Nikolai Kolesov was appointed CEO of Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of the state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec, in 2021. Photo: Rostec
On March 9, Spanish police officers searched several mansions on the island of Mallorca that have previously been reported to belong to Russian Helicopters CEO Nikolai Kolesov, according to the newspaper El Pais.
The searches were conducted in at least two homes in the municipality of Calvia in southern Mallorca. The investigation is being carried out by the General Commissariat of Information, an intelligence service within the police. No other details of the searches were provided.
Kolesov heads the state-owned Russian Helicopters and is a close associate of Sergei Chemezov, the chief executive of the state defense conglomerate Rostec and a longtime friend of Vladimir Putin. Rostec is Russian Helicopters’ parent company.
Kolesov’s real estate in Spain became known last summer thanks to an investigation by Alexei Navalny’s team. Kolesov’s family has at least five properties on the island. Three villas were bought in the name of his 4-year-old son, Alexei. Another was registered to his 7-year-old daughter, Nicole Kolesova, who was 4 at the time of the purchase. The fifth was registered to Kolesov’s sister, Lyudmila Tenno.
In the fall of 2025, Spanish authorities seized Kolesov’s properties based on suspicions of money laundering.