Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 1223 - 1011: Aluminum Industry Gang War_2

Chapter 1223: Chapter 1011: Aluminum Industry Gang War_2

After one of his company’s managers resigned following a severe beating by gangsters, Drepaska began to pay substantial protection fees to the local gangs and the police system. He also set up a private security team, most of whose members were former special forces...

However, by the end of the nineties, it was mostly Drepaska’s rival shareholders who had been "cleared out," and he had completed his transformation from manager to capitalist, becoming an aluminum industry magnate!

Latter on, many of Drepaska’s subordinates were accused of murder or organized crime. Therefore, what role he played in the infamous "Aluminum Gang Wars" is little known.

When it came to such matters, Wang Ye had always cared only about the outcomes, not the processes.

Because processes might confuse people, but outcomes couldn’t be concealed.

After the aluminum gang war ended, the biggest or rather the only beneficiary was Drepaska, so no matter what he said, Wang Ye believed that this guy was possibly the orchestrator behind the "gang war"!

Smart, resolute, visionary, well-educated, ruthless...

This was Wang Ye’s assessment of him.

Honestly, had the former Kremlin not fully retired, Drepaska might have even taken Wang Ye’s current position!

Just lacking a bit of luck...

...

In Drepaska, Wang Ye saw a bit of himself.

However, the two were quite different; at the very least, Wang Ye wouldn’t default on the wages of the workers at his companies...

The workers were causing such a stir this time because the company had failed to pay several months of wages, leaving their families struggling to make ends meet, which, driven by desperation, sparked the strike demonstration.

Even so, it was said that the Russian Aluminium Group Headquarters still had not compromised or immediately disbursed the wages.

Of course, the Russian Aluminium Group had its own explanation.

According to the information collected by Bakova, they had been delaying workers’ wages due to financial mismanagement at the factory and widespread payroll fraud within it.

The Group Headquarters was now dispatching an audit team to the factory to check their books, but the factory was completely uncooperative, not only the factory leaders but also the workers, who were obstructing the audit team’s work at every turn.

Therefore, the headquarters directly froze the factory’s account. Without permission from the headquarters, nobody was allowed to touch a penny from the factory’s account...

Such a situation, Wang Ye judged, was probably not fabricated. The Russian Aluminium Group was so large and had been expanding for years, acquiring many formerly state-owned and private aluminum factories.

It was inevitable that some of the old-timers in those factories would take advantage of the situation to profit themselves, resulting in a stand-off with Group Headquarters, which was unwilling to swallow this bitter pill quietly.

It was just that this time the workers of Pikalevo Alumina Plant had been unexpectedly united, creating such a big noise that even the Kremlin was alarmed.

Issuing a direct appointment for Wang Ye to deal with the matter.

...

After reviewing the information, Wang Ye furrowed his brows and thought for a moment, then he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

Before heading to Pikalevo, he wanted to make a call to A Bu to see what he thought.

The time in Moscow was past four in the afternoon, which meant it was after two o’clock in London. The phone was quickly answered, and A Bu’s hearty laugh came through.

"Haha, Misha, you busy man, what brings you to call me?"

Indeed, both Wang Ye and A Bu were celebrities, and they often appeared in the media; the difference was, Wang Ye was often featured in political-economic sections, while A Bu was in entertainment sections.

The news about Wang Ye usually read, "Deputy Speaker Duma, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mikhail has a cordial meeting with XXX to exchange views on XXX matter," "Chairman of the Economic Committee Mikhail announces XX Industry Promotion Plan"...

And as for A Bu, the headlines typically were, "Billionaire A Bu appears at a club, splurging tens of thousands," "Top tycoon A Bu buys a new toy, a super yacht worth XX billion US dollars"...

Both men were busy, just busy with different things.

But privately, the two of them were still really good friends. Every time A Bu returned to Moscow, Wang Ye, no matter how busy he was, would make time to have a meal and chat with him.

Wang Ye never forgot that his first step into the political arena began with A Bu’s stronghold, Chukotka!

It was A Bu who had been a big help in his smooth election as a new member of the Duma.

Therefore, even after Wang Ye’s rapid rise in the last two years, his relationship with A Bu hadn’t faded; they remained good friends.

It’s just that when Wang Ye first met A Bu, he used to call him "Uncle A Bu," but now they were peers...

...

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Ye dove straight into the heart of the matter and asked,

"How come you gave away your controlling interest in the Russian Aluminium Group? Are you seriously considering retirement?"

Aside from a civil aviation company, Russian Aluminium was also considered A Bu’s most significant asset, which is why Wang Ye asked.

A Bu laughed heartily and said,

"Didn’t I tell you before that ever since I bought the Chelsea Club and settled in London, I’ve basically retired.

As for the shares of the Russian Aluminium Group, that’s because Drepaska and I had an agreement long ago that if either of us wanted to transfer shares, the other would have the right of first refusal. Plus, he offered a very attractive price, and since he has been managing the group’s affairs usually, I sold him some of my shares.

However, I’ve still kept a 20% stake in the company. From now on, I plan to just collect dividends and not meddle in the group’s business.

By the way, why are you suddenly asking about Drepaska?"

Clearly, A Bu was either unaware of the situation in Pikalevo or he knew but didn’t want to comment, so he simply pretended not to know.

Wang Ye didn’t conceal anything; he briefly recounted the events, then asked, "Based on what you know about Drepaska, do you think he would be willing to back down?"

A Bu pondered for a moment before replying, "It’s probably difficult. The guy is very stubborn. Once he’s set on something, it’s hard to change his mind."

Wang Ye smiled faintly and pressed on, "What if I were to employ some tougher measures? How would he react?"

A Bu seemed to be taken aback for a moment before responding with a wry smile, "With your current status, you could certainly force him to bow down. But Drepaska has a complicated background. Don’t act rashly; it could cause trouble for you."

Wang Ye knew what he meant by ’background’ as he had already learned about it from Gavriil.

So he was not panicked.

Besides, he didn’t really call A Bu for help; he just wanted to know the nature of A Bu’s relationship with Drepaska.

So he posed the final question, "What’s your private relationship with him like? If I really did take action against him, would you intervene on his behalf?"

A Bu’s answer was very straightforward, "Drepaska and I are just business partners, not close personally. Now that I have stepped back from managing the Russian Aluminium Group, I only pay attention to the group’s operational situation. What becomes of Drepaska is not my concern."

With A Bu’s response, Wang Ye was satisfied.

He didn’t pursue the topic any further and after a bit of small talk, ended the call.

He then picked up the landline, called for Bakova to come in, and instructed her to arrange for his departure to Pikalevo the next day.

Wang Ye also roughly mentioned who should be included in the entourage; Bakova would hold down the office, so Nova would accompany him.

In addition, he specified that members of the Economic Committee should also join.

There would also be a few relevant government officials and security personnel.

The security around Wang Ye had now officially become public officers since they all registered and were employed through the Safety Bureau, which was responsible for Wang Ye’s protection.

Although he didn’t anticipate any danger on this trip, it’s better to be safe than sorry. After all, Drepaska was a ruthless man, and there was no telling if he might become desperate. Therefore, precautions were necessary!