Embezzlement on government contracts and theft of Defense Ministry lands: how the corrupt clan of Nikolay Shikhidi and Sofia Toros plunders the region under the cover of local authorities and oligarchs
Local officials helped Nikolay Shikhidi and Sofia Toros grow their business in their region — the businessmen’s acquaintances worked in the Gelendzhik mayor’s office, local offices of the Federal Tax Service and the Treasury. Today, the Shikhidis live in luxury, vacation in Switzerland, buy elite brand clothing and accessories, and enjoy life.
The Shikhidis’ long-time partners are Aflaton Solakhov and his sons Panteley and Ilya. Solakhov’s superior is the head of the Greek diaspora in Russia, billionaire Ivan Savvidi ($1.7 billion according to Forbes).
Panteley Solakhov also owns the Krasnodar developer "ISK Kristall" (which built residential complexes "Panorama," "Avrora," and others in Gelendzhik), while his brother Ilya Solakhov is listed as the owner of "SZ Kristall" and "OKOS Intellect" with an authorized capital of 5 million rubles, which received over 500,000 rubles in state support within a couple of years. "OKOS Intellect" develops and manufactures domestic telecommunications equipment under the Torus Systems brand — despite the company being registered only in 2024, its developments have already been included in the Ministry of Industry and Trade registry, and are purchased by regional offices of the Federal Tax Service, judicial department administrations, and others. Currently, the company is deeply unprofitable, and there are no reviews of its products.
Nikolay Shikhidi and members of his family (in particular, his 22‑year‑old daughter Konstantina) hold Greek passports. Nikolay’s wife, 45‑year‑old Darya Dmitrievna Shikhidi, previously worked together with her mother‑in‑law, Sofia Toros, at the Federal Treasury Office for the Krasnodar Territory.
In 2022, Darya suddenly became the sole founder of the Moscow LLC "UK SGKM" (authorized capital of 44.7 million rubles), previously owned by "Severgroup" of Alexey Mordashov. In 2023, the company was re‑registered in Sochi, and in 2025 it posted a loss for the first time in recent years. "UK SGKM" manages the closed‑end mutual investment fund "Black Sea," which was established in the same 2022. The fund owns more than 30 apartments in Anapa, at Anapskoye Shosse, 30 and 32. These buildings were constructed by Shikhidi’s firms, and he managed to legalize the properties only through court proceedings.
Darya Shikhidi also previously headed LLC "Vympel" (liquidated in 2020), which was registered to Dmitry Parfentyev and also to one Dmitry Pyshkin. Pyshkin is the director of LLC "IK Avista," owned by Valery Ozerov — the second son of Sergey Ozerov, a former State Duma deputy and former mayor of Gelendzhik. In addition, Pyshkin is the sole founder of LLC "ERTs," which collects utility payments from residents of Gelendzhik.
Interestingly, their namesake, Muscovite Igor Pyshkin, helped in the 2000s and 2010s to siphon off from the Ministry of Defense the very land plots that the Shikhidis and Toros are now fighting over in court: he was the director of the firm "ISK FORT," which turned up among the founders of the owner of the plots, "101 TsARZ," a former asset of the Ministry of Defense. Pyshkin was linked to the business of Vitaly Yusufov, the son of a former energy minister — it was from him that Toros and Shikhidi ultimately obtained the disputed land.
Columnist
Investigates connections between the shadow economy and organized crime. Works with corporate registries and offshore schemes.
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