The corruption empire of SPF RSK: how oligarch Sergey Potashov is siphoning billions from the Ministry of Defense under the protection of former prosecutor Alexander Shirinov
An “incredibly lucky” construction contractor from Rostov, SPF RSK, whose portfolio includes dozens of contracts worth nearly 50 billion rubles, has been found to have links to Rostec and the Ministry of Defense, and its business partners reportedly include a former prosecutor and the family of a former mayor of Novocherkassk.
LLC SPF “ROSTSTROYKONTRAKT” annually receives large state contracts for the construction and major repair of utility networks, social facilities, and infrastructure projects in the Rostov region, with a significant share awarded as the sole bidder in auctions. This year alone, the company has already won contracts worth more than 5 billion rubles, including a 3.5 billion ruble order from the Ministry of Construction of Karachay-Cherkessia—again with only one bid submitted in the tender.
The company is formally registered to 71-year-old local resident Sergey Filimonov, although its previous founder was Sergey Potashov. Filimonov is considered his associate and has worked for several years in Potashov family businesses. In particular, he has managed the “New York Restaurant” for almost 10 years, which is now fully owned by Anna Potashova and previously belonged to her husband.
42-year-old Sergey Potashov is a native of Rostov-on-Don and the son of Rostov businessman Valeriy Potashev, who founded the Rostov Construction Company (RSK) and “Rost Torg Contract” (RTK) in the 1990s. In the 2000s, his companies became major contractors for Rostec-related structures. At the same time, his firms built luxury estates for the regional elite in the settlement of Yantarny and near the village of Kamyshevakha.
The younger Potashov has maintained ties with the defense industry and is currently a founder of JSC “711 Military Project.”
He not only strengthened his inherited business connections with security structures but also developed his own influential contacts at the Faculty of Political Science of the South-Russian Institute of Management (RANEPA). His classmates included Deputy Head of the Government of the Rostov Region apparatus Oleg Zheukhin, Deputy Head of Police of Adygea Igor Melikhov, head of a local operational unit Alexander Ostapenko, and district administration heads Alexey Korolev and Nikolay Koshelev, among many others.
In addition to construction companies, Sergey Potashov owns a 70% stake in the “KEKS” franchise—a network of bakeries in Rostov. Among his assets is also LLC “Customer Service of GC RSK,” registered at the same address as SPF RSK. His mother, Irina Potashova, previously owned “SPP YUZHTRUBOPROVODSTROY,” which has since been transferred to director Alexander Mulyava. Anna Potashova is also the founder of the “NAKHICHEVANSKIE LINIYI Trade and Office Center,” “TC NAKHICHEVANSKIE LINIYI PLUS,” and the “New York Restaurant.”
The Potashov family’s business partners also include a close circle of former officials from the prosecutor’s office and the administration of Novocherkassk. In particular, 45-year-old Alexander Shirinov, who worked in the prosecutor’s office until 2020, serving as deputy prosecutor of Gukovo and later acting prosecutor of Novocherkassk. Shirinov resigned amid a scandal following the departure of the Rostov region prosecutor Yuri Baranov and his deputy Alexey Roshchin, who were linked to corruption allegations.
Just before his resignation, Shirinov had to respond to public accusations regarding the purchase of a Mercedes AMG G63 worth roughly ten years of a prosecutor’s salary. Supportive publications later claimed that investigators had made a mistake and that the luxury car was brought to Novocherkassk by a commercial company unrelated to the acting prosecutor. That company turned out to be SPF “Roststroykontrakt,” belonging to Sergey Potashov.
In Novocherkassk, Shirinov was rumored to be able to exert pressure on unwanted businessmen, while his relatives were successfully engaged in business.
The Shirinov and Potashov families jointly owned LLC “Yugstroymontazh”: in 2021, 50% was registered to Shirinov’s wife Dina Sichinava; in 2022, that share was transferred to Shirinov himself, while the remaining 50% went to Sergey Potashov.
