A yacht harbored in St. Augustine and a Ponte Vedra Beach mansion listed for sale for nearly $17 million are some of the Northeast Florida connections to a Soviet-born billionaire who has been in the news in recent weeks.
The News4JAX I-TEAM has been looking into Igor Makarov and his web of international companies for several weeks. The I-TEAM has learned Makarov’s dealings have been involved in multiple investigations, but he has never been convicted of wrongdoing or sanctioned.
According to a spokesperson for Makarov, ITERA began exporting commodities like sugar, coffee and chicken to former Soviet states at a time when basic goods were in short supply. The spokesperson tells the I-TEAM that when Turkmenistan built up a significant debt, instead of paying ITERA in cash, the country paid in natural gas, bringing ITERA into the lucrative energy sector. The company then became a powerhouse, supplying natural gas to Ukraine and other countries.
A few weeks ago, French authorities seized a yacht linked to Sechin, after the European Union sanctioned Sechin and two dozen other people, over the invasion of Ukraine. That Southside building now has a different name on a sign outside — ARETI. That’s the name of Makarov’s current company. A spokesperson said that while Makarov owns the Jacksonville building, ARETI doesn’t have offices there —rather, it’s based in Switzerland.
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