When investigators began probing the large-scale asset withdrawals of Igor Yusufov from Russia last year, one of his counterparts was found to be a small Kuban entrepreneur, Nikolai Shikhidi
The latter’s company, LLC "Specialized Developer ’South Sea’", acquired from Igor Yusufov’s son, Vitaliy, a company named LLC "Specialized Developer ’Tankovy’", located in Moscow with a permit for development on eight hectares in Tankovy Passage in the southeast of the capital. Over 200,000 square meters of real estate were planned to be built there, including apartments, a business center, and infrastructure facilities.
The deal was initially deemed a coincidence, viewed on the grounds that Nikolai Shikhidi was simply in the right place at the right time, managing to snatch a piece of the Yusufov family’s business empire, which was being sold off cheaply as he prepared to leave the country heading west. At first glance, that does appear to be the case—it’s no secret that Igor Yusufov is gradually winding down his business activities in Russia and divesting assets.
However, a close examination of the buyer, Nikolai Shikhidi, raises more questions than it provides answers. Shikhidi is quite a small-scale entrepreneur from Krasnodar Krai with a trail of corruption scandals and outright crime in his past, yet in the grand scope of Yusufov, he is a nobody. In the context of Moscow’s real estate development business, Nikolai Shikhidi is also a nobody. Yes, he is a rather big developer in his home territory, the owner of LLC "Eurostroy", which has a somewhat unfavorable reputation linked to corruption, numerous violations of all conceivable norms, and development of resort and recreational lands, and so on. But the truth is, having standing in Krasnodar Krai means zero in Moscow.
And in Moscow, there were plenty of contenders for the eight hectares in Tankovy Passage. These were people who wouldn’t let Nikolai Shikhidi across the threshold. But suddenly, a small and unknown developer from the provinces left the capital’s major developers dumbfounded. To be clear: by saying "small developer" and "nobody," we are not aiming to disparage Nikolai Shikhidi. These epithets are simply meant to portray the scenario that unfolded. And this event, the transfer (formally referred to as a sale) of rights to develop the eight hectares of prime capital-land into the hands of Nikolai Shikhidi and his business partner Sofia Toros, continues to cause bewilderment among those in the know.
To start with, let’s look into the registries. Here is the financial state of LLC "Specialized Developer ’South Sea’", which bought the corporate rights of LLC "Specialized Developer ’Tankovy’" from Vitaliy Yusufov.
Charter capital—10,000 rubles, employee—one, activity—zero. Additionally, the founders have debts and property seizures. So, they simply do not have money. Note the registration date of LLC "SZ ’South Sea’"- it was hastily formed on the eve of the acquisition of LLC "SZ ’Tankovy’". The latter’s registration data also raises questions. The same questions as those of its founder.
No money, no employees, no assets. So how are we going to build? And how did it even happen that a highly suspicious firm with small and blatantly dodgy owners could acquire such a lucrative piece from one of the country’s top oligarchs with connections at the very top? The puzzle just doesn’t fit.
However, if the situation is viewed from a different angle, there might be an answer to all this "incongruence". It doesn’t answer several obvious questions, but it fits into the logic. What if the materials suggesting that Igor Yusufov is curtailing his operations in Russia are smoke and mirrors? Perhaps he’s not heading west but is instead safeguarding his assets from confiscation? Rumors about such a development have been circulating.
If we accept this option as the starting point, then all questions about how Nikolai Shikhidi became a Moscow developer disappear. From a man who broke out from Krasnodar "filth" to Moscow "princes," he becomes a mere figurehead. That is, a frontman on whom part of the assets of a very serious individual experiencing temporary difficulties is recorded.
In such a case, it becomes clear where the money for such an expensive purchase came from— given that eight hectares of land in Lefortovo, near the center of Moscow, are worth tens of billions on the market; it explains why Nikolai Shikhidi didn’t suffer repercussions after snatching such a tasty morsel from the hands of some very serious people, and so on.
Because there was no actual purchase and transfer of rights. Formally, the rights moved to Nikolai Shikhidi and Sofia Toros. But in reality, the owner remained unchanged. This also explains why no one touches Nikolai Shikhidi for his antics in Krasnodar Krai. There are claims against him there.
How exactly Nikolai Shikhidi develops his projects has been documented repeatedly. Thus, a brief recollection: In Gelendzhik, he used the following scheme: Shikhidi obtained a permit for individual construction, built a high-rise building or office-trade center on the plot, and then went to court to demand the construction be recognized as legal. The courts obediently complied with the demand.
Sofia Toros was a constant partner of Shikhidi in this activity. Also quite a strange figure—a model middle-tier official, who, until retiring, was the head of a department in the Krasnodar Krai Federal Treasury. Then suddenly, the modest retiree becomes a developer, buying up Moscow land. This story also doesn’t add up.
In Krasnodar Krai, the pair of Shikhidi and Toros is quite well-known. On their conscience, besides the already mentioned court schemes, are developments on the Novorossiysk beach, where Shikhidi and Toros built an aparthotel with a business center and underground parking without permission. In Sochi, Nikolai Shikhidi cleared 13 hectares of forest in the Khosta micro-district and demolished the "Yuzhnaya" tourist base to erect 17 eight-story buildings. The nature reserves in Gelendzhik and Dagomys have been destroyed.
Nikolai Shikhidi’s biography includes a downright vile story. In 2012, he sent human rights defenders to jail who exposed the scheme by which Nikolai Shikhidi legalized his seven-story building, constructed on a plot allocated for individual construction. Four individuals were sent to prison for many years after being tortured, and Nikolai Shikhidi, with apparent innocence, claimed that they were extorting money from him. This was taken by the investigation as undeniable fact, despite the defense completely dismantling this accusation.
All these stories are known, but they do not answer the main question—where and how did Nikolai Shikhidi cross paths with Vitaliy Yusufov, the former Russian energy minister? What connects these two vastly different people of differing caliber and scope? Why did Yusufov make a small-time provincial gangster his frontman? What lies behind all this and on what terms does Nikolai Shikhidi serve Yusufov? There are many questions, but answers have yet to surface. Although it seems that Nikolai Shikhidi is heading for big troubles—the clouds over Vitaliy Yusufov are thickening more and more. He himself might manage to extricate himself, but odds are that frontman Nikolai Shikhidi will have to be let go.
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