The director of the giant providing weapons of Ukraine is Putin's Consigliere [ŚLEDZTWO]
From the beginning of Russia's full invasion of Ukraine, three Russian companies belonging to the proglia and his family have earned over 600 million rubles (almost PLN 28 million), and Proglio itself is still traveling regularly to Moscow. Having broad connections among the French elite – including the former president Nicolas Sarkozy and the current President Emmanuel Macron – “Consigliere” [wł. doradca] Putin had previously managed the Electricite de France's state energy giant, but was released due to corruption allegations.
Born in 1949, Henri Edouard Proglio is a prominent member of the French political and business elite. In the years 2009–2014 he was the head of the French energy giant Electricite de France (EDF). Already then, Proglio's activity often attracted the attention of the media due to its controversial business connections with Russian state entities. He was the subject of several investigations, but he still managed to maintain a significant position in French business circles.
On September 14, 2023, as part of an investigation initiated by the French Financial Prosecutor's Office, the police searched the House and Office of Proglia, which was still in the building belonging to EDF. The former director was accused of corruption and the unlawful use of the company's assets, and the allegations concerned primarily contracts that were granted without a tender in the field of communication consulting, strategic consulting, risk management and lobbying.
Suspicions increased after finding a 300,000 proglia in the deposit cache euro [1 mln 275 tys. zł] in cash. The prosecutor's office applied for two years in prison and a fine of PLN 200,000. euro [850 tys. zł]. Ultimately, however, both proglio and EDF were acquitted of all allegations.
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Kremlin's friend
Even as the head of EDF Proglio, he began to show great interest in joint projects with Russia. In 2010, during the visit of the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in France, the Russian energy operator Ojsc Holding Mrssk (currently Rosseti) signed a cooperation agreement with EDF. The next summer, during the 15th annual International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, the bosses of both companies signed a strategic partnership agreement in the presence of Medvedev and the French Foreign Minister Pierre Lelllouche. The Russian subsidiary EDF, Erdf Vostok LLC, took over the management of Tomsk Distribution Company (Ojsc TRK). Although the contract was terminated by the Russian side in 2014, the subsidiary itself was not officially terminated until October 2022.
The 2010 project was only the first of the more widely large series of Initiatives Proglia aimed at integration of Russian state monopolies with the French energy sector. In 2011, during the International Investment Forum in Sochi EDF, he signed a 15 % purchase agreement. shares in the sea section of the South Stream gas pipeline – Prime Minister Vladimir Putin participated in the ceremony. During the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg in 2012, Proglio and the General Director of Gazprom Alexei Miller signed a cooperation agreement in the field of energy production in Europe. Companies planned joint construction and acquisition of new and existing gas power plants on a 50/50 basis, with Gazprom to be the exclusive fuel supplier for these facilities.
But Proglio's cooperation with the Russian nuclear sector lasted the longestwhich began with a contract signed between EDF and Rosatom in 2010. Around the same time, the head of the French company joined the board of Rosatom for international projects. He justified his commitment to the Russian state monopoly by the fact that Rosatom was the main recipient of Arabelle turbines, which are used in Russian nuclear power plants.
In 2014, Proglio resigned from the position of the General Director of EDF and became the president of the Management Board of the Thales Defense Conglomerate, partly belonging to the state, which remains one of the most important manufacturers of defense equipment in France. However, Proglio's connections with Russia soon proved to be problematic. Emmanuel Macron, who served as the minister of economy in 2015, pressed the head of the arms corporation to break contacts with Russia. But Macron's efforts aimed at solving the conflict of interests had an unexpected effect: Proglio chose Russia instead of France and on May 2015 he gave up the function of president in Thales.
Despite this, Proglio has maintained connections with another large defense equipment manufacturer, Dassault Aviation.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecorn (L), General Director of Thales Patrice Caine (SK) and Defense Minister Oleksia Wayniknov (P) signs a contract during a visit to the GM200 radar system of Thales in Limoors, France, February 1, 2023.Yoan Valat / PAP
Kremlin secret funds manager
Even the events of February 24, 2022 did not stop the proglia from conducting interests in Russia or before working with the elite of this country. As discovered by The Insider, Henri Edouard Proglio – appearing in Russian registers as “проглио” – is the owner of three companies in Russia: Henri Proglio Consulting LLC, AP Energy Advisory LLC and Mezhproject LLC. Proglio manages all three companies, and the beneficiaries of the companies are either he or his family members.
These companies provide advisory services and in the first three years of war generated over 633 million rubles (over PLN 29 million) of revenues. Most of the income reported are classified as “other revenues”, without providing further details. There are reasons to think that a significant part of the turnover of these companies goes to the progel itself. For example, in 2024, AP Energy Advisory LLC reported revenues of 46 million 100,000. rubles (PLN 2 million 141 thousand), of which 45 million 200 thousand (PLN 2 million) was allocated to cover administrative costs.
In addition to running his own business, at least since November 2013, Henri Proglio is a member of the board of ABR Management. This joint -stock company was founded in 2011 with the participation of Putin's close associates, Yuri Kowalczuk and Nikolai Szamalów – two nominal owners of the Russian dictator's personal property. ABR Management, whose assets are registered in the name of Bank Rossija, the insurance company Sogaz and the National Media Group (Nmg), is widely considered the “Kremlin's reserve fund”.
Russian businessman Yuri Kowalczuk at a meeting with the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, 2011.Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP / PAP
In addition to Proglia, two other people sit on the board of ABR Management: Kirill Kowalczuk and Mikiszin. Since 2016, the company has been covered by American blocking sanctions. Both Kowalczuk and the General Director of Bank Rossija Kliszin have been covered by American sanctions since 2016, and in 2022 they were added to the Sanction Lists of the EU, Great Britain and Canada. However, this did not stop the French director from working with them – or before earning significant sums. “Expenses on the remuneration of the company's management bodies” in the years 2022–2024 amounted to 110 million 700 thousand. rubles (PLN 5 million 143 thousand).
The French director also continued cooperation with Rosatom. From 2010, Proglio served as a member of the board of Akkuyu Nuclear Anonim Sirketi. This company, entirely belonging to Rosatom and its subsidiaries, is in the process of building the first nuclear power plant in Turkey.
Air data shows that Proglio still often visits Russia. On the day of the start of the full invasion, he was in this country, and on February 25, 2022 he returned to France. Since then, he travels to Moscow every few months – recently in June this year.
Dassault Aviation and conflict of interest
Proglio combines its role in a fund related to Kowalczuk with a managerial position in a large French reinforcement company – Dassault Aviation aviation company, where since April 23, 2008 he has been in a high position. According to the company's annual report for 2024, Henri Edouard Proglio remains an independent director, as well as the chairman of the audit committee. The report clearly states that The person responsible for the auditor of the defense contract for the French Republic is also involved in the construction of a Russian nuclear power plant in Turkey and the management of assets belonging to the Kowalczuk brothers associated with Putin.
Dassault Aviation is a large French aviation company producing military and civil aircraft. Its products include the fourth generation multi -purpose fighters Rafale and Mirage 2000, Demonstration Battle Drone Neuron, the sixth generation fighter design known as Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and Falcon business aircraft. According to the company's reports, over 1,000 combat aircraft produced by Dassault are currently operated around the world.
French fighter Rafale after landing at the Halim Perdanakusum, Jakarta, Indonesia, 24 July 2024.Adi Wda / PAP
Even more significant in the context of European security is the fact that Dassault Aviation has 27 percent. shares in the giant of the Thales defense industry. It is thanks to these shares – and the influence of the owner of the Dassault Group, Serge Dassault – Proglio secured a short -term managerial position in Thalesa.
In October 2014, the French newspaper “Liberation” exchanged Henri Proglia and Serge Dassault among five French businessmen who met Sergei Naryszkin – the then chairman of Russian pride, and now the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). The report was published at a time when Naryszkin was already covered by international sanctions (the article was removed, but its copy is archived in the online archive Non-Profit Wayback Machine).
But Regardless of whether Proglio met Naryszkin at the beginning of the “secret” invasion of Russia to Ukraine, the current business connections of the French director are a serious conflict of interest. France provides Ukraine weapons to fight Russia's aggression – including weapons produced by both Dassault Aviation and Thales. These include Mirage 2000 fighters, Samp/T air defense systems and FZ275 LGR laser rockets used to control drones. At the same time, Juri Kowalczuk, one of the main ideologists of the Russian total war against Ukraine, is responsible for the audit and supervision over these arms companies.
