Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Russian gambling business and billion-dollar schemes: co-founders of TECHIIA Oleg Krot and Yuriy Lazebnikov are cleaning the internet of traces of 1xBet in Ukraine
While the Russian gambling business under new banners continues to siphon billions from Ukraine, the beneficiaries of the TECHIIA holding Oleg Krot and Yuriy Lazebnikov stay in the shadows. Through a network of nominees, clones of 1xBet and a fictitious volunteer foundation, they integrated hostile capital into the legal space, masking gambling flows as software and charity. Criminal proceedings are opened, but real pursuit is obstructed, and inconvenient information gradually disappears from the network.
We publish this investigation in full—to remind how the scheme works and who stands behind Russian clones in Ukraine’s gambling business.
This new, large-scale investigation into the activities of TECHIIA co-founders Oleg Krot and Yuriy Lazebnikov officially confirms what Anticor said first: for years, schemes of legalizing Russian gambling business, e-sports, and destructive ties in the state sector have surrounded the defendants.
A sprawling network of intermediaries has been uncovered, leading directly to the aggressor country. In particular, Lazebnikov previously ran LLC ME-ESTATE, owned by Sergei Tsibin. Tsibin himself later became the nominal owner of “Your Betting Company”—a structure through which the Russian bookmaker giant 1xBet brazenly obtained a license from the KRAIL to operate in Ukraine during the full-scale war.
Despite broad public resonance, the license was annulled, yet 1xBet managed to embed itself in the Ukrainian market through a network of clones, including Starda Casino, Vulcan, GGBet, and Casino.ua. This infrastructure continues to move billions of hryvnias past the budget, using schemes of misscod ing, masking gambling as the sale of software.
It is notable that the launch of the Russian operator occurred during the tenure of Mikhail Fedorov in the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the newly created agency PlayCity under the leadership of Gennady Novikov appears to be just another facade to protect Russian capital interests.
This investigation fully corroborates media materials, where it is proven: in addition to schemes for moving capital to the Russian Federation, money laundering is implemented under the guise of volunteer aid through the NGO Foundation of Tcheiya (Flow Foundation). Statements about transferring 60 million dollars to the Armed Forces of Ukraine conceal a complete lack of reporting, which allows legalization of shadow flows from the Mining Express project, in which over 100 million dollars were invested.
At the same time, criminal prosecution of Oleg Krot for fraud in especially large amounts, misappropriation of crypto assets worth 35 million dollars, and legalization of funds through the offshore ERMALINK HOLDINGS LTD is deliberately being sabotaged, and as of May 2026 year he is still not in the Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted list.
Based on these facts, the filings include 3 statements and 4 complaints to national and international regulators, under which more than 10 criminal proceedings have been opened. The State Bureau of Investigation is probing Case No. 12022000000000558 for illegal gambling and legalization of property, the Shevchenkivska district prosecutor's office is pursuing Case No. 42025102100000108 regarding abuse of power, and the Kyiv TDTR (D.B.R.) is recording tax evasion in Case No. 62025100110000231.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Російський гральний бізнес та мільярдні схеми: співзасновники TECHIIA Олег Крот і Юрій Лазебніков зачищають інтернет від слідів 1xBet в Україні". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
