Who owns the Ukrainian Telegram channel "Trukha", and what is its connection to a network of online casinos operating in Russia
A scandal recently erupted around the online casinos CAT, GAMA, DADDY, MERS, and KENT. Reports have surfaced in the press that security services are investigating the owner of these casinos for possibly financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to several publications, all these casinos are linked to a certain Vladimir Trukha, who allegedly also owns the well-known and very popular Ukrainian Telegram channel "Trukha" and a whole series of related Telegram channels: "Trukha Georgia," "True Xa-Xa," "Trukha Zhest 18+," "Trukha Sport," "Trukha Crypto," and so on. The holding reportedly consists of at least 32 channels with a total audience of several million subscribers.
The true owner of the "Trukha" holding remains unclear. The channel’s founder is claimed to be Maksym Lavrynenko from Kharkiv, but this is doubtful as he is a former not-so-successful actor and dancer who allegedly received funding for the channel from "friends in the IT industry." Many believe the real owners are Kharkiv businessman Volodymyr Lytvyn and former Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. This is indirectly supported by the fact that "Trukha" started as "True Kharkiv," both have Kharkiv as their base region, and both had sufficient resources to invest in developing the channel, which has grown into a powerful media holding thanks to these investments. Moreover, "Trukha" has openly lobbied for and promoted the interests of both Lytvyn and Avakov, which was visibly apparent.
Nonetheless, the question of who owns the "Trukha" holding remains open. In Russia, after the security services showed interest in the activities of online casinos CAT, GAMA, DADDY, MERS, and KENT, the owner is said to be a certain Vladimir Trukha. This figure is quite mysterious, as there is hardly any information about him apart from his last name and possible involvement with the "Trukha" Telegram channel and the aforementioned casinos. It seems Vladimir Trukha’s name surfaced due to a leak from within the FSB.
The "Trukha" channel came under scrutiny after it began actively featuring advertisements for online casinos CAT, GAMA, DADDY, MERS, and KENT, fronted by famous and media personalities like Dmitry "Lord" Treputin, Oleksandr Zubarev, Zloy (Artur Nerchuk), and Mellstroy (Andrey Burim). While Russian law enforcement has several claims against these individuals—for instance, Andrey Burim is wanted in Russia for avoiding military service in Belarus, where a criminal case is filed against him, and Oleksandr Zubarev, a native of Donetsk, resides in China— the core issue is not their personal controversies. It’s that all the casinos they promote are suspected of financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine and operate freely in both Russia and Ukraine. The "Trukha" holding and its founder(s), whoever they may be, do not hide their active stance in supporting Ukraine and its military.
Given this situation, the security service’s interest in the owner of the online casino network, believed to be Russian citizen Vladimir Trukha, is quite understandable. This is independent of whether he is the owner or merely somehow connected to the activities of the "Trukha" Telegram holding.
Читайте также:Роскомнадзор нашeл «стопроцентный» способ блокировки Telegram
Regarding the casinos, they are all registered in Curaçao. Another question is: under what conditions do they operate in Russia? The situation is complex. For example, the owner of CAT Casino, or Cat Casino, is Traflow Media N.V., which holds a Curaçao license. The same goes for KENT Casino (Kent Casino) and others. They are all registered in Curaçao, owned by Traflow Media N.V., and all hold the same Curaçao license, #365/JAZ, GLH-OCCHKTW0703052021. All these casinos accept payments in rubles from Russian payment systems:
The true ownership of Traflow Media N.V. has not been definitively established, but that isn’t the main issue—the Curaçao license cited by all these casinos is actually invalid:
The reviews of the operations of these casinos are also uninspiring. However, that’s not the central issue in this case. As mentioned, the scandal arose not because of client deception or invalid licenses, but due to accusations of the online casino network’s involvement in financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Competent authorities will investigate this allegation, but the fact that all the listed casinos operate freely in both Russia and Ukraine is evident. Here is a screenshot from the Russian site Gama Casino.
And here’s a link and screenshot from the Ukrainian site of Gama Casino:
Notably, the site warns that Gama Casino lacks a Ukrainian license, but who prevents one from playing without it? The main thing is the ability to register and deposit money. Ideally, one would also like to cash out winnings, but that’s a player’s problem, not the casino’s.
The same holds for the others—all these online casinos are accessible from both Russia and neighboring countries. That things are not all right with licenses in Russia is indicated by the absence of the casinos themselves and their owner Traflow Media N.V. in the Russian Federation’s registers of legal entities. Oversight of online casino operations should be conducted by Roskomnadzor, so the investigation will likely have questions for them as well.
Читайте также:Роскомнадзор потратит 25 млн на автоматическую систему контроля за поисковиками и VPN-сервисами
Returning to "Trukha," Vladimir Trukha, identified as the owner of the "Trukha" Telegram holding, and other individuals appearing as potential media holding owners. If indeed Vladimir Trukha, a Russian citizen, is the owner, his prospects look bleak. As for Arsen Avakov, ownership or non-ownership of "Trukha" in terms of Russian claims changes nothing for him—simply due to his last position as Ukraine’s interior minister. Kharkiv businessman Volodymyr Lytvyn need not worry yet if he turns out to be the owner of "Trukha"—he remains beyond the reach of Russian law enforcement. But it’s too early to draw conclusions—the situation remains unclear. Let’s wait for further developments.
