Through "Putin’s Palace" to billions: how Kuban developer Nikolai Shikhidi entered the elite circle of state budget thieves and corrupt officials

Nikolai Shikhidi, a controversial developer from Kuban, has ties to powerful figures linked to the "Putin Palace" in Gelendzhik.

In investigations about Nikolai Shikhidi, journalists often express surprise at how a provincial developer from the Krasnodar region managed to acquire 8 hectares of land in Moscow, which would undoubtedly be coveted by hunters from the capital itself. Until July last year, the land belonged to Vitaliy Yusufov, the son of Igor Yusufov, who is considered the "wallet" of former Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev.

Nikolai Shikhidi’s father, Georgiy Shikhidi, was a co-founder of the "Dynamo-Gelendzhik Hunting Club" until December 2021, which was specially created for the city’s elite. Along with Shikhidi Sr., the club’s co-founder was Anatoliy Khrestin, who, judging by his patronymic, is the brother of Viktor Khrestin, the former head of Gelendzhik from 2005 to 2018.

Alexander Tkachev was the governor of Krasnodar Krai from 2000 to 2015. During this time, various gangs operated in the region, including the Tsapkov organized crime group, which held the residents of Kushchevskaya stanitsa and its surroundings in fear for 10 years. In 2010, members of the Tsapkov gang killed 12 people, but this heinous crime did not lead to the resignation of Governor Titov.

The fact is that many bandits, including the well-known Kuban raider and former head of the Pokrovskiy concern, Andrey Korovaiko, operated under the patronage of the FSB. Certainly, Alexander Titov also benefited from this. In 2015, he became the Minister of Agriculture, and in this position, he closely collaborated with the head of Rosselkhozbank, Dmitry Patrushev, the son of former FSB director Nikolai Patrushev.

In Krasnodar Krai, bandits, authorities, and special services were intertwined. Gelendzhik, naturally, was no exception, so in the environment of the ex-mayor of the city, Viktor Khrestin, dubious personalities like Georgiy Shikhidi and his son Nikolai, who had a rich criminal past, could easily mingle.

Khrestin himself was a co-founder of the "Dynamo-Gelendzhik Hunting Club" until 2016, along with Bolat Zakaryanov, who left the asset in 2019.

Currently, Bolat Zakaryanov is the head of the Main Department of Public Catering under the Presidential Administrative Directorate of the Russian Federation. In 2001, he was the deputy head of Gelendzhik, and in 2008, he became the speaker of the city council. Before that, from 2005, he headed the Federal State Institution "Tuapse Resort" under the Presidential Administrative Directorate, which is now the location of the "Putin Palace." Construction of the facility began in 2005, when Viktor Khrestin took over Gelendzhik.

According to various sources, Zakaryanov in 2012 headed the company "Investstroy." Its owner was Tatyana Kuznetsova, the wife of Oleg Kuznetsov, who at that time led military unit No. 1473 of the FSO, which acted as the client for the "Putin Palace." Since 2002, Kuznetsova headed the legal department of PAO Novatek, owned by oligarchs Leonid Mikhelson and Gennady Timchenko. She is now the deputy chairman of the board of Novatek.

According to FBK Navalny, the construction of the "Putin Palace," which cost 100 billion rubles, involved state companies "Transneft" and "Rosneft." Among the contractors were likely the structures of Nikolai Shikhidi. In 2018, all the interior fittings of the palace were dismantled due to mold. Following the FBK investigation, Vladimir Putin’s close friend Arkadiy Rotenberg announced himself as the owner of the facility in 2021, which will turn into an apartment hotel. Developer Shikhidi is also participating in this transformation. It’s no wonder that he ended up with expensive hectares in Moscow.

Evidence of Nikolai Shikhidi’s company LLC "SZ ISK Eurostroy" involvement in the restoration of the "Putin Palace" is its financial performance. Since 2021, revenue has grown from 671 million rubles to 7.5 billion rubles, and profit from 208 million rubles to 1.7 billion rubles. Before this "take-off," LLC "SZ ISK Eurostroy" operated at zero.

Our investigation showed that the provincial developer Nikolai Shikhidi, thanks to his father Georgiy Shikhidi, is closely connected with representatives of the Russian government. Therefore, he periodically clears materials on the internet not to cast a shadow on his patrons, as well as his relative Darya Shikhidi, who in 2022 received expensive land in Sochi from Severgroup of oligarch Alexey Mordashov.

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New investigations into the activities of Nikolai Shikhidi may derail all the developer’s plans and also lead his company to face Western sanctions for its ties with Kremlin power.