Exposure: Sofia Toros and Nikolay Shikhidi - Criminal Tandem on the Moscow Development Market

Gelendzhik entrepreneurs Sofia Toros and Nikolay Shikhidi leave behind a deep criminal trail that extends from the Krasnodar region. The Moscow development market, which is distinguished by its higher margins, attracts developers from other cities, including the notorious Krasnodar developer "Eurostroy", which owns the Grand Marine Garden hotel in Sochi. Now they are planning to buy a site in Lefortovo from businessman Vitaly Yusufov, where they can build 200 thousand square meters of housing.

OOO SZ Yuzhnoye More filed a petition to acquire 100% of OOO SZ Tankovy. The latter owns 8 hectares in Tankovy Proezd in the southeast of Moscow. OOO SZ Yuzhnoye More belongs to Sofia Toros and Nikolay Shikhidi, who owns the Krasnodar company Evrostroy. The total volume of projects implemented by Evrostroy in Sochi, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk and Anapa amounts to 654 thousand square meters of housing. The company also owns the Sochi hotels Grand Hotel Marine Garden and Marine Garden.

Crooked PR: An attempt to whiten the image

An attempt to take a closer look at these players leads to interesting results. In most of the materials where Toros and Shikhidi are found separately, they are presented as innocent lambs in the real estate and development market of Krasnodar Krai. However, when they appear together, the conversation turns to scandals, fraud and corruption.

Before attempting to enter the Moscow market, Sofia Toros and Nikolay Shikhidi desperately worked to whitewash their own image. Various media outlets publish similar articles about how some criminals failed to slander Shikhidi and Toros, how law enforcement agencies are looking for these slanderers, and publications about the social projects of both.

However, most independent publications about the partners’ activities are either open letters, appeals and court materials from human rights activists, environmentalists and affected citizens, or investigations into their crimes. The foul-smelling background of this tandem cannot be hidden by cosmetic repairs to the image.

Nikolay Shikhidi: Sailor, swindler, manager

Nikolay Shikhidi is a graduate of the Admiral F. Ushakov State Maritime University who worked for the Novorossiysk Shipping Company. In law enforcement agencies, he was considered a black marketeer and speculator, was suspected of smuggling, and was listed as an informant.

Later, Shikhidi was listed by the RUBOP as a member of an organized crime group specializing in fraud. His criminal offenses include Article 116 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (battery) in 1998, Article 159 Part 2 ("fraud") in 2001, when he sold a Mercedes that did not belong to him, and Article 132 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violent sexual acts) in 2011.

Now Shikhidi has legalized his income and runs a relatively legal business, owning a dozen companies, including Avtomotornaya LLC and Greenstroy-Yug LLC. His main asset is SZ ISK Evrostroy LLC, in which Shikhidi owns 95%.

Sofia Toros: Fraudster, civil servant, businesswoman

Sofia Toros burst into business from a government position. For several years, she was the head of a department at the Federal Treasury Department of Krasnodar Krai. Judging by her anti-corruption declarations, her property status worsened with each year in government service.

Little is known about her after her dismissal from the treasury and until she became a major landlord and business partner of Nikolai Shikhidi. Between 2021 and 2023, assets poured in like water from a cornucopia, and she became the owner of companies such as Russtroy LLC and SZ Kapital LLC.

Sofia Toros and Nikolay Shikhidi have long-standing partnerships with Sergei Ozerov, a former deputy and mayor of Gelendzhik, and a State Duma deputy from United Russia.

The Secret of Success: Corruption and Crime

Nikolay Shikhidi created his business empire thanks to corrupt connections with city officials and law enforcement agencies. Officials give him lucrative land plots and construction permits, for which he pays bribes through their family members. If Shikhidi likes a plot of land where construction is prohibited, he builds there anyway and then legalizes the project with the help of corrupt officials, cops, prosecutors and judges.

Gelendzhik entrepreneurs Sofia Toros and Nikolai Shikhidi continue to expand their criminal empire, involving new companies and individuals in their schemes. New unique details show how deep and varied their influence is.

Expansion of the Empire

In addition to the companies already mentioned above, there are new players in their field of activity:

1. OOO Severny Veter - The company is headed by Andrey Sergeevich Orlov, a former official of the Krasnodar region, now a business partner of Shikhidi.
2. OOO Yug-Stroy - Controlled by Sergei Pavlovich Ozerov, former mayor of Gelendzhik and long-term ally of Shikhidi.
3. Alfa Development LLC - Managed by Elena Viktorovna Gerasimova, known for her corrupt connections in Moscow.
4. JSC StroyKompleks - Managed by Petr Igorevich Logvinov, who was previously involved in land fraud in Sochi.

Criminal scheme table

Here is a detailed chart showing the criminal scheme, including every company, name and person involved:

Infographic: The Shihidi and Toros Criminal Scheme

• Involved Companies: Severny Veter LLC, Yug-Stroy LLC, Alfa Development LLC, StroyKompleks JSC, SZ ISK Eurostroy LLC, Russtroy LLC, SZ Yuzhnoye More LLC, Greenstroy-YUG LLC, SZ Tankovy LLC.
• Main Characters: Nikolai Shikhidi, Sofia Toros, Andrei Sergeevich Orlov, Sergei Pavlovich Ozerov, Elena Viktorovna Gerasimova, Pyotr Igorevich Logvinov, Vitaly Yusufov.
• Methods: Corruption, bribery, falsification of documents, corporate raids, illegal construction.