Fossil fuels Stop Russian oil
Russia
A former banker with a house in Highgate and links to the son of sanctioned billionaire Roman Abramovich is behind millions of barrels of blended Russian oil set to be shipped to the UK, Europe and the United States in the coming months.
cb4dd2d13c4c93bd5b69a38466b3c571.jpg
Dmitry Kamyshev (left) co-chairs an Ingushneft board meeting with head of Ingushetia Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov. Head and Government of the Republic of Ingushetia

Dmitry Kamyshev, 53, bought stakes in three Russian oil producers – including 100 per cent of Stavropolneftegaz – in June last year, along with his business partner Tatiana Morozova, according to reporting by the business paper Kommersant. All three producers export oil via train to a pumping station on the CPC pipeline, where it is blended with oil from Kazakhstan and sent via ship to Europe, the US and Asia.

Data for last year, compiled by Refinitiv, suggests that Stavropolneftegaz alone will pump 4.5 million barrels of oil between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February and the end of 2022, if the production rate remains broadly steady. Russian rail freight data – shared with Global Witness by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective – shows a delivery arriving at the CPC pipeline from Stavropolnegtegaz on 10–11 May, while satellite imagery from Maxar also appears to show trains of tank wagons at the station twice in April.
Screenshot 2022-05-16 at 11.45.07.png
A train of tank wagons (bottom left) sits at a pumping station near Kropotkin on 27 April 2022. 2022 Maxar Technologies.

The revelations will heighten pressure on Western oil companies to stop lifting cargoes of CPC Blend crude oil, which has so far fallen outside the scope of any sanctions package proposed by the US or the European Union due to its primarily Kazakh origin. Since 24 February, more than five million barrels of CPC Blend oil have been shipped to a refinery at Fawley, near Southampton, owned by the American oil major ExxonMobil, alongside destinations including Delaware, Rotterdam and the south of France.

Called out for continued shipments of CPC Blend oil to Fawley in March, Exxon said: “No ExxonMobil equity crude that is transported via the Caspian pipeline en route to the US or Europe is from Russia. The Caspian pipeline delivers oil and gas from Kazakhstan and is not subject to sanctions at this time.”

The Caspian pipeline delivers oil and gas from Kazakhstan - ExxonMobil

Mr. Kamyshev and Ms. Morozova both appear to be experienced oil and gas dealmakers. A LinkedIn profile under the name Tatiana Morozova lists its owner as the former head of mergers and acquisitions at Gazprom Neft, while Mr. Kamyshev was previously a director in Barclays Capital’s Moscow office. In 2013, Kamyshev participated in a deal with Arkady Abramovich, the then 19-year-old son of billionaire Roman Abramovich, who until recently owned Chelsea Football Club and is now subject to UK and EU sanctions.

There is no suggestion that Arkady or Roman Abramovich are in any way involved with Stavropolneftegaz. 

While Ms. Morozova appears to live in Russia, Mr. Kamyshev has close links to the UK, owning a £3 million mini-mansion in Highgate. The house is across the road from Alisher Usmanov’s Beechwood House and a short walk from the UK office of the Russian trade delegation.
Screenshot 2022-05-16 at 11.57.00.png

Mr. Kamyshev’s Highgate home. Louis Goddard / Global Witness

Highgate has long been a playground for wealthy Russians in London – but in the months since the invasion of Ukraine, many have sought to shield their UK assets. In March, Valentin Bukhtoyarov – another partner in Mr. Kamyshev’s 2013 deal with Mr. Abramovich – transferred ownership of two UK companies to his daughter, a London-based art collector who previously served on the Tate’s Russia and Eastern Europe Acquisitions Committee. 

A spokesperson for ExxonMobil reiterated that none of the company’s equity crude bears a Russian certificate of origin and added that “there have been no deliveries of crude with a certificate of origin issued in Russia to our refinery at Fawley – and none are scheduled.” 

Mr. Kamyshev did not respond to requests for comment.

Related to Fossil fuels