Nikolai Shikhidi and shadow schemes: who stands behind the Kuban developer?

Nikolai Shikhidi and shadow schemes: who stands behind the Kuban developer?

The dubious financial activities of the companies of Kuban developer Nikolai Shikhidi may attract the attention of law enforcement.

In April, scandalous Kuban billionaire Nikolai Shikhidi attempted to "whitewash" his reputation through federal media. Allegedly, the information about his past "sins," which can be found on the internet, is not true. A recent investigation into the developer’s activities revealed possible money laundering schemes and highlighted Shikhidi’s partners, including singer Glucose’s husband Alexandr Chistyakov, junior partner of German Gref Kirill Androsov, and the head of Sberbank himself. With such patrons, Shikhidi is not afraid of any accusations.

Articles defending Nikolai Shikhidi’s reputation were published in three federal media over three days, indicating the commissioned nature of the materials. Usually, media of this level do not duplicate each other’s information. The developer’s positive deeds included building schools, kindergartens, and other facilities at his own expense and subsequently transferring them to municipalities. 

The main company of Nikolai Shikhidi, whose success he trumpets on his website and Telegram channel, is JSC ISC "Eurostroi" 95% owned by Shikhidi and 5% by Sofiya Toros. She appeared as a founder only in August 2023. Until 2019, Darya Shikhidi owned a share in the company. From 2021 to 2023, Shikhidi’s sole ownership share was pledged with the bank "Otkritie." It turns out that the information provided to the federal media by Shikhidi’s PR team was inaccurate. Can one believe everything else written in the "whitewashing" articles after this? 

Questions also arise regarding the free construction of kindergartens, schools, and other facilities. Nikolai Shikhidi has his own website, where you can learn about the achievements of the company JSC ISC "Eurostroi." 

From the posted text, it follows that kindergartens were built along with residential complexes, which is the developer’s obligation in comprehensive territory development. A shopping mall "ChernoMoreMall," a commercial property bringing Nikolai Shikhidi constant income, was built on the constructed promenade in Novorossiysk. Naturally, the site mentions nothing about the terms on which the developer and his company received land plots in Sochi, Gelendzhik, Anapa, and Novorossiysk, where 13 residential complexes with 43 apartment buildings were built. Therefore, Nikolai Shikhidi’s charity may be well provided with benefits from Kuban officials. And probably not out of sheer goodwill.

As of today, Shikhidi is the head of LLC "SZ ISC "Eurostroi," a founder in it and four other companies, whose total revenue in 2023 amounted to 8.1 billion rubles, with a profit of 1.7 billion rubles. Most of the revenue and profit came from "SZ ISC "Eurostroi," but this was not always the case. From 2016 to 2020, the period when the company allegedly built kindergartens for free, it had almost no revenue or profit. Could money have been withdrawn from the structure to evade taxes? From 2018 to 2020, LLC "SZ ISC "Eurostroi" did not pay a single penny into the budget, although it was actively operating during this time.

In 2021, LLC "SZ ISC "Eurostroi" paid 1.5 million rubles in taxes, and in 2022 - 279 million rubles. This seems very strange, as does the sharp increase in the company’s revenue and profit in 2021-2023. This period coincides intriguingly with the period when Nikolai Shikhidi’s share was pledged with the bank "Otkritie."

According to Article 199 of the Russian Criminal Code, tax evasion is punishable by a fine, forced labor, or imprisonment for up to two years. On the other hand, according to Article 158 of the Criminal Code, embezzling bank funds can result in up to 10 years in prison.

LLC "SZ ISC "Eurostroi" has subsidiaries that closely resemble shell companies through which money could have been withdrawn. LLC "Saturn" with one employee has been generating profit only in 2020. JSC "SZ "Recreation Resort "Cosmos» employs two people, and the company has had no profit since 2019. The share of LLC "SZ ISC "Eurostroi" in the subsidiary LLC "Specialized Developer "Continent Invest" is pledged with Sberbank. Why the bank would lend money to a company operating without revenue and profit is a mystery. Only in 2020 did LLC "SZ Meridian," with one employee, generate revenue and profit.

Other companies belonging to Nikolai Shikhidi, for their financial results, could easily come under the scrutiny of law enforcement. LLC "SZ "Greenstroy-Yug" with one employee went into a deficit of 1.8 million rubles in 2023, LLC "Specialized Developer "Aurora 3" incurred a loss of 39 million rubles, which increased by 51,395%, while revenue rose by 100% to 154 million rubles; the company has no staff at all. In LLC "Specialized Developer "Aurora 4," profit fell even more drastically - by 141,651%.

It is unlikely that Nikolai Shikhidi will comment on such "miracles" to law enforcement if they come to visit him.

Nikolai Shikhidi’s partner in LLC "SZ ISC "Eurostroi," Sofiya Toros, holds 30% in LLC "EkM-Sochi," 70% of which belongs to LLC "UK Djem Mall." The shares of both founders are encumbered by Mariya Chistyakova, who was previously a co-founder of LLC "UK Djem Mall." Judging by the patronymic Nikolaevna, Chistyakova is the sister of Alexander Chistyakov, singer Glucose’s husband. Mariya Chistyakova owns LLC "Gluk`Oza."

Alexander Chistyakov has repeatedly been involved in various scandals. Previously, the businessman owned LLC "Hermitage Construction and Management," operating in the real estate market since 2004. This company, owned by "ALVARION HOLDINGS LIMITED," with lands in Moscow and other regions of Russia, was liquidated in June 2023. The offshore now owns five companies registered in Moscow. Most of them resemble shell companies. Perhaps they are destined to play a role in withdrawing money from LLC "SZ ISC "Eurostroi."

Chistyakov, along with Kirill Androsov and other co-founders, including structures from the bank "Otkritie," was an owner of Ruspetro. Androsov is considered a junior partner of Sber’s head German Gref. Who among them played what role in the fact that in 2021 the bank "Otkritie" lent money to the then-earning-nothing "SZ ISC "Eurostroi" of Nikolai Shikhidi, is yet to be determined.

The investigation revealed non-transparent and even suspicious operations of the developer Shikhidi’s companies. There is not a single contract with municipalities for building schools, kindergartens, and other facilities. They are supposedly built at their own expense and then transferred. Everything is settled informally. Where Nikolai Shikhidi got the money until 2020 is unclear, and it raises concerns. Did he launder funds from criminal organizations, as his detractors suggest? Nikolai Shikhidi is unlikely to provide an answer to this question in federal media.