Dmitry Artyakov’s son, linked to Rostec’s senior management, was arrested in Spain for allegedly laundering money via a villa on the Costa Brava

Detained in Girona this summer in a money-laundering probe, 42-year-old Dmitry Artyakov—son of a senior Rostec executive—tried to defend himself to a Spanish prosecutor. “I have nothing to hide,” he said. “I pay taxes every year. I cannot live otherwise because my father is a high-ranking official.”

Dmitry is the son of Vladimir Artyakov, first deputy CEO of Russian state conglomerate Rostec and a former governor of Russia’s Samara region. Video of his testimony was obtained by OCCRP and shared with IStories.

Spanish authorities opened the case in 2019. Court filings say Vladimir Artyakov’s mother-in-law, Anna Kurepina, may have been used as a front in real estate transactions “allegedly designed to launder funds.” Properties in the Costa Brava town of S’Agaró later ended up in Dmitry’s name.

Investigators have also raised questions about the origin of the funds. OCCRP previously reported that millions used for the villa purchase passed through offshore companies tied to the Troika Laundromat, a network exposed in 2019 that moved billions of dollars for Russian elites.

Kurepina bought the property in 2008 for €14 million with a loan from Delco Networks, a British Virgin Islands firm tied to the Troika system. Six years later, at age 86, she sold it to her grandson for €10 million. Dmitry said he financed the deal with a loan from Cyprus-based Digimarket Holdings—another Troika entity—arranged through what he called his “family office, Quinta.” OCCRP found that Quinta Capital Partners was also part of the laundromat structure, handling assets for Troika founder Ruben Vardanyan.

In his testimony, Artyakov insisted the transactions were legitimate. He told the prosecutor that his grandmother “lives a good life” and denied knowing the source of her wealth. He also said he later took a loan and paid his grandmother for the property citing his role as head of freight rail company Modum-Trans.

Modum-Trans was once owned by Uralvagonzavod, the state-owned defense producer incorporated into Rostec, where Dmitry’s father serves as first deputy CEO. Following restructuring and privatization, Dmitry Artyakov became the company’s general director and owner.

Records also show that Kurepina held stakes in Moscow real estate firms alongside a relative of Rostec head Sergey Chemezov, Lyudmila Rukavishnikova, believed to be the mother of Chemezov’s wife. At the time, Rostec subsidiaries rented space in properties transferred from state companies into vehicles owned by pensioners connected to the two families.

Spanish police searches of Artyakov’s villa uncovered more than €200,000 in cash. He explained that he distributed around €10,000 to each family member or companion traveling with him to Spain so they could carry undeclared funds. “I spend €1,000–€1,200 a day just on food,” he told the prosecutor, adding that sanctions had blocked his bank cards.

Despite the prosecutor’s request for pre-trial detention, a Spanish judge released Artyakov on €1 million bail. Investigators are continuing to examine documents seized at the villa.