State-owned companies often operate under intense scrutiny, especially when it comes to how they manage public funds.
In Russia, one of the country’s largest oil corporations, Rosneft, is now facing serious allegations.
According to an investigation by the team of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the company has been using its budget to hire young women linked to escort services, paying them high salaries for questionable roles.
The Anti-Corruption Foundation, founded by Navalny, claims to have uncovered evidence that Rosneft has officially employed dozens of young women as "specialists," "advisors," and "secretaries" in administrative departments.
Many of these women, they argue, have no professional qualifications for these positions. Their names, passport details, and job titles reportedly appear in company records, while some are also listed on escort service websites.
Lavish Salaries and High-End Perks
Among the cases identified is that of Anastasia I., a 21-year-old employed as a senior specialist in the corporate property department, earning more than 2.4 million rubles ($24,300) annually, according to Hotnews.
Another woman, Alexandra A., 27, was hired as an advisor to the company’s business director, while 21-year-old Alina B. was given a specialist position in the travel department.
One of the most striking cases involves Albina Ivanova, who joined Rosneft at 21 and reportedly earned more than 33 million rubles ($335,000) over nine years.
Her financial dealings extend beyond Rosneft, as she allegedly received over 300 million rubles ($3 million) from Independent Petroleum Company (NNK), owned by former Rosneft CEO Eduard Khudainatov.
Khudainatov is known for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was previously identified as the owner of two mega-yachts suspected to be linked to the Kremlin leader.
Investigators found that Ivanova has traveled on private jets 58 times alongside Igor Sechin, Rosneft’s CEO and a close Putin ally.
Her extravagant lifestyle includes luxury cars such as two Rolls-Royces, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and a Porsche Taycan, valued at over 200 million rubles ($2 million).
She also owns a collection of Hermès handbags worth 104 million rubles ($1 million), including a crocodile leather model estimated at 20 million rubles.
Last year, she purchased a 205-square-meter luxury apartment in central Moscow for 300 million rubles ($3 million).
A Pattern of Questionable Hiring Practices
The Anti-Corruption Foundation claims that Rosneft’s hiring of young women without relevant qualifications is not an isolated incident.
They suggest that the company has systematically placed unqualified employees in well-paid administrative roles.
High-ranking government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Maxim Oreshkin, deputy chief of staff in Putin’s administration, are said to be aware of these employment practices.
At the same time, Rosneft’s CEO Igor Sechin reportedly earned 4.6 billion rubles ($46.7 million) last year, making him one of Russia’s highest-paid executives.
