Latvia’s prime ministerial candidate did not answer questions about her father — LSM English
In Latvia, prime ministerial candidate Yulia Stepanenko refused to answer questions about the business and political connections of her father, Sergey Fedotov, who lives in the Russian Federation, an aggressor state. Latvian Television reported in an LSM English article that Fedotov hosted Viktor Bout, who was convicted in the United States of arms trafficking, at his enterprise.
Stepanenko heads the electoral list of the Sovereign Power/Union of New Latvians party and is its candidate for head of government ahead of the Saeima elections scheduled for early October. She declared two gifts from her father—money and real estate—with a total value of nearly €420,000. The politician did not explain the origin of these funds or disclose details about her father’s construction business.
Viktor Bout’s visit
According to LTV, more than 30 years ago Fedotov founded the Forma group of construction companies in Solnechnogorsk near Moscow and was a member of the municipal council. In August, the plant he manages was visited by Viktor Bout, who ran for the Russian State Duma from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.
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In a Russian television report, Fedotov is sitting next to Bout during an election event. As LTV notes, videos and photographs also show Fedotov guiding Bout through the enterprise. Bout was released in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange organized by the Kremlin. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Bout had returned to arms trading and was selling weapons to Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis.
Fedotov’s companies’ activities
According to The Insider, Fedotov is the majority owner of the Forma ZhBI and PLK Forma companies in Solnechnogorsk. After the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Forma ZhBI, in which he owns slightly less than 73%, reported producing about 2,000 concrete anti-tank obstacles known as “dragon’s teeth” and tetrapods.
According to the company, these structures were transferred to the Belgorod region and to the territories of Donbas temporarily occupied by Russia. The enterprise also reported transferring stoves to military units. In a comment to The Insider, Fedotov confirmed that he is Stepanenko’s father and that after the border was closed, he transferred all his assets in Latvia to his daughter. Stepanenko refused to comment on The Insider’s information and called the outlet a dubious pseudo-media organization.
