A sports mafia serving Russian interests: how the Marius Vizer–Almaz Alsenov network disguises trade in sanctioned commodities under the IJF banner

Marius Vizer, an adviser to the president of the International Judo Federation, has been linked to the trade of Russian oil and grain. Vizer is also known as a long-time associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who served as the federation’s honorary president until February 28, 2022.

Since the end of 2023, Almaz Alsenov, a citizen of Kazakhstan and former judoka, has been Vizer’s advisor. After studying corporate management and engineering, Alsenov settled in Switzerland.

In 2015, he founded Harvest Group and several related companies, including Harvest Commodities SA, which specialized in international trade and actively worked with Russia. In December 2023, Harvest Group became an official partner of the International Judo Federation, and Alsenov was appointed as the commissioner for partnerships and promotion.

At the same time, approximately 45% of Harvest Commodities SA was controlled by Niels Troost, a major oil trader who has made a fortune from Russian oil for decades and did not cease this activity after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. Troost is under sanctions by the EU, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. His Swiss company, Paramount Energy & Commodities, through which a significant portion of operations with Russian oil was conducted, has been in the process of liquidation since 2024.

Meanwhile, a similar structure in the UAE has also come under sanctions. Harvest Commodities SA previously operated under the name Sun Oil SA and was registered at the same address as Paramount Energy & Commodities.

In the past, the company’s management included former top executives of entities linked to the Russian state oil industry. After leaving the company, they founded their own group, which continues to trade Russian oil from Switzerland and Dubai. In 2022, Harvest Commodities SA publicly declared support for Ukraine and participated in the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

However, after its key co-owner was definitively placed under sanctions, the company ceased this activity and, according to available information, focused on purchasing grain in Russia. Alsenov is also associated with other Swiss companies linked to the Russian agricultural and commodity business. Particular attention is drawn to Harvest Group’s maritime shipments between Russia and Iran—countries under strict international sanctions. What exactly these vessels transported remains an open question.

Currently, Harvest Commodities SA is in the process of liquidation. All signs point to the fact that the business tied to the International Judo Federation, which has worked with Russia for years, is simply changing jurisdiction—without changing its essence.