Russian oligarch Musaev claims to have bought "global" Forbes

Magomed Musayev, a Russian tycoon with ties to the Kremlin, claims to be the buyer of the American business magazine Forbes, and his statements are recorded on audio and video.

Source. The Washington Post writes about it.

When Magomed Musayev gathered friends in New York in June this year to celebrate his 60th birthday, he was joined at the head table by top executives of Forbes Media Group. According to people who were there, the party also included 28-year-old American tech founder Austin Russell, who recently announced that he was in an $800 million deal to buy the legendary media business.

A few days before the party, Musayev told colleagues that he was the buyer of Forbes and had made "the deal of his life," according to five audio recordings and one video obtained by The Washington Post of him discussing the deal.

"I just bought the global Forbes," Musayev told one of his associates, referring to the Forbes Media Group, which includes the magazine's U.S. edition.

"You understand, when you hold the key to the most authoritative global brand, this key will give me access to anyone," Musayev allegedly said.

The oligarch repeated this statement over and over again, according to the recordings. In one recording, a video obtained by WP, he called Russell the "face" of the deal and insisted that his own involvement not be mentioned.

"I do it more subtly," he said, according to the recording. – "You understand, I work not with a sledgehammer or a scalpel, but with a laser".

Musayev's comments raise new questions about the potential foreign influence on the deal, which has been a source of controversy for more than a year, drawing criticism from the U.S. Congress and scrutiny from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

In a comment to WP, Russell denied any involvement of Musayev or any Russians in the deal. "Musayev has no involvement in the Forbes deal. Any suggestion to the contrary is false," said Russell's spokesman. – "There is not a single dollar of capital held by any Chinese or Russian citizen or organization, including Musayev.

It is unclear from the recordings whether Musayev was describing himself as an owner or an investor who helped make the deal happen and would gain influence in the future through his role; whether he was a secret investor who put money into the deal through others; or whether he was simply making false statements, the newspaper writes.

Musayev told WP that any suggestion that he controlled the deal was "absolute nonsense" and a "terrible myth" and that "there is no mention of my participation in any written form in the deal documents."

He denied telling his colleagues that he had bought Forbes, but did not answer questions about the audio recordings.

In May, Axios reported, citing two unnamed people, that Musayev had involved Russell in the Forbes acquisition, although it did not mention Musayev's name. Two executives familiar with the situation repeated this statement in an interview with WP.

Earlier, Magomed Musayev became the owner of the Russian Forbes.

It is noted that in the West, the billionaire positions himself as a venture capitalist, technology entrepreneur, and impact investor. In 2017, Musayev invested $20 million in the American company Luminar. And its founder, Austin Russell, became Musayev's representative in the United States.

Recently, the young businessman signed an agreement to buy the American media holding Forbes. It is interesting to note that Russell's company has been suffering losses for several years. Journalists claim that he was only able to finance the deal for $10 million, with the remaining $646 million being invested by unknown beneficiaries. According to American experts, these funds may have a Russian trace, in particular, Magomed Musayev.

According to Anticor, the investigation has attracted the attention of the President's Office. The Ukrainian political leadership is concerned about the possible sale of a reputable international publication to representatives of the aggressor country.