Ilan Sor, a fugitive oligarch from Moldova, has infiltrated markets in Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates to bypass Western sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
RISE Moldova has learned of a hidden server that links several websites for movement of fiat money and cryptocurrencies. They are managed by Mr. Sor under the Kremlin’s control.
One of these platforms claims it can transfer money from the Russian Federation to any corner of the world — including Chisinau — in any currency and with minimal fees. Sentenced to 15 years in prison in Moldova for fraud and money-laundering, Sor – the leader of the political bloc Victoria (Victory) – continues his operations from Moscow, where his firms generate billions of rubles in revenues.
Illustration by FILIPPOV (RISE Moldova).
BILLIONS FROM RUSSIA
Ilan Sor is a citizen of Moldova, Israel, and – since last year – of the Russian Federation, where he conducts business with its government. In Chisinau, Sor was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the „Bank Fraud” case. Additionally, he was ordered to pay over 5 billion lei (approximately $280 million) in damages to Moldova’s Savings Bank (Banca de Economii in Romanian). In December 2024, the Supreme Court of Justice upheld this decision previously upheld by the Chisinau Court of Appeal.
The bank fraud, also known as “The Missing Billion” or “The Billion-Dollar Theft,” led to the collapse of three banks: Banca de Economii SA, Banca Sociala SA, and Unibank SA. This followed the trio’s issuance of the equivalent totaling $2.9 billion between 2012 and 2014 to front intermediaries and shell companies acting on behalf of criminal organizations.The money from these loans was then funnelled through Latvian banks and then dispersed across multiple jurisdictions, with some eventually returning to Moldova.
Also last year, the former leader of the Sor Party established five companies in Moscow, despite being blacklisted as an international fugitive and slapped with Western sanctions. In some of these firms, he partnered with Russian state-owned banks.
RISE Moldova has learned that Ilan Sor and PromsvyazBank (PSB) – a state-owned bank under the direct control of Russian President Vladimir Putin – founded a holding called A7. It owns companies with similarly names, such as A71 and A7-Agent OOO.
Meanwhile, Ilan Sor’s name has been removed from some public records. In Russia’s official business registry, he no longer appears as a majority shareholder of the A7 holding, which has over 100 employees. In A7’s updated company documents, two shareholders are listed: one is PromsvyazBank, and the other cannot be identified, since the record has been classified.
Nevertheless, RISE Moldova has reviewed a financial report signed by Sor on behalf of the company, in March 2025, in the status of majority shareholder and CEO of A7.
Last year, A7 generated revenues of more than 12 billion rubles – equivalent to approximately $152 million – which is more than half of the damages Ilan Sor is required to repay to Moldova’s Savings Bank.
The A7 group secured loans worth tens of billions of rubles from VEB.RF, a Russian governmental development corporation chaired by Vladimir Putin as head of the Board of Directors. VEB.RF is under international sanctions and has been disconnected from the SWIFT system.Since last March, A71 – led by Ilan Sor – has signed two new loan agreements totaling more than $1.3 billion.
Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma – lower chamber of the Russian Federal Assembly – with Ilan Sor behind, Duma member Alyona Arshinova (left), chairwoman of Evrazya, and Margarita Simonyan, one of Russia’s chief propagandists, in the State Duma, early last month. Photo: duma.gov.ru
A month ago, the oligarch founded his sixth firm in Russia – Finvek – for real estate consultancy, rental and market analysis. Its headquarters is in Moscow and its share capital amounts to 2 million rubles ($24,000).
A7 WEB AGAINST SANCTIONS
A7 was recently the principal partner of the Foreign Trade Forum organized by RBK, one of the most influential business media groups in Russia. A7 managers, bankers and Russian governmental officials attended the event, which discussed about international trade routes and the pressure of international sanctions.
Irina Akopyan, deputy CEO at A7, a company controlled by Ilan Sor:
“The sanctions have obviously brought about certain changes, and traditional payment instruments no longer work. However, businesses in Russia are adapting quite quickly — they’re starting to use national currencies, digital financial assets… Lately, we’ve observed a shift in the geography of payments. The Russian business environment is exploring new markets and countries. We probably won’t go into detail now… Still, it’s important to mention that there has been a pivot toward Asia and the Middle East…”
Irina Akopyan (first from right), A7’s deputy CEO, taking the floor at the RBK Forum. Photo: Pavel Zhdanov.
Olga Glasker, head of the logistics at A7:
“Transportation logistics has reconfigured its routes. The origin of goods is also very important — what kind of goods they are, whether or not they’re subject to sanctions… The same goods coming from a ‘friendly country’ are transported via a straightforward route without any issues, but if they come from an ‘unfriendly country,’ things get complicated. Still, these issues are being resolved. Unfortunately, though, costs are rising, and delivery times are longer.”
BEHIND I.P. ADDRESSES OF A7 HOLDING
An IP Lookup reverse investigation has exposed all web domains used by A7 and hosted at the same IP address: 145.239.67.57.
The results show that nine websites are associated with this IP address.
Reverse IP Lookup Results - 9 domains hosted on IP address 145.239.67.57 Domain 1.a7a5.io 2.a7a5.kg 3.alaynt.com 4.anykey.pro 5.favnirtrade.com 6.ilan-shor.com 7.muzpan.com 8.talas-gm.com 9.usdkg.io
Among them are several websites used by the holding and active in Russia and Kyrgyzstan, as well as ilan-shor.com, a domain bearing the oligarch’s name, and favnirtrade.com, which is run by a company registered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Moreover, RISE Moldova has learned that these websites are not only hosted on the same address, but are also interconnected through a shared technical infrastructure — such as email servers using consecutive IP addresses starting with 159.100.19.xxx.
159.100.19.150 mailout.chameleongroup.co 159.100.19.151 mailo.muzpan.com 159.100.19.152 mr1.a71invest.ru 159.100.19.203 mr1.a7goldinvest.ru 159.100.19.204 mr1.anykey.pro 159.100.19.205 mr1.favnirtrade.com 159.100.19.206 mr1.evrazia.su 159.100.19.207 mr1.kyrgyzfrontier.com 159.100.19.208 mr1.at-tradegroup.com 159.100.19.209 mr1.alaynt.com 159.100.19.210 mr1.talas-gm.com 159.100.19.211 mr1.eximint.ru 159.100.19.212 mr1.chameleongrp.com 159.100.19.213 mr1.a7gi.ru 159.100.19.214 mr1.a7a5.io
In list above exposes the domains linked to the A7 holding, as well as evrazia.su, the website of Evrazya, an organization known for promoting Kremlin propaganda in former Soviet republics and linked to Ilan Sor. There is also the website favnirtrade.com, run by the Dubai-based company, which shares the same IP address as ilan-shor.com.
Moldovan oligarch Ilan Sor and Alyona Arshinova, a State Duma member and chairwoman of Evrazya’s managing board. Photo: evrazia.su
All these connections point to a well-organized network of platforms used for international transfers and business operations aimed at evading international sanctions.
Ilan Sor did not respond to our questions. RISE Moldova reached him out via email, both at Evrazya and A7 holding, but received no answer as of day the article ran live.
SOR’S RUSSIAN PLATFORMS
a7goldinvest.ru is a domain owned by the A7 holding. On the company’s website, it states:
“A7 is a trusted partner providing global payment settlement services in foreign trade. A7 was created by the state-owned PSB bank. Our mission is to ensure timely cross-border settlements for foreign trade contracts of Russian companies.”
Irina Akopyan, vice CEO at A7:
“We offer the most affordable rates on the market. That’s why clients choose us – this is demonstrated by our daily growth in volume and the expansion of our customer base.”
a7-agent.ru is another website in the A7 network and is run by A7-Agent OOO, a limited liability that facilitates international transfer services for goods and services, to any country and in any currency:
“We can handle a payment to any point in the world with a 0.3% fee. Payments are processed within 2 to 5 days. We provide all the required documents for proper accounting of operations,” the site states.
RISE Moldova ran a simulation directly on the platform. We selected a transfer of $200,000 from Russia to Moldova, and the app displayed a fee of less than $1,000.
Screenshot from the website a7-agent.ru
a7a5.io and a7a5.kg, too, are platforms that operate under the A7 umbrella.
A7A5 is described as a stable digital currency (stable coin) — a type of cryptocurrency whose value is tied to the Russian ruble.
According to these two similar websites, the currency is legally issued in Kyrgyzstan by a company called Old Vector, and is backed by fiat money deposited in secure banks.
“A token is like a digital chip — you buy it with real money, store it in a digital wallet (on your phone or computer), and use it for payments, transfers, or interest earning. A7A5 operates through a secure network called blockchain, which guarantees transparency.”
The platform also notes that A7A5 is legal tender in Kyrgyzstan, a country that has regulated the cryptocurrency market and supports encourages crypto trade:
“A7A5 is not intended for the U.S. market and has intentionally excluded services for U.S. nationals, instead focusing on local initiatives in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia.”
FLOW OF RUBLES THROUGH MIDDLE EAST
favnirtrade.com is another website in the A7 network and belongs to the company Favnir LLC-FZ, registered last year in Dubai, with its head offices located in the Meydan Grandstand building:
“With our headquarters strategically located in the Meydan Grandstand building in Dubai, Favnir LLC-FZ is ideally positioned to serve both established and emerging markets. Our presence in these regions allows us to offer tailored solutions and maintain close relationships with our clients.”
The company brands itself as a key player in the Middle Eastern and Asian markets, delivering products across various sectors — from household items to industrial equipment, cosmetics, and chemicals.
In the „Who We Are” section, Favnir states that it was founded with the goal of simplifying and streamlining global trade. The company claims to have become a trusted name in the wholesale sector, operating in the United Arab Emirates, China, and Turkey.
However, a technical analysis conducted by RISE Moldova shows that the domain favnirtrade.com is part of the network of websites connected to the digital infrastructure of the A7 holding, which is controlled by Ilan Sor.
Technical analysis conducted by RISE Moldova shows that the domain favnirtrade.com is part of the network of websites connected to the digital infrastructure of the A7 holding, which is controlled by Ilan Sor.
FIRMS IN KYRGYZSTAN
Ilan Sor is the chairman of the political bloc „VICTORIE – ПОБЕДА”. Photo: partidulsor.com
While checking the websites linked to the A7 holding, we found domains such as kyrgyzfrontier.com and a7a5.kg. The latter uses the domain extension specific to Kyrgyzstan – .kg – indicating a possible connection between Mr. Sor and this country.
Then, RISE Moldova found two firms associated with the Russian A7 holding and Ilan Sor in Kyrgyzstan’s public company registry. The first is called Prosperita and was registered in the summer of 2024. It is owned by Ilan Sor and deals mainly with wholesale trade.
The second company, A7-Kyrgyzstan, was registered on January 17, 2025, as a financial intermediator. Its sole founder is the parent company back in Russia, A7, run by Ilan Sor.
Iurie SANDUTA
Fact-checking: The Fact-checking Department of RISE Moldova.
This is a translated version of the original text in Romanian, available HERE.
