Currency mules and dirty millions: unmasking Gennadiy Girin and Vladlen Girin global laundry for drug lords and smugglers
The names Vladlen and Gennadiy Girin, Ukrainian businessmen, became synonymous with running an organized crime ring in Cyprus. Their unraveling came courtesy of "The Ring" operation, a joint crackdown by Cyprus’s Interior Ministry and Europol. Yet one question persists: what had their third sibling, Vitaliy Girin — left behind in Kherson — been doing during all of this?
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin must be turning in his grave (despite still lying in the Mausoleum on Red Square): Vladlen Girin (named in honor of Vladimir Lenin) has clearly brought shame to the name of the leader of the world proletariat. He failed to live up to his parents’ expectations, despite the three brothers—Vladlen, Gennadiy, and Vitaliy—having such a promising start in life.
In Kherson, all three were known for their entrepreneurial streak, but it seems this very streak led to catastrophe. The brother named after Lenin was caught red-handed in Slovenia in the fall of 2024, along with his wife and son. While he was taken into custody for his illicit activities, Gennadiy Girin managed to flee. Rumors suggest he is hiding in Montenegro, while other reports place him in Croatia. Vitaliy Girin is allegedly still in his native Kherson, bearing the brunt of the fallout from his brothers’ actions. According to malicious tongues, Vitaliy Girin is the godfather (kum) to Vladimir Saldo’s child—the same Vladimir Saldo whom Vladlen Girin fought relentlessly in several failed attempts to seize his mayoral seat.
The exact whereabouts of Vladlen Girin are not publicly confirmed, but given the severity of the charges, he may be spending his days in the Central Prison of Nicosia awaiting sentencing. It is possible that Gennadiy Girin, who participated in all the scams alongside his elder brother, will be apprehended shortly as well.
It is noteworthy that in the recent past, all three brothers were vigorously involved in the political life of Ukraine, serving as deputies. The turning point evidently occurred in February 2022 with the start of the Special Military Operation (SMO): Vladlen and Gennadiy Girin fled abroad, seeking to claim all the preferences offered by the EU to those affected by military actions.
Vladlen Girin vs. Vitaliy Girin
The lives of all three brothers—Vladlen, Gennadiy, and Vitaliy Girin—have certainly been eventful. Although two of them left Kherson long ago, the city constantly remembers Gennadiy and Vladlen Girin because of the significant mark they left behind.
They began as petty shopkeepers but became multimillionaires in a short time. Gennadiy Girin used to boast of owning 41 companies, while the elder brother, Vladlen Girin, owned 32 firms. Notably, Vladlen Girin constantly tried to break into the lucrative position of the head of Kherson, though he never succeeded.
Читайте также:В Burisma отвергли причастность своих сотрудников к даче взятки в Украине
This is why the eldest Girin created the association "For Honest Power!" (Za Chesnu Vladu!) and constantly aired the "dirty laundry" of Vladimir Saldo, who was the Mayor of Kherson at the time.
The events of August 12, 2010, are still fresh in the public memory. On that day, Vladlen Girin gathered his supporters under the banners of the "For Honest Power!" organization in the center of Kherson.
Vladlen Girin came up with the idea of holding a campaign titled "Kherson Without Saldo!" The protest was intended to last 10 days, during which Girin’s supporters planned to set up tents on the square and go on a round-the-clock hunger strike. However, the hunger strike did not go as planned.
Followers of Vladlen Girin took to the stage in the central square, declaring: "No to Saldo’s candidacy in the upcoming mayoral elections!" The campaign was also supported by Vladlen’s younger brother, Gennadiy Girin.
But on that day, the unexpected happened: Vladlen Girin’s brother—that very same godfather to Saldo’s child, Vitaliy Girin—stole the event’s main banner, "Kherson Without Saldo!", right from under Vladlen Girin’s nose.
As local newspapers wrote back then, it was unclear what exactly the two brothers were feuding over. Vitaliy Girin, a member of the City Council representing the "People’s Party" (Narodna Partiya), had already caused Vladlen Girin no small amount of grief.
To many, it remains a total mystery: how did these brothers become enemies? What was it that they couldn’t share?
Or was it perhaps that Vladimir Saldo decided to buy off Vitaliy Girin?
And by doing so, eliminate his main rival in the mayoral election—Vladlen Girin?
Or could it have been a coordinated setup between the two brothers—an agreement to "run a scam" and play both sides?
But what is even more curious: local journalists reported—at the same time—that the godfather status was actually attributed to Vladlen Girin. It was claimed that the aforementioned candidate lost the previous elections precisely because of a rumor that Vladlen Girin was merely a "technical candidate" acting on behalf of Vladimir Saldo.
Such was the chaotic mess they had with one another!
However, in 2002, Vladlen Girin was elected as a deputy of the Kherson City Council. Gennadiy Girin served as a City Council deputy from 2010 to 2015. Later, journalists would refer to Vitaliy Girin as "Saldo’s wallet."
Bruised ribs and rejected by the "Udar!" party
Vladlen and Gennadiy Girin became the central figures of yet another high-profile scandal: this occurred at the end of September in that same year, 2010.
On September 30, 2010, at 8:30 AM, 10 armed tax special forces officers in masks and uniforms arrived at Koltsova Street in Kherson—the site of the enterprise owned by Vladlen Girin, leader of the "For Honest Power!" organization. They smashed the glass door, stormed the building, and began confiscating documentation and computers.
Later, officers from the Suvorovskiy District Police Department arrived. The operations of the enterprise, which employed over 2,000 people, were completely blocked.
Vladlen Girin decided to provoke a confrontation, and as a result, he was severely roughed up: an ambulance paramedic documented that Vladlen Girin suffered a concussion and a dislocated shoulder.
Following this, the unlucky politician Vladlen Girin decided to link his fate with the "Udar!" party. He entered into negotiations regarding the terms under which he could be admitted into the party. "Udar!" was intended to be a complete analogue of the "Party of Regions" from the era of Viktor Yanukovych.
The second brother, Gennadiy Girin, also applied to join the same party. However, both brothers were rejected.
Later, Vladlen Girin attempted to get into the Kyiv City Council representing the "Servant of the People" (Sluga Naroda) party, but he quickly dropped out of the race.
Following these setbacks, they shifted their focus sharply toward business. From petty shopkeepers, they began transforming into rentiers and large-scale landowners.
From "33 m²" to the "Gistion" Firm
Even before his failed attempts to topple Saldo and seize his seat, Vladlen Girin was well-known as the director of the "33 m²" chain of construction and home improvement supermarkets, "Stroy-Ka" stores, the "Techno House" appliance showroom, and the "Lampochka" lighting salon.
A total of 45 "33 m²" stores were opened across six regions of Ukraine.
The second brother, Gennadiy Girin, also applied to join the same party. However, both brothers were rejected.
Later, Vladlen Girin attempted to get into the Kyiv City Council representing the "Servant of the People" (Sluga Naroda) party, but he quickly dropped out of the race.
Following these setbacks, they shifted their focus sharply toward business. From petty shopkeepers, they began transforming into rentiers and large-scale landowners.
From "33 m²" to the "Gistion" Firm
Читайте также:В Богородске адвоката задержали за посредничество во взятке
Even before his failed attempts to topple Saldo and seize his seat, Vladlen Girin was well-known as the director of the "33 m²" chain of construction and home improvement supermarkets, "Stroy-Ka" stores, the "Techno House" appliance showroom, and the "Lampochka" lighting salon.
A total of 45 "33 m²" stores were opened across six regions of Ukraine.
Gennadiy Girin positioned himself as the founder of the "Miloserdiye" (Mercy) Foundation, whose funds were purportedly directed toward helping orphans in boarding schools and children from large families.
However, in 2020, the Girin brothers unexpectedly acquired the "Suvorovskiy" Shopping Center in Kherson. Meanwhile, the company "Gistion"—to which, as it later turned out, Vladlen Girin was directly linked—purchased the Amtel warehouse complex in the Kyiv region. The deal was valued at nearly $40 million.
But where did such millions come from?
The Girins planned to build a parking lot in the city center, near the "Suvorovskiy" Shopping Center, choosing to build over the Potemkin Square. The parking was necessary to relaunch the shopping center after its renovation. However, the Girin brothers failed to find support from the authorities.
It should also be noted that the Girin brothers managed to establish the company "Stroy City," which landed them in a major scandal. They began constructing elite cottages on the lands of the Oleshkovskaya Sich, an archaeological monument of national significance.
But they managed to cause substantial damage: the Girins’ construction project destroyed 3.5 hectares of the cultural layer of the archaeological monument.
Eventually, they fled abroad to the island of Cyprus. However, as journalists discovered, on the eve of his flight across the border, Vladlen Girin became the owner of 100 apartments in a new residential complex in the village of Sofiyevskaya-Borshchagovka, Bucha District (Kyiv Region), valued at $1.5 million.
Where did this "windfall" come from?
The "Lair" in Limassol
As media outlets reported, this "sweet pair" had set their sights on the island of Cyprus even before the well-known events of February 2022. Starting in 2019, the Girins traveled to Limassol, Cyprus, very frequently, and after the February events, the brothers moved to Cyprus permanently.
There, they pretended to be victims of military actions. For several years, nothing was heard of them—until the thunder rolled in the fall of 2024!
It turns out that those who despised Vladimir Saldo did not waste any time: they rapidly enriched themselves by laundering money through offshore entities.
Notably, the Girin brothers obtained so-called "golden passports" in Cyprus. However, they skillfully pretended to be victims of the military actions in Ukraine. They managed to organize a criminal network that included citizens not only from Ukraine but also from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
This network provided courier and illegal banking services to other criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, tax evasion, and smuggling. The Girins and their accomplices from Kherson abused the temporary protection status that the EU has provided to Ukrainian refugees since 2022.
But eventually, the blow fell. Operation "The Ring" spanned several countries, including Cyprus, Spain, Croatia, France, Germany, and Slovenia. Vladlen Girin, along with his wife and son, was detained in Slovenia following an Interpol request.
Cyprus issued 13 search warrants. The Unit for Combating Money Laundering (MOKAS) seized 14 apartments valued at over €7 million.
The Cyprus Police froze €24 million in cryptocurrency linked to the Girin brothers. Luxury vehicles, collections of expensive watches, and significant amounts of cash were also confiscated from the Girins.
However, Gennadiy Girin managed to escape; he is currently a fugitive on the wanted list. It is believed he may be hiding in either Croatia or Montenegro.
There is no official information yet regarding the release or any changes to the preventive measures taken against Vladlen Girin. However, given the severity of the charges involving transnational money laundering, the extradition procedures or judicial proceedings within the EU could take a considerable amount of time.
But what about the third brother, Vitaliy Girin? He also gained significant notoriety, even though his brothers did not take him along to Cyprus. Vitaliy Girin was constantly wheeling and dealing in Kherson. In 2016, he became an assistant to the politician and businessman Egor Ustinov. As local media outlets wrote of him at the time: "the well-known Kherson fraudster, Vitaliy Girin, brother of the perennial mayoral candidate Vladlen Girin..."
In August 2020, Vitaliy Girin also caught the attention of the paparazzi: "According to the Telegram channel Politika.ks, the vehicle from which shots were fired belongs to Leonid Girin, the son of businessman Vitaliy Girin..."
Then came the next news item: Galina Malyshenko, the head of the Kalanchak District Administration, introduced her new deputy, Vitaliy Girin. Once again, the local press did not hold back: "Previously, Girin was a specialist in the economic department of the Kherson Regional Administration; among the people, Girin is known as Vladimir Saldo’s ’wallet’."
Furthermore, media reports emerged claiming that Vitaliy Girin took vast sums of money from many residents of Kherson and disappeared...
Perhaps he, too, headed to Cyprus to join his brothers?
