was smart enough to restrain myself.

– Allow me to act according to the formula «In the name of the president»?

– I allow it, – smiles Khazir Daudovich.

The next day, with a camera, I go into the drivers’ office, and there were about ten of them there, I choose a nice young guy and say strictly:

– Come with me.

The people were stunned, many still did not know me, but here they are in charge… The photos turned out wonderful, from the cycle «They protect the Motherland».

Yesterday in our office I unexpectedly met my friend, the one who told me about the Holding company on the stairs during a smoke break six months ago. He was leaving the reception room with the president. Without a doubt, Vsevolod Valentinovich organized the meeting. We greeted each other, looked closely into each other’s eyes and it seemed to me that he was both happy for me and sorry about something.

Chapter five. The new head of the department and the first success

Felix Andreevich is going on a business trip to Germany. Whether on business matters, or on his personal – we do not know. He made it clear that the management allowed it as a sign of past merits. Recently, he was in the hospital, apparently, he made a final decision for himself about his future fate. He showed me a picture of himself in Las Vegas. Las Vegas! Before leaving, he called Sergey and me and said:

– As you wish, but for the duration of the business trip I appoint the acting head of the senior – Vladimir Ivanovich.

Sergei clearly did not like it, he considered himself a favorite and so presented himself to others. I didn’t need it either, as it brought tension into our relationship. In addition, Oleg Borisovich was clearly on Sergei’s side: he gave me tasks for language skills, and then called Sergei to him for «information». Upon his return, Felix Andreevich quit, and we were left without a boss. But not for long.

Viktor Vasilyevich Voytalyuk is our new head of foreign trade. Without a doubt, this has strengthened the authority of our department. Graduate of the Higher Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after Dzerzhinsky, Lieutenant Colonel. Among the positions held is Assistant to the Rector of Leningrad State University for International Relations. Who does not know, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin once held the same position.

Viktor Vasilyevich and I are about the same age, thanks to his personal qualities and experience, we immediately developed working and even friendly relations with Sergey and, I hope, with me as well. Viktor Vasilyevich has opened up new opportunities in the development of our business: for example, contacts at high levels in the space and nuclear fields are no joke. Suffice it to say that two heads of the Aerospace Consortium came to us for talks, including cosmonaut number two, Colonel-General German Stepanovich Titov. I had the good fortune to see the legendary hero in person and get his autograph on our letterhead. It was said that the meeting with the cosmonaut from the holding was attended by: the president, Voytalyuk and vice-president Amir – a dense brunette of typical Caucasian appearance. Despite the fact that Khazir Daudovich kicked his vice-president under the table, because he got the Hero of the Soviet Union so much with his questions after a glass of cognac that Herman Stepanovich – Doctor of Technical Sciences, associate professor – could not stand it and uttered a succinct scientific phrase:

– I’m going to have a drink and a snack here, and you, a Jew, go to …fuck you!

But the most important thing is that Viktor Vasilyevich brought us to a serious buyer from Moscow – let’s call him Andrey. I went to Moscow to establish contacts and negotiations. Andrey had direct access to the head of the Moscow Oil Exchange. A handsome, intelligent and educated young man with a degree from Leningrad University, he was optimistic about our cooperation. Potentially, he was ready to buy ten thousand tons of fuel oil, and Khazir Daudovich was ready to supply this fuel oil from the Grozny refinery. We signed a contract for the supply to the Svetogorsk Paper Mill and in August 1993 successfully fulfilled it. This was the first major contract in the history of our department, and its employees managed to survive this success with dignity. We were morally supported by the management and financially rewarded, although we had not been in trouble before – our salaries increased more than twenty times due to inflation, we were given coupons for free meals in the canteen «Rumb» and in addition to our «Lada» car we sometimes used the «Fords» of the management for official purposes. It was spectacular – to drive up, for example, to the Kirov district police department to resolve the issue, although I never got hung up on it. We gained self-confidence, and now no Holding service could oppress us. By the way, yesterday’s heroes from the investment department were fired for a failure in their work, one with a heart attack and bad consequences for the other. We smoked Dunhill, Marlboro and Camel cigarettes right at our workplaces and made plans for further conquests.

Chapter six. New direction

Developing the first success, our management established promising contacts with the administration of one of the refineries in the central region of Russia. The advantage was that this plant had the status of a special exporter and shipped products abroad. Decisive in this situation was the consent of the plant’s directorate to the shipment of products by our buyer. In other words, if you have an export contract, you are already the king. At that time, the profit for various types of petroleum products ranged from ten to fifty dollars per ton. Shipped a «chopper» (three thousand tons) – and you have a hundred thousand dollars in your pocket. Due to the difference in prices in Russia and abroad, some clever guys made redirects, that is, they indicated a foreign station at the final station in Russia or on the way. It was illegal, the prosecutor’s office was initiated, but these heroes did not always get what they deserved. By the way, so, according to some sources, one Russian oligarch also started, but his criminal case mysteriously disappeared on the way from Komi to Moscow.

In connection with the above, a new influential man in a black suit from Cardin, who kept all contacts with the Kstovsky Refinery, Vladislav Konstantinovich Gorchakov, appeared in our office. Vladislav Konstantinovich, a senior officer of the Ministry of Defense, was on close terms with the management of the Holding, addressed without a patronymic, and with us, guys from our department, at a long distance only. And the department itself actually turned from foreign economic to oil, reflecting the main line of activity, which added specifics and corresponded to the historical specialization and spirit of the city of Grozny. The bet was on the wholesale sale of petroleum products, large funds were invested for the purchase of goods, but with the right trade policy, the profit promised to be also significant with a small number of staff. Since there were already volumes of goods for sale, we tripled our efforts, looking for buyers from nine o’clock in the morning to nine in the evening. That’s where the reference book I bought in Moscow, in the underpass, came in handy. Scientifically speaking, it was pertinental information, and it turned out to be very valuable.

One fine August day, the phone rang on my desk and an unfamiliar voice asked me to answer the phone. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time – the Swiss company Konechim has shown interest in purchasing fuel oil in the amount of twenty thousand tons with delivery to Ukraine. Having clarified the details with me, the manager of the foreign firm, Viktor Sergeevich, promised to send an official purchase offer in my name. This was received two hours later by the fax of the assistant Khazir Daudovich, and the president literally burst into our office with this paper. It followed from the letter of Konechim that they were ready to conclude a contract, but lowered the purchase price by one dollar per ton.

– Vladimir Ivanovich, can you write forty-six?