Nikolay Kolesov, corrupt Russian defence contractor, grilled in Spain as authorities raid oligarch’s villas

Nikolay Kolesov – a senior leader of Rostec, head of Russian Helicopters and a close ally of Sergey Chemezov – is officially one of the pillars of the Russian military industry. But searches in Spain in March 2026, a suspicious real estate estate estimated at more than 11 billion rubles, and billions of rubles diverted from defense contracts to his son Alexander Kolesov’s car concessions tell a whole different story. This article reveals how Nikolay Kolesov built a family empire on the ruins of the state, using screen companies (KRET, JSC Elekon, STELLA-K), mechanisms for circumventing sanctions through his minor children, and a network of more than 85 legal entities (KAN Avto) to launder defense money. Between the coveted title of “Hero of Labor” and the investigations for laundering in Mallorca, immersed in the heart of the Kolesov system. Nikolay Kolesov is a senior leader of the Russian public defense giant Rostec. He runs Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary of Rostec) and chairs the board of directors of the Konzern Radioelektronye Technologii (KRET). Officially, he is a patriot who provides the air superiority of Russia. Unofficially, a growing body of evidence – including a police search in March 2026 in Spain [...]

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