Stepanenko's father and his company have supported Russia's war in Ukraine for years

RIGA - Sergey Fedotov, the father of politician Julija Stepanenko (Sovereign Power/New Latvians), and his company, Forma ZHBI, have provided material support to Russian troops in Ukraine for several years. As early as 2022, the company manufactured anti-tank barriers and stoves, and later Fedotov donated vehicles to a foundation involved in supplying the troops, LETA has found out.

In an interview with The Insider, Fedotov confirmed that he is Stepanenko’s father. LETA has previously reported on his generous donations to the politician, who, in turn, refused to explain their origin. Fedotov told the publication that, following travel restrictions, he had given his apartment in Riga to his daughter.

The newspaper 41+ Solnechnogorsk (41+ Солнечногорск) reported in November 2022 that Forma ZHBI, together with KROST, had begun producing so-called "dragon’s teeth". In a December 6 publication, Fedotov himself confirmed his willingness to continue providing assistance: "If additional help is needed to produce a new batch, we are always ready to participate." He noted that the company is capable of producing more than 150 concrete structures per day.

Fedotov also explained his company’s role in the production of stoves - partners prepared the blueprints, while his company supplied the metal and assembled the stoves. In Moscow, they were additionally equipped with grates and chimneys. "The products are then sent to the front," said Fedotov.

The same article reported that 2,000 defensive fortifications and approximately 50 stoves were produced over the course of a month. The concrete barriers were sent to the Belgorod region and the Russian-occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In an October 2024 publication, Alexei Shashkin, a representative of the Valor (Доблесть) foundation, named Fedotov among the businesspeople helping to prepare shipments for delivery to the war zone. The newspaper reported that Fedotov had donated a GAZ Sobol vehicle worth one million rubles to the foundation. Russian combat units, including BARS, have also received shipments from the foundation.

The family’s former company, Forma-Stroy - in which Fedotov held a 60 percent stake and Stepanenko’s half-sister, Anna Makarovskaya, held a 10 percent stake - also received military contracts. The STAR database contains a 2015 contract for the delivery of sand to a military unit worth RUB 48,000. Meanwhile, in 2016-2017, the company signed three contracts with the NIID Engine Research Institute worth approximately RUB 3.27 million, including reconstruction work on a diesel engine production facility. One contract, worth approximately RUB 1.76 million, involved adapting the facility for the serial production of diesel engines. The Moscow Region Construction Expertise Register lists funding for the project from the Russian federal budget.

NIID was added to the European Union (EU)’s sanctions list on May 20, 2025, as a supplier to the Russian Ministry of Defense that supports the military-industrial complex. Forma-Stroy entered into these contracts before the sanctions were imposed. In 2019, Forma-Stroy acquired the company Forma ZHBI.

In total, Checko lists seven Forma-Stroy contracts with public clients worth approximately RUB 6.5 million. Official records from 2015 and 2016 also confirm subsidies totaling RUB 4.88 million for the purchase and leasing of equipment.

Fedotov’s Forma complex was also visited by Viktor Bout, an illegal arms dealer nicknamed "Merchant of Death," who was sentenced in the U.S. to 25 years in prison and was extradited to Russia in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange program. In a report published on August 2 of this year, the television channel 360 covered a meeting between him and State Duma Deputy Valery Seleznyov with the complex’s employees. The representative of Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) thanked Fedotov for the tour of the complex. The party’s report also mentioned honoring the families of military personnel involved in the war.

Stepanenko refused to disclose details about her father’s company to Latvian Television, citing a desire to protect her family. In interviews with other media outlets, the politician has emphasized that she will not disown her father or turn her back on him.