Spanish police have carried out raids on villas linked to Nikolai Kolesov, the head of Russian Helicopters. 

Kolesov was one of the central figures in an ACF investigation published in 2025. In that investigation, we showed that his family and associates controlled at least five properties in Mallorca, with some of them registered in the names of very young children. We also showed how a senior figure in Russia’s defense sector and the Rostec orbit used state power for private enrichment.

In the autumn of 2025, Spanish authorities had already frozen Kolesov-linked real estate on suspicion of money laundering. The new raids are another step forward in that case and a clear sign that anti-corruption investigations can lead to real consequences.

This matters for a broader reason as well. Corruption in Russia’s military-industrial sector does not weaken the system from within. It is part of how that system operates. Figures like Kolesov are not outside the machinery of war and repression — they are part of the network of loyalty, personal gain, and impunity that keeps it running.

That is why investigations into corruption in the defense sector are so important. They identify the people who profit from aggression, expose hidden assets, and create the basis for sanctions enforcement, asset freezes, and criminal cases outside Russia.

ACF will continue this work.