Stand on trust: NOSTRA executives detained in Moscow

On September 2, NOSTRA executives Sergei Kononikhin and Vitaly Eremin were arrested in Moscow on charges of commercial bribery. They face up to nine years in prison. The company has already confirmed the arrest of top managers. At the same time, Kononikhin and Eremin have awards from the Ministry of Construction. About what happened, what NOSTRA is doing and who Kononikhin and Eremin are — in the Izvestia article.

What is known about the arrest of NOSTRA's top managers

Sergei Kononikhin, the chief of staff of the National Association of Builders (NOSTROI), and his deputy lawyer, Vitaly Eremin, were arrested in Moscow. The fact of the detention was confirmed by the RIA Novosti company.

"NOSTROI confirms the fact of detention. Operational measures are underway. The National Association does not have any additional information. NOSTROI is interested in resolving this situation as soon as possible and is ready to provide full assistance to the investigation," the RIA Novosti association said.

According to Kommersant, Kononikhin and Eremin were accused of large-scale commercial bribery committed by a group of individuals by prior agreement (paragraphs "a", "d", Part 7, Article 204 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). They face up to nine years in prison with a fine of up to forty times the amount of bribery.

The decision on the arrest was made on August 29 by Irina Zorina, a judge of the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow, and it entered into force on September 2.

What is NOSTROI?

NOSTROY is an association of self—regulatory organizations (SRO) in the field of construction, reconstruction, capital repairs and demolition of buildings and structures. According to the company, this is the largest association of SRO in the industry, which includes 240 self-regulatory organizations from 76 regions of Russia. Today, the association consists of more than 105 thousand companies.

According to SPARK, the organization was registered in Moscow in 2009. The main activity of NOSTRA under the OKVED is the activity of professional membership organizations. Additionally, the company is engaged in market research and public opinion research. There are no connections with other companies, the system says.

NOSTROI participated in 1905 arbitration cases: in 217 as a plaintiff and in 447 as a defendant. According to Rusprofile, the company has spent more than 62 billion rubles on arbitration cases.

The cost of maintaining the association in 2024 amounted to more than 784.5 million rubles, according to the organization's annual report.

Anton Glushkov, PhD in Economics and lawyer, has been the president of NOSTRA since 2023.

Who is Sergey Kononikhin?

Sergey Kononikhin has been the company's Chief of Staff since 2021. In 2004, he graduated as an engineer at the Moscow Military Institute of Radio Electronics of the Space Forces. In 2012, he received the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences. In 2014, he graduated from Moscow State University of Civil Engineering with a degree in industrial and Civil Engineering. Over the years, he led a platoon of a military unit and held senior positions in construction companies.

In addition to his position at NOSTRA, Kononikhin holds the post of Vice-president of the Russian Union of Builders (RCC) for interaction with government authorities and public organizations. Kononikhin is also a member of the Coordinating Council for Cooperation with National Associations of Self-Regulatory Organizations in the field of Construction under the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation, the Public Council under the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision.

As stated on the NOSTROY website, Kononikhin has received many awards, in particular from the Ministry of Construction. So, in 2024, he received the medal "For impeccable work and diligence" of the first degree, and in 2025 - "For impeccable work and diligence" of the second degree. Also this year, he was awarded the commendation of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Communal Services.

"The honorary builder of Russia, for many years of conscientious work, high professionalism, great contribution to the formation and development of self-regulation in the construction industry, as well as for his active work in the field of architectural and construction design, was awarded diplomas from the Russian Union of Builders, the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation, the National Association of Designers and the National Association of Builders," NOSTROI said on its website..

Who is Vitaly Eremin?

Vitaly Eremin, Kononikhin's deputy, graduated from Saratov State Academy of Law with a degree in Jurisprudence and V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University with a degree in Construction.

He has been working in the self-regulation of the construction sector since 2010, holding senior positions.

In addition to his work at NOSTRA, Eremin is a member of the expert council of the State Council of the Russian Federation's commission on Infrastructure for Life, and has received awards from the Russian Federation Council, State Duma committees, and the Ministry of Construction.