Head of Russian Helicopters registered shell companies in his relatives’ names, then purchased villas in Europe
theins.ru
Alexei Navalny’s team has published an investigation into Nikolai Kolesov, the head of state-owned company Russian Helicopters and a close associate of Rostec chief Sergey Chemezov

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Nikolai Kolesov, former governor of the Armur Region and now the head of state-owned company Russian Helicopters and a close associate of Rostec chief Sergey Chemezov, has turned Russia’s defense industry into a private empire, according to the investigation. He quietly privatized defense plants, putting them in the names of frontmen and then using the proceeds to buy luxury homes, aircraft, and palaces across the globe.

Assets linked to the Kolesov family:

Spain (Mallorca)

• A €5 million villa registered to Kolesov’s seven-year-old daughter, Nicole. She was four at the time of purchase.

• A neighboring villa worth €3 million registered to Kolesov’s sister, Lyudmila Tenno.

• Three villas, each 750 m², purchased in the name of Kolesov’s four-year-old son Alexei, who is the godson of former Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

Russia and occupied Crimea

• A palace in Yalta, allegedly purchased in the name of a state-owned factory.

• A plot of land in Rublyovka worth 1 billion rubles, registered to Kolesov himself and his factory.

• A private resort near Kazan with a bowling alley, saunas, and shooting ranges.

UAE (Dubai)

• A $25 million villa in XXII Carat Villas, registered to Kolesov’s subordinate Lyudmila Koshcheyeva.

• A neighboring 1,400 m² villa registered to his former mother-in-law, Nella Mazayeva.

• Another apartment worth $10 million (822 m²) in The Residence, registered to his eldest daughter, Anastasia Kolesova.

• A 532 m² unit in the same building, registered to her husband. Kolesov’s air fleet

• A Bombardier Global Express business jet — $20 million

• A second jet, Embraer Legacy 650 — $10 million

• An AgustaWestland 109 helicopter — $5 million

The entire fleet is registered to an affiliated company called Spetsdostavka. Navalny’s team estimates the total value at around $35 million, or 2.8 billion rubles.

[…]

Kolesov’s shell companies:

• JSC Star – a front company holding shares in several defense plants. Officially registered to Nikolai Shadrin, a former drug treatment doctor from Samara with no real role in the business. Assets related to the Mallorca villas passed through this firm.

• JSC High Technologies – registered to Kolesov’s driver Denis Samonov. It funnels dividends that end up with Kolesov’s niece, Yekaterina Blokhina (9 billion rubles).

• InGroup LLC – believed to be registered to Kolesov’s first mother-in-law, Dilyara Kraynova, who has flown with him on private jets. The company later paid 1.25 billion rubles to his son Alexander.

• CanFinance LLC – registered to Natalya Rumyantseva, an employee at the Elecon plant and another close associate of Kolesov. The company transferred 2.5 billion rubles to his daughter Anastasia.

• Riverpark LLC – registered to Elena Matina, Kolesov’s deputy for finance at Elecon. This firm personally paid Kolesov nearly 4 billion rubles in dividends.

[…]

  • randomnameEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    This is somewhat related:

    Welcome to Dima’s villa era: How Dmitry Medvedev used the war against Ukraine to rebuild his influence — and his fortune – [archived version]

    In March 2017, Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation released one of its most explosive investigations — the film “Don’t Call Him Dimon,” which exposed a network of residences, vineyards, and yachts tied to Russia’s former president and then–prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev. Navalny’s team uncovered a scheme in which Medvedev had allegedly concealed his wealth using charitable foundations run by friends and family. The film racked up 47 million views and sparked mass protests against corruption. But Medvedev’s business empire remained untouched. Now, eight years later, a new investigation by journalists at the Sistema project reveals that the charitable foundations linked to the former president have only grown richer.