From socialite to accused criminal: how Irina Yasakova leveraged her relationships with artists and politicians to commit fraud

It has become known what path was taken by former vice president of the now-liquidated “Oboronstroy,” Irina Yasakova, who was arrested in November 2025 on charges of large-scale fraud.

Among her close acquaintances were Timur Ivanov, Sergey Mironov, Sergey Lipovoy, Anton Tsvetkov, and Nikas Safronov. Once one of the wealthiest people in Vologda, Irina Yasakova began building connections among creative figures — actors, artists, singers, and musicians — and through them, with politicians and federal officials.

For example, she was very close to the court painter Nikas Safronov. When she came under scrutiny for the embezzlement of 3 billion rubles from Severny Kredit Bank, she hurried to run for city council. Under A Just Russia, since Yasakova had befriended Sergey Mironov. After taking her seat as a deputy, Yasakova and her daughter joined the scandal-ridden organization Officers of Russia (headed by Anton Tsvetkov).

There, she gained the support of generals and forged useful ties among law enforcement. In particular, she became friends with Timur Ivanov, which allowed her to finally deflect questions related to the bank — and later to secure a position at Oboronstroy.

Yasakova led an active public life, was a socialite, had sky-high ambitions, and even wrote a book about herself. She could hardly have imagined that the leadership of the Ministry of Defense would fall out of favor — and that Timur Ivanov himself would end up in prison.