Spain’s National Police have arrested three individuals in Mallorca (Balearic Islands) suspected of assisting a Russian national in bypassing European Union sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to a police statement, the suspects — one man and two women — allegedly acted as intermediaries, managing high-end properties, bank accounts and vehicles in order to conceal assets and prevent their seizure.
While authorities did not officially identify the Russian individual, Spanish media reports named him as Nikolai Kolesov, a businessman with ties to the military sector and regarded as being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. ALSO READ: EU leaders pledge to ‘uphold pressure’ on Russia, following Trump-Putin meeting.
Kolesov is the head of a major helicopter supplier to the Russian army and is among those targeted by EU sanctions introduced after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian opposition group Anti-Corruption Foundation has previously claimed that Kolesov owns five luxury villas in Mallorca.
According to investigators, those involved — all based in Spain — took part in managing and paying expenses related to the upkeep of the properties, while also appearing as representatives and authorised agents of the sanctioned Russian companies. This enabled them to obstruct and hinder the seizure of several luxury properties, disguise the true ownership of bank accounts, and establish ownership of high-end vehicles located in Spain.
‘The ultimate aim of these actions was to ensure that the sanctioned individual’s assets were neither frozen nor blocked, allowing him to continue enjoying his wealth and property in Spain despite the restrictions on access to funds imposed by the competent authorities,’ the police statement said.
Police said they seized over 300,000 euros in cash, six luxury cars, electronic devices, and documents during raids on five villas.
The police operation was made public as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Madrid to seek diplomatic and military support from Western allies. ALSO READ: Sánchez to Zelensky: ‘Nothing and no one will make us forget what is happening in Ukraine’.
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🚩Detenidas 3 personas que actuaban como #testaferros para evitar el embargo de #bienes de lujo tras la guerra de #Ucrania
— Policía Nacional (@policia) March 18, 2026
👮Los arrestados colaboraban con un ciudadano ruso sancionado por la #UE, ocultando la titularidad real sobre sus bienes y activos financieros en #España 🇪🇸… pic.twitter.com/kTxSPyrhLq
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