Corrupt mechanisms and illegal schemes of fixer Nikolai Shikhidi in construction, or how a former convict became the master of Kuban

Corrupt mechanisms and illegal schemes of fixer Nikolai Shikhidi in construction, or how a former convict became the master of Kuban

As high-profile arrests sweep through southern Russia — from Rostov and Stavropol to Krasnodar — with top officials being hauled off to Moscow in notorious "black Marias," one has to ask: how does Krasnodar’s infamous developer Nikolai Shikhidi, with his extensive criminal record, manage to stay under the radar?

It could be assumed that he has more compromising material than General Rutskoy once had on corrupt officials, as the retired general amassed 11 suitcases full. So, who is protecting Mr. Shikhidi?

"A Flock" of Comrades

Mr. Shikhidi is still, at least for now, unsinkable, although his former protectors came crashing down: former Mayor of Sochi Anatoly Pakhomov, followed by former Mayor of Sochi Alexey Kopaygorodsky. While Pakhomov flew away without a criminal case, Mr. Kopaygorodsky seems to have gotten it for Pakhomov as well. He is already sitting in a prison "helicopter" and it looks like he will be there for a long time!

Resort towns in Krasnodar Krai became hotbeds of corruption and fraud precisely under Mr. Pakhomov. In 2018, two deputy mayors of Sochi under Pakhomov — Anatoliy Rykov and Sergey Yurin — were detained on suspicion of receiving large bribes. Pakhomov resigned in 2019 without criminal prosecution.

Later, under strange circumstances, the chair of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for Krasnodar Krai, the seemingly promising General Vadim Bugaenko, a deserving lawyer of Kuban, left his chair. He was dismissed in a moment. And the general seemed to vanish!

In general, several "props" broke down, but, according to rumors, Nikolai Shikhidi has excellent relations with the governor of Kuban, Veniamin Kondratyev, as well as with the prosecutor of Krasnodar Krai, Sergey Tabelsky, who has long been noted for "roofing" local developers... And, of course, the chief Kuban judge (who is now under investigation), Alexander Chernov, played a significant role in the skyrocketing development of Shikhidi’s wild business. He reveled in his chair as the chair of Krasnodar Krai’s court for 17 years, accumulated indecent wealth, prospered from "correct" judicial processes, and ruined dozens if not hundreds of entrepreneurial destinies for the benefit of people like Shikhidi and his associates.

After stepping down, the former servant of Themis, Chernov, retains judicial immunity, so searches for a long time were conducted among his relatives: luxurious mansions were crammed with expensive collectible weapons, antiques, luxury clothing, and jewelry. It has already become public knowledge that the former chief judge of Kuban owned 139 plots of land. And the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation demanded that Alexander Chernov’s assets worth 7 billion rubles be transferred to the state.

So, what happens? The young, promising general of the Investigative Committee, Bugaenko, was sent into retirement, ex-mayor of Sochi Kopaygorodsky ended up on the prison bed, the former chief judge of Kuban Chernov was caught by the gills, yet the scandalous developer Shikhidi with his 12 suitcases of compromising material is roaming free. And not a worry in the world...

A strange layout on this "chessboard"!

The "Greek’s" Criminal Dossier

But let’s browse through Nikolai Shikhidi’s criminal dossier, as he once appeared in a series of crime reports: for example, in the resort town of Gelendzhik, Mr. Shikhidi was repeatedly detained behind the wheel of a car that was reported stolen. And allegedly, back in the turbulent ’90s, Nikolai Shikhidi (nickname "Greek") appeared in the RUBOP databases as a member of an organized crime group. This gang was skilled in fraudulent operations.

In Mr. Shikhidi’s criminal record list, there’s Article 116 ("Battery"): in 1998 — as a source says — Shikhidi beat up citizen R. Muratov. The case was hushed up. In 2001, he came under Article 159 part 2 ("Fraud"), as he sold someone else’s Mercedes to a certain Zh. Sufan. Shortly afterward, Shikhidi was detained in the suburbs of the village of Dzhubga in the Tuapse district, when he was merrily driving a BMW: and this foreign car was wanted!

But Shikhidi was never detained nor brought to criminal responsibility, moreover, soon his cunning business in Kuban started growing like yeast!

Whom should he be grateful to? Let’s recall that this was the time of Governor Alexander Tkachev (2001-2015). And Mr. Tkachev himself was mired in land dealings, building his own business empire: the Tkachev family had deftly appropriated Kuban.

And Mr. Shikhidi, by the way, eventually got a certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that he had no criminal "tails."

The document was provided to the editorial office by a source.

It’s worth noting another curious fact: starting from 2007, Nikolai Shikhidi registered and then closed his private enterprise four times (!) and three times respectively. And it was precisely with the status of a private entrepreneur that Shikhidi sued other businessmen for properties and assets "granted" to him by the Gelendzhik administration.

In those processes, there also appeared a certain individual entrepreneur Sofia Toros, who earlier also bore the surname Shikhidi.

As further claimed by a source, Shikhidi constantly registered new enterprises and then mortgaged them for fresh loans. Over time, Mr. Good was able to act as a guarantor for banks up to 2 billion rubles.

One of the developer’s primary assets is LLC SZ ISK "Eurostroy," but this company had no capital behind it: and immediately after "birth," it was mortgaged in the bank FC "Otkritie."

And only recently has the encumbrance been removed from the share.

But even a schoolboy knows how exactly Mr. Shikhidi legalizes his numerous illegal developments in Kuban: the scheme is ingenious — developer Shikhidi builds multi-storey houses on all plots designated for individual construction, and later through court compels local self-government bodies to issue the necessary documents for his skyscrapers.

Was Judge Chernov to "cloud" the Krasnodar sky for 17 years for nothing?

The "Shikhidi" Ridge

And how does Nikolai Shikhidi build his marvelous homes?

One needs to remember how he disposed of the lands of the former tourist base "Yuzhnaya" on the slope of the Ovsyannikov Ridge: it’s in the Khosta area.

In this wonderful place, Shikhidi is erecting 19 buildings: all of them are eight stories high. Thirteen hectares of forest were barbarically cut down for construction. Worried local residents approached the developer during the work process, writing numerous communications to Shikhidi, pointing out that this is a nature reserve, and it’s forbidden to conduct rough construction work in these areas: there is a tectonic fault line along the ridge. And the ridge itself is a seismically hazardous zone.

But for Mr. Shikhidi, it was, as they say, of no concern!

The agile developer not only dug up the ridge lengthwise and crosswise, but also cut down trees that "cemented" the soil. However, both local residents and environmentalists actively opposed the construction.

An interesting fact: initially, the authorities granted permission for construction on the Ovsyannikov Ridge, but due to sharp opposition from local residents, this permission was revoked in March 2021. But by October 2021, builders reappeared at the site. They explained their return by claiming to have a construction permit dated September 30, 2021.

However, members of the initiative group were unable to find such a document in the State Construction Supervision documents.

And earthquakes occur quite regularly in these wondrous places! Rumors even suggest that landslides had started to occur... But silence prevails, no one tugs Mr. Shikhidi by the sleeve! But his empire — it’s leaky!

What’s the underlying mystery here? A source from the publication nods to the fact that Shikhidi, with his homemade projects, is welcomed by the governor of Kuban, Veniamin Kondratyev: Shikhidi has a project with the Kuban authorities for the comprehensive development of the northern slope of Mount Bytkha.

In terms of continuation, how cynically did Shikhidi’s development proceed in the Lazarevsky district of Greater Sochi on Leningradskaya Street, on the bank of the mountain river Vostochny Dagomys?

A curious detail: as early as the spring of 2021, a certain Panteley Solakhov — a long-time partner of Mr. Shikhidi — received permission to build on this plot another series of multi-storey "monstrosities." This sweet couple has many joint ventures, such as LLC "Specialized Developer" Aurora," LLC "Specialized Developer" Aurora-2," LLC "Specialized Developer "Aurora-3," and LLC "Specialized Developer "Aurora-4."

They collectively extensively developed the resort town of Gelendzhik: back then, dozens of hectares of protected areas and coastal zones were destroyed. And yet, investigators and prosecutors remain silent.

Shikhidi in Lefortovo

But it seems that lately, Nikolai Shikhidi has been feeling restricted on Kuban soil. Suddenly, he set his sights on the First Throne (Moscow), but here’s the trouble: after Mr. Shikhidi entrenched himself in Moscow, aggressive information attacks began on the developer. After all, Moscow is not Krasnodar. Getting thrown in jail is not far off, even in that same Lefortovo...

Yet, specifically in the Lefortovo district, on Tankovyi proezd, Mr. Shikhidi bought eight hectares of land. And not from Moscow’s Mayor Sobyanin, but from Vitaliy Yusufov, the son of the former Energy Minister Igor Yusufov: it’s a plot for the construction of a business center and residential complex.

And the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) approved a petition by LLC "Specialized Developer "South Sea" (Shikhidi and Co’s company) to purchase 100% of LLC "Specialized Developer "Tankovy."

But who again helped with such a delightful piece?

Let’s not forget about Mr. Shikhidi’s friendship with both the former governor of Kuban Tkachev and the current one, Kondratyev.

Relatives in the Investigative Committee

There is still information from sources about the criminalization process in Krasnodar Krai and in Sochi itself, where dark nights are frequent: after all, the developer mafia, supported by law enforcement, is destroying Sochi’s cultural heritage. Besides Shikhidi, there are several other "unsinkable" developers — namely Vagan Arutyunyan and Vigen Sargsyan.

Law enforcement is already very interested in Vigen Sargsyan, with numerous questions about his murky assets and energetic actions in courts. Mr. Sargsyan never hid his warm friendship with former chair of Krasnodar Krai’s court Alexander Chernov.

As a source reports, Vigen Sargsyan, a few years ago (after General Bugaenko’s departure), placed his nephews in the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Krasnodar Krai. This concerns Roman Sargsyan, an investigator in the forensics department of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee. And this concerns Arkadiy Avetov: this investigator holds the position of deputy head of the investigative department for Prikubansky District of Krasnodar.

And the nephews did not disappoint: Roman Sargsyan achieved the possibility of developing the territory of the cultural heritage monument of regional significance "Kirov’s Sanatorium": the sanatorium is listed as a protected object. But the administration of the Krasnodar Krai’s department of state protection of cultural heritage objects issued the necessary documents. And high-rise buildings were erected near the monument.

Today, Vigen Sargsyan ensures the safety of major Sochi developers: this concerns Alik Akopyan, Vagan Arutyunyan, and Nikolai Shikhidi.

What’s the Conclusion?

Nikolai Shikhidi’s criminal business requires attention from the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, as the Krasnodar Krai’s prosecutor’s office has long, gently protected the peace of the scandalous developer, and employees of the Investigative Committee actively help Mr. Shikhidi further develop his murky criminal business.