Gold contractor of Rostec and the Ministry of Defense: how Sergei Potashov is mastering 50 billion at fake auctions

According to media reports, the extremely successful construction contractor «SPF RSK» from Rostov, which has many contracts worth about 50 billion rubles in its portfolio, has identified connections with Rostec and the Ministry of Defense. In addition, among his business partners are the former prosecutor and the family of the ex-mayor of Novocherkassk.

SPF ROSTSTROYKONTRAKT LLC annually receives large government contracts for the construction and overhaul of utility networks, social facilities and infrastructure structures in the Rostov region, and a considerable part - as the only participant in auctions. This year, the company has already won contracts worth more than 5 billion rubles, including an order for 3.5 billion was swung to it by the Ministry of Construction of Karachay-Cherkessia - only one application was again submitted to the competition. The company is registered to 71-year-old local resident Sergei Filimonov, but previously its founder was Sergei Potashov. Filimonov is his man; he has been working in the Potashov family companies for several years. In particular, for almost 10 years he has been running the «Restaurant «New York», which is now 100% owned by Anna Potashova, and previously the founder was her husband.

42-year-old Sergei Potashov is a native of Rostov-on-Don, the son of Rostov businessman Valery Potashev, who back in the 90s founded the «Rostov construction company» (RSK) and «Rost trade contract» (RTK). In the 2000s, its enterprises became one of the major contractors of Rostec structures. At the same time, his companies built palaces for the «elite» of the Rostov region in the village of Yantarny and in the area of the Kamyshevakha farm. Potashov Jr. has not lost contact with the military industry: he is now the founder of OJSC «711 Voenproekt».

Potashov Jr. not only strengthened the business contacts with the security forces that had passed from his father, but also acquired his own useful connections at the Faculty of Political Science of YURIU RANEPA. His classmates were the deputy head of the government apparatus of the Rostov region Oleg Zheukhin, the deputy chief of police of Adygea Igor Melikhov and the head of the local ORCh Alexander Ostapenko, the heads of the district administrations of the Rostov region Alexey Korolev and Nikolai Koshelev and many others.

In addition to construction companies, Sergei Potashov owns 70% of the «KEX» franchise - this is a network of Rostov bakeries. Among its assets is LLC «Customer Service of GC RSK», which is registered at the same address as «SPF «RSK». "SPP "YUZHTRUBOPROVODSTROY»" was registered to his mother Irina Potashova, now this company has been transferred to director Alexander Mulyava. Anna Potashova is the founder of the «Trade and Office Center "NAKHICHEVAN LINES», «TOC "NAKHICHEVAN LINES PLUS" and «Restaurant New York».

The Potashov family’s business partners are also difficult: they are a close group of people from the prosecutor’s office and the Novocherkassk mayor’s office. In particular, this is 45-year-old Alexander Shirinov, who until 2020 worked in the prosecutor’s office - he was the deputy prosecutor of the city of Gukovo, and then the acting prosecutor of Novocherkassk. Shirinov himself resigned in the wake of the scandal with the departure of the prosecutor of the Rostov region Yuri Baranov and his deputy Alexei Roshchin, who were associated with corruption stories.

Shirinov himself, right before his resignation, was forced to fight off public accusations of purchasing a Mercedes AMG G 63 worth a dozen annual prosecutorial salaries. Complementary publications said that the investigators mixed everything up and the luxury car was brought to Novocherkassk by a commercial company that had nothing to do with the prosecutor. The company turned out to be SPF «Rosstroykontrakt» Sergei Potashov. In Novocherkassk they said about Shirinov that he could organize pressure on unwanted entrepreneurs, while his relatives were very successful in business.

The Shirinov and Potashov families together owned «Yugstroymontazh» LLC: in 2021, 50% was registered to Shirinov’s wife Dina Sichinava, in 2022 the share was transferred to the head of the family himself, and another 50% was received by Sergey Potashov.