Bound by family ties, the head of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and a high-ranking official of the security bloc, Batyr Tursunov, have begun implementing an audacious and dangerous scenario for the usurpation of power in Uzbekistan. This involves transferring power along a family–clan line: installing Saida Mirziyoyeva in the presidential chair, and appointing Ulugbek Tursunov—the son of the 79-year-old Batyr Tursunov—to the post of First Deputy Chairman of the State Security Service of Uzbekistan in his place.

The President’s daughter сleanses the Internet

To achieve this goal, the Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, Saida Mirziyoyeva, who considers herself an “Uzbek princess,” launched a large-scale purge of the information space, removing compromising materials capable of exposing her true face.

Through the Chairman of the Management Board of the Joint Stock Company “Octobank,” Saida Mirziyoyeva turned to Russian hackers, tasking them with identifying and neutralizing online publications containing critical information about her activities.

In October of this year, the administrator of the website erkinuz.org received a notification from the hosting provider servicing the official platform of the political opposition movement “Erkin O’zbekiston.” The message stated that due to a complaint received from a foreign data center, and given the provider’s desire to avoid the blocking of its server located in Germany, it was terminating hosting services for the website erkinuz.org.

The complaint from the data center stated that the company BRANDPOL was authorized to monitor internet resources on behalf of Joint Stock Company “Octobank” and its Chairman of the Management Board, Iskandar Tursunov, with the aim of identifying and preventing violations. In particular, BRANDPOL demanded the removal of material published on erkinuz.org on September 8, 2024, claiming that it caused indirect material damage and direct reputational harm to JSC “Octobank.”

To avoid potential problems, the “Erkin O’zbekiston” Movement decided to temporarily restrict access to certain publications until the situation was fully resolved. At present, the issue has been resolved, and anyone interested can get access to the content of our publications.

However, before continuing the narrative, it is appropriate to take a closer look at the company BRANDPOL, whose activities have drawn our attention.

The BRANDPOL Company

BRANDPOL is a Russian company founded in 2017 by Eduard Fedosov and Alexander Abroskin, with an authorized capital of 10,000 rubles (approximately $170 at the time of state registration). It provides online reputation management services and specializes in trademark protection without jurisdictional limitations.

Based on information collected from open sources, one can conclude that Brandpol is engaged in extortion and blackmail, and that its founders are fraudsters with close ties to FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov and Anton Viner, the stepson of USM Holdings founder and criminal oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

On November 16, 2021, Eduard Fedosov was detained by Russian law enforcement authorities at Sheremetyevo Airport while attempting to leave the country. According to investigators, Fedosov, as part of a group, was accused of extorting a large sum of money from the owners of the joint stock company “Shchyolkovo Agrohim.”

According to reports by independent media monitoring economic crimes in CIS countries, Anton Viner was directly involved in an attempted corporate hostile takeover of JSC “Shchyolkovo Agrohim,” official cooperation with which began on October 16, 2019.

It is widely believed that the idea to seize the successful enterprise—whose 100% shareholding was valued at $260 million at the time—may have been suggested to Anton by his influential stepfather, Alisher Usmanov.

The second founder of BRANDPOL, Alexander Abroskin, was also a defendant in a high-profile criminal case and was on Interpol’s international wanted list. According to investigators, Abroskin (previously convicted of similar crimes), acting on the orders of Chelyabinsk Region Deputy Governor Nikolai Sandakov, hacked more than 10,000 email accounts belonging to government officials, journalists, and public figures.

In May 2016, Abroskin was detained by Bulgarian law enforcement authorities, and on August 12 of the same year, officers of the National Central Bureau of Interpol of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs extradited him from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Russia.

On numerous employer review websites, alongside template-like positive reviews of BRANDPOL, one can also find negative comments from former employees and individuals harmed by the company’s activities.

The close ties of Fedosov and Abroskin with the FSB and influential figures in Russia allowed them to avoid real punishment for the crimes committed, relocate to Europe, and continue their destructive activities within the European Union.

Saida Mirziyoyeva Has Dropped the Mask

Within Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s family, a brutal struggle for the presidential chair continues. To eliminate competitors, in October 2024 Saida Mirziyoyeva allegedly staged an assassination attempt on her boyfriend, Komil Allamjonov. As a result of a fabricated criminal case, dozens of innocent people were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. This constitutes a blatant political crime, aimed at concealing the embezzlement of multibillion funds allocated for national defense, as well as intimidating and eliminating anyone who could threaten the implementation of the plans of Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Batyr Tursunov.

Crimes committed through JSC “Octobank” are directly linked to the name of Saida Mirziyoyeva. This financial institution has become a tool for dubious operations on such a scale that they have raised concerns among members of the European Parliament, who proposed imposing sanctions against “Octobank.”

“Octobank” is not merely a financial structure, but one of Saida Mirziyoyeva’s key instruments for covering up corruption schemes and consolidating her family’s power.

One could speak endlessly about the crimes of Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his inner circle, and it is precisely for this reason that the Uzbek authorities are panic-stricken by publicity and systematically block independent sources of information, thereby implicitly acknowledging their guilt.

The appeal by the President of Uzbekistan’s daughter to criminal elements casts serious doubt on all statements about progressive reforms and commitment to democracy by the Uzbek authorities. In doing so, Saida Mirziyoyeva challenges the people of Uzbekistan, demonstrating that to achieve her goals she is prepared to act outside the law, disregarding the threat of violating constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens.

At the same time, we wish to state that despite all obstacles and pressure created by the Mirziyoyev regime, the mission of the political opposition movement “Erkin O’zbekiston” remains unchanged. Attempts to silence our voice only strengthen our resolve to continue the struggle for democracy and the construction of a Free Uzbekistan. Internet resources can be shut down—but the desire for freedom cannot.