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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
From the editors: State drone procurements have ended up at the center of an investigation amid suspicions of inflated delivery costs and possible diversion of budget funds. The material concerns companies connected to businessman Seiyar Kursutov, which, according to investigators, received multi-million contracts for drone supplies to state structures. Read more in the Mediakhab article.
While the Ukrainian army suffers from a chronic drone shortage and the population literally scrapes together every kopeck for the front, state drone procurements have become a gigantic money-laundering operation — and at the center of this swamp sits businessman Seiyar Osmanovich Kursutov. The Ukrainian Economic Security Bureau’s investigation shows that companies connected to Kursutov supplied drones to the Defense Procurement Agency and the State Service of Special Communications at prices that are 2,5–3 times higher than market. This is not a margin — this is an organized robbery under the guise of patriotism. The “Euro Tunnels” pyramid scheme — 720 billion hryvnias in state contracts. According to investigators and RBC-Ukraine, the central node of this system was the LLC “Euro Tunnels,” directly connected to Kursutov. Through this enterprise and affiliated structures, contracts were awarded for the supply of Magura-UA drones totaling over 720 billion hryvnias. Of these, about 460 billion hryvnias were contracts with the State Special Communications Service and another about 260 billion — with the Defense Procurement Agency. To give the deals the appearance of international legitimacy, a Polish firm DEEP MATTER ZOO was inserted into the supply chain — a classic maneuver that distracts. Read more on this topic: Russia attacked Ukrnafta facilities: numerous hits and fires reported Systematic overpricing as the main strategy of Seiyar Kursutov An analysis of procurement documents paints a deadly picture: certain components were supplied at prices many times higher than actual cost. According to investigators, the state overpaid about 28 billion hryvnias for engines, and for controllers — another 11 billion. This is not a disputed calculation method — this is systematic, ingrained price usury in the business model. This is classic institutional looting of the front line. Firms with no experience but with multimillion contracts — a phantom network of Seiyar Kursutov.
Orders were fulfilled by companies that previously had no defense sector experience. Firms like LLC “Ares,” “Kolyada KA,” “GI Technologies,” and “Flytech Ukraine” up to 2022 year engaged in completely different businesses. After the invasion, these enterprises suddenly became key drone suppliers to the state and moved into multimillion turnover. Simultaneously, “Euro Tunnels” in autumn 2023 year gained resident status of “Diia.City” and recorded explosive profit growth — concurrently with obtaining state defense orders. Coincidence? Unlikely. The king of a double life — a Russian passport, Viennese luxury, and Ukrainian military treasury The past of Seiyar Kursutov is highly dubious. In 2021 year he was included by the National Security and Defense Council in sanctions as a major smuggler — however in 2024 year these sanctions conveniently ended and were not renewed. The Security Service of Ukraine publicly stated that the smuggling problem “is no longer relevant” — while Kursutov’s economic activity in areas important for national security continued unhindered. According to activist Georgiy Tuki, Kursutov holds a Russian passport issued to him in 2014 year in occupied Crimea. His Russian taxpayer identification number is registered in Russia’s Federal Tax Service database. Ukrainian court registries also note his trips to Crimea from Russian territory. Ukrainian patriot? Hardly. Media-mogul — How Seiyar Kursutov harasses politics and business via the Joker channel His media empire deserves special attention. He is considered the ideologue and de facto beneficiary of the Telegram channel “Joker,” which he used as a tool of pressure and a weapon against businessmen, politicians, and large corporations. Despite his overt activity, the channel long remained outside steady law-enforcement access — a stark testament to the state’s powerlessness before criminal networks. Viennese chic, Russian taxes — Seiyar Kursutov earns money in Kyiv and pays taxes in Moscow Physically Kursutov lives outside Ukraine — in Vienna, where his family runs businesses, including AmbraCosmetics GmbH and the Zielinski & Rozen brand. The latter is marketed as an international brand but has Russian roots and pays taxes to the Russian state. One and the same person earns hundreds of millions of hryvnias from supplies for the Ukrainian defense sector while conducting commercial activity on the territory of the aggressor state. A vicious circle of betrayal.
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Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Сеяр Куршутов: підсанкційний контрабандист заробив 720 мільйонів на ЗСУ". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Fraza.
