While Russia invades Ukraine, one of its military-industrial companies, manufacturer of marine fittings for ships and submarines of the Russian Navy, keeps developing its business in the member-state of EU and NATO.
Finnish company SVK Valves LTD and Russian JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot» are connected by trade relations, founders and managers. The Center for Journalist Investigations (CJI) also uncovered the network of connections between Saint Petersburg company and other foreign legal entities.
Since 2007, JSC «Production association «Tekhnoflot», based in Saint Petersburg, has manufactured and supplied marine fittings, valves, cranes and other equipment to its clients in the Russian Federation, Commonwhealth of Independent States and «close neighboring countries». It has also tested ship equipment for the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and adapted «imported equipment to Russian standards».
«Tekhnoflot» has been included into the Russian governmental list of organizations of military industrial complex, according to the document of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, published by «Center Dossier». It means that this company has been recognized as critically important for the military capacity of Russia.
Clients of «Tekhnoflot» include key ship building enterprises of the Russian Federation manufacturing military ships for the war against Ukraine:
- JSC «SSZ «Vympel» (Rybinsk) – large manufacturer of rocket and patrol boats (types «Mangust», «Molnia» and «Grachonok») for the Russian Navy and Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Since 2022, it has been sanctioned by Canada and EU
- JSC «Admiralteiskie verfi» [Admiralty Shipyards]. It builds and repairs Russian submarines of projects 636 «Varshavyanka» and 677 «Lada», patrol ships of ice class for the Russian Federal Security Service as well as research ships and trawlers. Since 2022, it has been sanctioned by EU, Canada and USA
Strike of Russian submarine 636 «Varshavyanka» by the State Security Service of Ukraine in Russian port of Novorossiisk in December 2025. Photo: State Security Service of Ukraine
- ФГУП «Судостроительный завод «Море». Це підприємство «Укроборонпрому» у Феодосії після окупації Криму у 2014 році було незаконно експропрійоване Росією і будує малі ракетні кораблі для ВМФ РФ. Перебуває під санкціями США з 2016 року та ЄС – з 2022-го.
Україна вперше санкціонувала ВО «Технофлот» у 2019 році строком на три роки, а в 2023-му ввела обмеження вже на десять років.
І от уявіть собі: це велике виробниче об’єднання (фактично, ціла група компаній), з контрактами з найбільшими військовими верфями РФ, зі статусом підприємства російської оборонки і санкціями України є офіційним представником в Росії маленької торговельної компанії на півдні Фінляндії? Не віриться? Але саме на це сподіваються учасники цієї схеми, яка, на наш погляд, використовується для обходу західних санкцій і, не виключено, є прикриттям для роботи російських спецслужб. Після 2022 року дані про зв’язок російської та фінської компаній на їхніх сайтах добре потерли. Але ж веб-архіви та дані реєстрів не горять.
Фінська родичка ВО «Технофлот»
Перша підозра, що із ВО «Технофлот» щось не так, виникла, коли в контактах на сайті-агрегаторі даних росреєстрів побачили електронну адресу генерального директора Єфіма Благушінова efim.blagushinov, прив’язану до доменного імені сайту зовсім іншої юрособи, причому, не російської. @svk-valves.com привело нас до фінської SVK Valves LTD (ID 2099594-9).
Вона зареєстрована у місті Котка, порт якого у Фінській затоці, як вказано у довідниках, є основним портом країни для економічних зв’язків із Росією. І це зрозуміло, бо до кордону з РФ – рукою подати, що по суходолу, що по морю, а до Санкт-Петербургу – якихось 260 км.
SVK Valves зареєстрована того ж року, що і російське акціонерне товариство – у 2007-му і, який збіг, – займається гуртовим продажем обладнання для промисловості і суднобудування.
Joint exhibition pavilion of Finnish company SVK Valves Ltd and Russian JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot», 2016. Photo: Google
Evidence of their joint activity can be easily found on the Internet. For example, there are photos of their joint pavilions at international industrial exhibitions.
Web-archive supplies further data about their close relations.
Since the registration of domain of SVK Valves in 2007, its content has entirely focused on the activity of Russian «Tekhnoflot» (from main banner to contact data in the footer). Russian company was indicated as an official representative of SVK Valves in Russia. Pages of Finnish company in Facebook and Twitter display its logo, containing the valve and two main letters from Russian «Tekhnoflot» – T and F.
Archived webpage of Finnish company SVK Valves LTD. Its look up to the middle of 2022. Photo: screenshot of webpage from WaybackMachine
In 2007, «Tekhnoflot» also registered its domain technoflot.com in Russian domain zone. However, as web-archive demonstrates, the content was published there only in 2023. It says nothing about its role as the representative of Finnish SVK Valves.
Simultaneously, Finnish company also «updated» its website and erased any traces of «Tekhnoflot» as its representative in Russia!
That is to say, after Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine and introduction of Western sanctions, both companies simultaneously hid its joint business past.
Who are owners of Russian and Finnish companies?
The main indicator of close connections between two companies is the list of its founders and managers.
Since 2021, Russian State Register of Legal Entities deleted data about founders of «Tekhnoflot» from the public access. The Russian legislation allowed it for enterprises of the Russian military industrial complex.
Historical data demonstrate that before 2021, Russian citizens Sergei Veresotsky, Aleksandr Kucharchik and Aleksandr Semyonov have been founders of JSC «PO «Technoflot».
These three persons have been founders of another «PO «Tekhnoflot» in the form of Limited Liability Company. They had two partners – Viktor Ravlik and Vladimir Bakalets. JSC and LLC have the same business profile – non-specialized wholesale trade.
The third company from «Tekhnoflot» business group, called LLC «Production association «Stalkom», has manufacturing types of business activity – processing of metal and production of metal constructions. Its director Sergei Chanchikov with 50% of shares is the partner of above mentioned Veresotsky, Kycharchik and Semyonov within the company.
Aleksandr Semyonov and Aleksandr Kukharchik, founders of «Tekhnoflot», 2011. Photo: ОК Alexander Kukharchik
All three companies were registered in 2007. They have identical legal address in Saint Petersburg – Piskaryovsky avenue, 63, A and occupy neighboring offices.
According to the Finnish Trade Register, Finnish SVK Valves LTD is now controlled by Head of Board Sergei Veresotsky and Managing Director Aleksandr Kucharchik. Kucharchik and Aleksei Veresotsky, son of Sergei, are members of the company. Finland is indicated as their place of residence. It is likely that they have also Finnish citizenship.
Registration data of SVK Valves LTD in the Trade Register of Finland. Screenshot of the webpage: https://www.asiakastieto.fi/
Page of Aleksei Veresotsky in LinkedIn says that he is procurement director and export engineer in SVK Valves LTD. In 1999, he completed secondary school in Finland and later graduated from Finnish university. His children have non-Slavic names. All this information suggests that his family permanently resides in Finland. They regularly visit Russia, according to the data about their travels.
Aleksei Veresotsky, director of SVK Valves LTD , 2018. Photo: Facebook
This Russian-Finnish business can be called the business of two families.
Since 2016, Aleksandr Kucharchik has been director of both companies named «PO «Tekhnoflot»(LLC and JSC). He has PhD in technical sciences and resides in Saint Petersburg. He visited Finland 3-4 times per year, according to Russian hacked databases. His mother Ludmila Viktorovna Kucharchik indicates her contact e-mail clearly connected to SVK Valves – [email protected].
Irina Veresotska, wife of Sergei and mother of Aleksei Veresotsky, was employed by SVK Valves. She indicated in service aeroleads.com that she worked as the manager of client relations in the company.
Sergei Veresotsky with his wife Irina Veresotska, 2025. Photo:Facebook Artflow
We may suggest that SVK is made from three letters of founders – S as Semyonov, V as Veresotsky and K as Kucharchik. The company manufactures valves in Russia and then sells them to Russian military shipyards.
Corporate mail of Finnish SVK Valves connects several other persons who work in Russian ship building industry.
Since founding of the company and until 2025, Nikolai Vladimirovich Yanvaryov has been Technical Director of JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot». According to Russian open sources, Yanvaryov has been author of over 20 patents on equipment and production technologies in the sphere of ship building and repairing.
Nikolai Yanvaryov, technical director of JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot», 2020. Photo: ВК
Efim Viktorovich Blagushynov, General Director of JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot», has an interesting biography. He is Russian retired military. He graduated from Russian military engineering institute in Saint Petersburg. Since 2005, he has served in military unit 77510 on Island Novaya Zemlya [New Land].
Since Soviet times, this military unit has been known as «Object 700», testing ground for nuclear weapons, including the study of impact of nuclear explosion on Soviet submarines.
Efim Blagushynov, General Director of JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot», 2024. Photo: ВК
Since 2016, Efim Blagushynov has worked in JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot». He started his career as the head of technological control and chief engineer. Since January 2026, he has worked as General Director.
Who are business clients and partners of «Tekhnoflot» and SVK Valves?
All mentioned Russian and Finnish companies are acting business entities. After 2022, their revenues and profits have fallen but none of them went bankrupt. In 2025, SVK Valves received 758 thousand Euros as revenues (in 2021 – almost 2,6 million Euros).
Since 2022, two Russian companies have not disclosed their financial reports. Russian data about public procurement have been closed earlier. As we noted above, Russian government allowed hiding this information for companies of military industrial complex and potential subjects of Western sanctions.
Analysis of data of global system of corporate risks Sayari discloses the scale of import-export transactions of «Tekhnoflot» for the period of Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine. At least, eight foreign companies made over 250 supplies to «Tekhnoflot». They included marine pipe fittings, ship mechanisms etc.
List of foreign companies-partners on the website of JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot». Photo: technoflot.com
Turkish and Chinese companies Soyteknik Endüstriyel Ekipmanları, Hels Endüstriyel Mamüller and AFFCO Flow Control have been the most active companies among foreign suppliers. After 2022, the first and last companies have actively participated in Russian exhibitions.
However, Finnish SVK Valves LTD has been the main trade partner of JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot». According to Sayari, it has made almost 170 supplies from 2020 to 2023.
It seems that SVK Valves LTD has become a trading hub for Russian group of companies «Tekhnoflot». It sells its marine fittings and receives Western equipment within Russian «parallel import scheme».
According to Sayari, significant part of products, supplied by SVK Valves to JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot» from 2020 to 2023, has been indicated as produced in Germany and Poland. However, none of suppliers has German or Polish partners. Partners of SVK Valves are solely Turkish companies.
Turkish companies Hels Endustriyel Mamuller and Soyteknik endustriyel Mazelemer (Soyvalves) have been main suppliers of SVK Valves LTD during 2022-2023. They also traded directly with JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot». Their products were marked as manufactured in Turkey, the country of their registration.
Thus, we can suggest that Finnish company buys products of European manufacturers and intermediaries in Finland and then supplies them to Russian enterprises of military industrial complex.
Declarations of conformity by Russian JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot» also support our suggestion that Finnish and Russian companies use schemes of «shadow parallel import» to Russia. According to Federal Service of Accreditation of Russia, since 2022, «Tekhnoflot» has submitted over 20 declarations about marine fittings, valves and other similar products manufactured by Western companies. Their list includes German Oventrop GmbH & Co. KG Herose GmbH and Armaturen-Wolff Friedrich H.Wolff GmbH Co.KG; Dutch Winteb B.V, Finnish Rauplan OY., Croatian Inelteh D.O.O.
JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot» does not hide its cooperation with European suppliers and directly mentions it on its official website. For example, the product on photo below contains the name of German manufacturer – Armaturen-Wolff – Hamburg/.
It is worldwide known German manufacture of equipment Armaturen-Wolff Friedrich H.Wolff GmbH. Its official website indicates SVK Valves as its partner. There is nothing illegal as it is de jure Finnish company but – Russian by origin and destination.
The Center for Journalist Investigations could not contact the management of SVK Valves LTD by contact data indicated on its official website. Phone calls are going through but nobody picks the phone and calls back. The CJI is ready to publish the position of company about facts of its connections with sanctioned Russian JSC «PO «Tekhnoflot» when the CJI will receive it.
