28.02.2025
Cybercrimes
Millions at war: how and on what do owners of charitable foundations and telegram channels make money?
The war in Ukraine has become not only a large-scale tragedy for millions of people, but also a great opportunity for those who seek to profit from the misfortunes of their compatriots. It was at this time that a galaxy of “volunteers” appeared, quickly establishing charitable foundations and collecting donations “for the army,” “to help IDPs,” and the like. But where the money actually went is a rhetorical question.
The millionaire telegram channel Insider UA, a well-known Ukrainian channel, has also repeatedly announced fundraisers to help the Armed Forces and Ukraine, but is it worth believing an anonymous telegram channel that constantly publishes unverified information and obviously paid-for materials?
Charitable activities and wealth of “Insider UA”
Through research and study of money transfer chains, we found that one of the people involved in the activities of Insider UA is a certain Andriy Sakharov. During the war, the number of subscribers to his telegram channel grew to more than a million, which is an undoubted indication of his growing wealth, as only one advertisement on the channel costs $1800.
Sakharov is the founder and sole owner of the charitable foundation “Insider Help”, which allegedly raises funds to help Ukraine during the war. And while it is not possible to get acquainted with the reports of the funds actually transferred to the Armed Forces, we can study Sakharov’s own wealth acquired during the war.
Thus, according to the registers, the man owns five apartments in the suburbs of Kyiv, in particular in Irpin and Sofiyivska Borshchahivka, as well as two premium cars: An Audi RS Q8 made in 2020 and a Mercedes-Benz S 580 made in 2023. It’s worth noting that the latter car was purchased during the war, when most Ukrainians were going through hard times. So what kind of business is it that allows him to accumulate property so quickly?
In addition, despite the mobilization and the ban on men traveling abroad, Sakharov travels frequently. For example, in August 2023, he visited the Maldives, and in the middle of the same year, France and Italy. In January 2024, he traveled to Dubai again, and in May of the same year, he went to Switzerland. The ease with which Sakharov leaves the country raises the question: does he have a special status? Or perhaps he is allowed to leave through a so-called “white ticket” or a volunteer certificate?
Sakharov is registered as an individual entrepreneur in Sofiyivska Borshchahivka, where he operates an advertising agency. But a significant part of his income is probably the money he receives through Insider Help. Of course, charitable organizations have the right to raise funds, but can we trust a person who suddenly became rich during the war by organizing fundraisers for the army?
Based on our materials, the Kyiv City State Bureau of Investigation registered the case in the URPI under No. 62024100110000202, Part 4, Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office registered it under No. 42024110000000318, Article 189, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The investigation is ongoing, so we are waiting for public comments from Sakharov and explanations about the sources of his war-acquired wealth and the parallel activities of the charity foundation.
By the way, it is interesting to know from Sakharov why the “Insider UA” under his control duplicates the posts of the propagandist Shariy, who has long been notified of high treason in Ukraine?
How do telegram channels make money in a time of war?
And if you think that the story of Sakharov’s Insider UA, who has already managed to make a fortune and travel the world during the war, is the only one, you are probably wrong. Volunteerism is one of the most profitable businesses, so it’s obvious that many Ukrainians want to make extra money from it. Just as they want to make thousands of dollars in profit for a 5-minute planning of a paid-for publication. 
Therefore, after the spread of identical paid-for posts about the “$500 deal of the NGO Non-Stop”, which not only discredited us as activists but also whitewashed the reputation of the owner of Ayboks Bank and FC Leo Degryk-Shevtsova, we conducted a study to assess the amount spent on the media attack. And here’s what we found:
- “Insider UA” – the cost of publication is 1800 dollars.
- UkraineOnline: News | Politics – 1800 dollars.
- All Seeing Eye | Ukraine – $900.
- Lawyer of Law – from 20,000 hryvnias.
- UkrainaSnacha | Us: News, Politics – 42,000 hryvnias.
Thus, the attacker, Degryk-Shevtsova, paid $6,000 for a meaningless series of posts that did not produce any results. And this is only about 5 telegram channels, not to mention other media resources. Of course, administrators of anonymous channels are happy to accept posts of any nature for publication. For them, it’s a way to make money. It doesn’t matter that there is also liability for disinformation and slander.
For example, at the request of Degryk-Shevtsova, telegram channels such as Insider UA also published posts that discredited and thus put pressure on the main witness in the Ayboks Bank case, the former chairman of the board, Petro Melnyk. The publications referred to the man’s involvement in the LGBT community, his flight to Chisinau, and the organization of fictitious rallies.
The articles were obviously humiliating in nature in order to put more pressure on Melnyk and force him to recant his testimony against Degric-Shevtsova in the Ayboks Bank case.
In addition, telegram channels are actively earning money by advertising online casinos with a Russian footprint, such as Gorilla, PARIK24, and others. Despite the fact that publications of the same content are prohibited in Ukraine due to the spread of gambling addiction and the involvement of minors in illegal activities. But who cares about the law if Russian-linked casinos pay twice as much?
So why don’t the Cyber Police, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the AntAC, and other competent authorities control the flow of information coming from anonymous sources? Where is the fight against disinformation that representatives of the agencies so often tell us about in the media?
Similar questions arise to BES Perkhun and the tax authorities represented by Kravchenko. Why aren’t the huge flows of transfers made using crypto wallets controlled? Given the cost of advertising posts in telegram channels alone, the daily turnover of funds on such accounts is enormous. At the same time, everyone knows that cryptocurrency transactions in Ukraine are not taxed, so imagine how much money Ukraine has already lost.
So where is the proper regulation and control? Why do the BES and the tax authorities simply ignore this? Do Ukraine and its army not need tax revenues?
Who is hiding behind the anonymity of telegram channels?
Although most telegram channels position themselves as “anonymous” to avoid further court cases and criminal proceedings, the names of the real owners of such channels have repeatedly surfaced in the media.
For example, the source “Ukraine Now | Us: News, Politics” is controlled by Vyacheslav Mishalov, a Dnipro MP. This is the same official who declared 18 thousand bitcoins, or more than $1 billion in savings. The Mishalov family is well known in Dnipro circles. They have long been stealing the largest budget projects, carrying out low-quality work or not completing them at all.
One of the most high-profile was the scandal surrounding the so-called “golden bridge” in Dnipro, which was built by the Mishalov family. In 2016, the Dnipro city authorities held a tender and signed a contract for the overhaul of the New Bridge with the company Zavod Master Profi owned by Dmytro Mishalov (father of Viacheslav Mishalov) for over UAH 177 million.
Despite the fact that the contractor was clearly delaying the completion of the work, it was later allocated another UAH 71 million from the budget. Ukrstroyremontekhnologiya was the only competitor in this auction, as more favorable offers from four other bidders were simply rejected.
The Mishalov family’s firms had many similar strange deals with the city of Dnipro. In addition, the network was suddenly “cleared” of negative posts about the MP, leaving only interviews praising the man and his companies. So why is Mishalov so protective of his reputation?
We are preparing materials about each of the telegram channels and their real owners. If you know of any other interesting information on this topic, please contact the chatbot or email info.nonstopukraine@gmail.com.
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