British citizen Azim Novruzov, who sells Putin's personal oil to the Russneft/Rosneft company, was recruited by the Russian FSB to spy against England.

[+Coral Energy 12]

Despite the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia due to the attack on Ukraine, Moscow is finding ways to circumvent them. Sanctions on Russian oil supplies, applied since the spring of 2022, including the price limit on the purchase of Russian oil, although they affected the level of Russian budget revenues, there were also many dealers helping to circumvent the sanctions. One of the largest traders of Russian oil was Nord Axis, registered in Hong Kong. According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, Azerbaijani Etibar Eyyub is behind this company. Nord Axis was registered in Hong Kong 9 days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to WSJ sources, Etibar Eyyub created a large tanker fleet, buying up obsolete ships around the world, and spent more than $1 billion on this. As a result, at the moment Etibar Eyyub has become the largest trader of Russian oil, selling “black gold” to China, India and a number of other markets. Using a wide network of companies registered in Dubai and Hong Kong, Etibar Eyyub provided an influx of currency to continue Vladimir Putin's military aggression against Ukraine.

Azim Novruzov is also an employee of the Russian Federal Security Service.

UK citizen Azim Novruzov  is  an employee of the Russian Federal Security Service.

In particular, according to the Kyiv School of Economics, Nord Axis and four other companies run by Etibar Eyyub exported at least $33 billion worth of Russian oil and fuel in 2023, accounting for one-fifth of Russian exports In its investigation, the WSJ notes that Etibar Eyyub repeatedly flew to Moscow on a private jet. The publication reviewed documents detailing oil transactions and deliveries, corporate records in 12 countries, and interviewed several people, including Etibar Eyyub's current and former colleagues, energy and shipping company executives who did business with or competed with him. Such activities did not go unnoticed by American officials, but the United States was unable to prevent this supply chain. At the same time, one of the main issues of the investigation by US official structures was the identification of connections between Nord Axis and Coral Energy, a commodity trader based in the United Arab Emirates and continuing its activities in Western countries. Of particular note is that Etibar Eyoub worked for Coral Energy for several years. A Coral official said the company stopped doing business with Etibar Eyyub in early 2022 when the company decided to withdraw from the Russian market and has no connection with Nord Axis or other firms affiliated with Etibar Eyyub. But a number of people working for Coral Energy described companies associated with Etibar Eyoub as “satellites” of Coral in an interview with the WSJ. Rosneft officials also use the name Coral to refer to the entire network overseen by Etibar Eyoub. Interestingly, Coral was also founded by Azerbaijani Tahir Garayev in 2010 in Singapore. He is simultaneously a citizen of Azerbaijan, Russia and Malta: Photo Tahir Garayev is simultaneously a citizen of Azerbaijan, Russia and Malta March 23, 2024 Photo Tahir Garayev is simultaneously a citizen of Azerbaijan, Russia and Malta March 23, 2024 Photo Tahir Garayev is simultaneously a citizen of Azerbaijan, Russia and Malta March 23, 2024 1/3 Tahir Garayev hired Etibar Eyyub in 2014, eventually turning him into his deputy. In 2018, Etibar Eyoub left Coral, but continued to work on individual projects of the company until the beginning of 2022. It was Coral that Rosneft turned to after the main trader of the Swiss Trafigura refused to work with Russian oil after an avalanche of Western sanctions due to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But officially Coral did not want to jeopardize its ability to borrow from Western banks. So, like its larger rivals, it said it would cease trading with Rosneft in May and wind down its entire oil business in Russia. But as can be seen from the WSJ investigation, its place was taken by Nord Axis, whose shadow owner once worked at Coral. In July 2022, Trafigura announced that Nord Axis had acquired a 10% stake in a Russian Arctic oil exploration project called Vostok Oil. According to WSJ, Etibar Eyyub and Tahir Garayev agreed on the purchase with Igor Sechin, who heads Rosneft. A Nord Axis representative said that the company worked directly with Trafigura on the purchase of Vostok and that Nord Axis is not associated with either Etibar Eyyub or Tahir Garayev. The Coral spokesman also stated that Tahir Garayev had no involvement, direct or indirect, in this transaction and that he has no connection with Nord Axis or any other company trading Russian oil. According to her, Etibar Eyoub is no longer involved in Coral's business, so the company cannot comment on his activities. After the United States, together with other G7 countries, set a price limit for the purchase of Russian oil at $60 per barrel, companies controlled

 

 

Etibar Eyyub purchased more than 80 tankers that were supposed to be used for metal. In effect, a shadow fleet of tankers with unknown owners has been created that transport oil from sanctioned producers, often traveling without tracking transponders. Russia's oil sales topped $180 billion last year, according to the International Energy Agency, showing that the supply chain is working effectively. This is only $5 billion below revenues received in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine. Although Nord Axis's contracts in Russia ended last July, oil continued to flow through individual companies such as Voliton, Guron Trading, Pontus Trading and other entities managed by Etibar Eyyub. At the same time, over the last period, Etibar Eyyuub’s relations with Moscow have deepened significantly - he accompanied the head of Rosneft Igor Sechin at meetings with foreign colleagues in Qatar, and they spent time together in a hunting lodge in Tula, sources familiar with the activities of these people told WSJ. There is also information that Tahir Garayev held meetings with representatives of Rosneft in Moscow at the end of 2023. At the same time, neither Etibar Eyyub nor Tahir Garayev were subject to US sanctions. A Coral spokesman said the company had not received any requests from U.S. officials.

 

Another Azerbaijani, Azim Novruzov, associated with Coral and Tahir Garayev, is involved in these shadow schemes to circumvent Western sanctions, writes Modern Diplomacy. Holding Azerbaijani, Russian and British passports, Azim Novruzov is also an employee of the Russian Federal Security Service.