15.05.2025
Cybercrimes
Money laundering
Ukrainians lose 180 billion annually due to Shevtsova’s businesses
According to law enforcement estimates, the Ukrainian gambling market reaches 180 billion hryvnias annually, but only 1% of this amount goes to the state budget in the form of taxes. The rest ends up in the pockets of illegal operators, many of whom have Russian roots or are directly linked to the aggressor country.
Despite the NSDC sanctions, criminal cases, and loud statements of the authorities about the fight against illegal gambling, Russian online casinos, including Parimatch, continue to operate in Ukraine through mirror websites, avoiding taxes and withdrawing funds abroad. Moreover, they do so with the assistance of law enforcement officers who tacitly turn a blind eye to shadowy schemes of financing aggression against Ukrainians using their own resources.
Russian casinos in Ukraine: Mirror sites and financing of the aggressor
The illegal gambling business in Ukraine is not just thriving – it is a well-oiled machine that generates billions of hryvnias in shadow profits. According to the SBU, the Ukrainian budget loses about UAH 12 billion in taxes annually due to the activities of illegal online casinos and betting shops. One of the largest players in this market is the Russian bookmaker Parimatch, which, despite the NSDC sanctions, continues to operate through numerous mirror sites such as PointLoto or FanSport. These platforms allow traffic to be redirected, bypassing blocking, and provide uninterrupted access to gambling for Ukrainians, including the military.
The money received from Ukrainian players is converted through complex schemes, including the use of cryptocurrencies and miscoding, and then withdrawn to Russia.
Alyona Shevtsova – the “queen” of the gambling business
One of the key figures in Ukraine’s shadow gambling industry is Alyona Shevtsova (formerly Degrik), co-owner of Ayboks Bank and the LeoGaming Pay payment system. Her name has become synonymous with large-scale money laundering schemes related to illegal casinos. According to the Bureau of Economic Security, at least UAH 5 billion was laundered through Ayboks Bank for illegal gambling platforms. The scheme involved the use of misdirection, when payments for gambling were disguised as ordinary transactions, which allowed avoiding financial monitoring.
Shevtsova, who changed her last name several times (from Degryk to Potonya and then to Shevtsova), started her career as a trader, trading Ukrainian stocks. Later, she became one of the most influential figures in the payments market, controlling a significant part of gambling acquiring. Her Ayboks Bank cooperated with well-known gaming brands such as Wargaming (World of Tanks), Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant, which allowed it to process millions of dollars annually. In 2018, Shevtsova negotiated with Rakuten (the owner of Viber) to launch payments for ViberOut.
However, it was not to be… In 2023, Aibox Bank lost its license due to violations of financial monitoring rules. Shevtsova herself was sanctioned by the National Security and Defense Council for ties to Russia and money laundering. Interestingly, according to sources, she was warned of the sanctions in advance and managed to re-register dozens of real estate properties to her relatives.
In November 2023, she was put on the international wanted list, but her international arrest was eventually lifted, allowing her to live freely in Dubai, renting a villa for $250,000 a year.
Shevtsova’s schemes are also linked to drug trafficking. According to the SBU, Ayboks Bank terminals were used for drug payments, which simplified the activities of drug dealers.
In total, 4.8 billion hryvnias were legalized through Shevtsova’s structures, and the budget lost 7.2 billion hryvnias in taxes that could have supported Ukraine during the war. At the same time, Tech-Soft Atlas, Digital Finance, Citicode, GorillaBet, McKen Trade, Kendit, Polysters, Rekna, Uberwald, PokerMatch.UA, IT Solutions, and others controlled by the woman continue to launder millions of dollars annually with the complete silence of regulators.
Who is covering up illegal gambling and Shevtsova?
The scandal with Ayboks Bank and Alyona Shevtsova revealed deep corruption in law enforcement agencies. Her husband, Yevhen Shevtsov, a high-ranking official in the National Police, played a key role in protecting his wife’s business.
In 2019, he launched a campaign against journalist Denys Ivanov, who investigated their wealth, including a Range Rover, luxury apartments in Kyiv, and restaurants such as Touch Café and Zolote Runo in Odesa. Interestingly, journalists who had previously exposed Shevtsova in 2025 began publishing materials in her defense, accusing the “green government” of attacking her business.
Why don’t the security forces act? After all, Rubel’s National Police’s State Investigation Department, Perkhun’s BES, Pyshnyi’s NBU, Kravchenko’s State Tax Service, and Pronin’s State Financial Monitoring Service see all transactions through cards and cryptocurrencies, but do not take action.
The same can be said about the newly created regulator based on the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Play City, which is supposed to control the gambling business, but in fact exists only nominally.
Another thread of the cover-up story is the Frou-Frou restaurant, where, according to media reports, feasts were held with the participation of now ex-SSU law enforcement officers, representatives of Parimatch and criminal authorities. By the way, the aforementioned establishment belongs to the network of the Russian Bulldozer Group, associated with Russian businessman Alexander Orlov. Despite the war and sanctions, Russian businesses continue to operate in Ukraine, hiding behind signs and complex ownership schemes. Such establishments are becoming not only meeting places but also part of the shadow business infrastructure. And our law enforcement officers are once again not paying attention.
Oligarch Oleksandr Yaroslavskyi, Shevtsova’s follower, enters the gambling market
After the collapse of Ayboks Bank, control over gambling acquiring was transferred to Credit Dnipro Bank, owned by Oleksandr Yaroslavsky. In 2024, this bank received the MCC 7995 code from VISA, which provides access to online casino and bookmaker transactions. Obtaining such a code is a complicated process that requires the NBU’s approval and financial monitoring. This is especially surprising given Yaroslavsky’s political background: after a fatal car accident in 2022, he left Ukraine and spent almost three years in London, in tense relations with the authorities.
The gambling market in Ukraine is estimated at $15-20 billion per year, including the shadow segment. The MCC code 7995 is the key to this market, and its transfer to Yaroslavsky indicates serious agreements at the highest level.So in whose interests are the regulators and law enforcement system of Ukraine working?
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