Gambling empire with a Russian trail: Fedorov's role in the legalization of Cosmolot and Cosmobet

In 2023, the Ukrainian media space underwent major changes: Tetyana Snopko emerged on the scene — a media magnate who quickly consolidated a number of popular online resources and Telegram channels such as “All-Seeing Eye” and “BlackBOX OSINT.” But behind the glossy exterior of the media business lie complex schemes of extortion and informational pressure on businesses. Through her channels, Snopko organizes “black PR” and public exposés that effectively serve as instruments of blackmail — entrepreneurs are forced to pay to have compromising materials removed. At the center of this network is also Russian businessman Serhiy Tokaryev, who, under the cover of a legitimate IT business, promotes his gambling businesses Cosmolot and Cosmobet in Ukraine.

Against the backdrop of obvious shadow schemes and large-scale financial fraud, the passivity of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the newly created State Agency “PlayCity,” the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Bureau of Economic Security is striking. The searches and investigations they have conducted are mostly formal and do not lead to real results. Such inaction not only creates the impression of covering up large violations but also undermines trust in state institutions that are supposed to fight corruption, shadow influence, and criminal schemes.

Informational weaponry worth millions despite the media magnate Snopko’s no obvious income

In 2023 a new player appeared on the Ukrainian media market — Tetyana Snopko, who during the year made a number of large acquisitions of media resources and corporate rights. She became the sole owner of LLC “Communication Hub ‘Economy’” and LLC “Mediamania,” which control well-known sites Delo.ua, Womo.ua, MMR.ua and the magazine TOP-100. In addition, Snopko founded LLC “Hub Glavkom” with capital of 10 million hryvnias, owns the publisher rights for the site “Glavkom” — LLC “Ukrainian Media Systems,” and is the beneficiary of the project “Media Hub Ukraine” with capital of 3 million hryvnias. The total value of these assets is estimated at 3,2–4,3 million dollars. At the same time, plans to buy influential Telegram channels have been revealed, indicating the creation of an informational network.

However, in official documents and tax reports Tetyana Snopko presents a very different picture: no large business, official incomes for 2018–2021 years — less than 1,1 million hryvnias per year, minimal assets in the form of an apartment of 42 sq. m and a BMW X3 of 2017 year, and no official employment until 2023. Against this background, it raises the question of where the funds came from for investments of more than 13 million hryvnias into charter capitals and millions into media assets.

The investigation points to a close professional connection between Snopko and Polyakov — a well-known businessman, founder of the technology holding Noosphere, associated with IT, digital platforms, and gambling. For 8,5 years she worked in Polyakov’s PR structures, and he likely became the financial driver of the new media expansion, the architect of the influence network, and the guarantor of ties to the gambling business.

Telegram channels “All-Seeing Eye” and “BlackBOX OSINT” play a special role in Snopko’s system, publishing anonymous and often manipulative exposés. In reality, these are not just channels but an informational weapon that selects a target, launches informational pressure, and offers a “solution” for money. The cost of deleting or neutralizing publications is 1 500–2 000 dollars, paid in cryptocurrency through intermediaries.

In preparing investigations for publication on “BlackBOX OSINT,” Ilya Chudnovskyi, the former director of Kapital and the current head of Delo.ua which is owned by Snopko, Aleksandr Klimashevskyi — a financier who manages crypto payments, Oleksandr Harmash — a content moderator responsible for informational pressure, and Petro Terentiev — a security administrator ensuring anonymity and encryption, were involved.

Connections between Snopko and the gambling business of Russian citizen Serhiy Tokaryev, owner of the Cosmolot and Cosmobet brands, have also been established, which suggests external financing, commissioned attacks on competitors, and the use of “BlackBOX OSINT” as a hybrid tool of influence in the interests of the gambling market.

An example of the scheme’s application is the case involving the Taryan Towers residential complex, where investors’ personal data and fake accusations were published to force them to pay.

Thus, we observe a systematically organized group that, through formally legal media and a Telegram channel, influences business, creates public pressure, and gains financial benefit while hiding behind a media business facade. Public responsibility in this scheme lies not only with Snopko, who is merely the face, but with deeper, more powerful centers of influence aiming to monetize fear through media.

Cosmolot and Cosmobet: how a Russian sanctioned individual built a transnational gambling empire in Ukraine under the cover of Diia.City

Online casinos Cosmolot and Cosmobet are not simply entertainment platforms that formally operate under a license. They are a well-built, multi-level, financially integrated system with all the signs of an organized criminal group. At its core is Russian Federation citizen Tokaryev, also known as a subject of the RNBO sanctions list for financing the terrorist organizations “LNR”/“DNR.” He is the organizer of a large-scale scheme to evade taxes, legalize income, move funds abroad, and retain control through nominal owners and offshore intermediaries.

Cosmolot operates in Ukraine under the name LLC “Spaceix,” a company that since 2021 has held a state license for organizing online gambling. The formal beneficiaries of “Spaceix” are Ukrainian citizen Potapov, who owns over 60 companies, German Arnulf Damerau, who resides in the United Kingdom, and a US-registered company “Nevada Gaming Holding.” However, analysis shows all three serve as cover. The real owner and beneficiary is Tokaryev — a Russian with direct ties to the FSB, businesses in gambling, propaganda structures, and organizations that have supported the Putin regime for years.

This same Tokaryev is the former organizer of banned Russian online casinos “Vulkan,” the Azino Group, “Pharaoh” and “Eldorado,” and a co-founder of Lucky Labs, which operated through the offshore GGS Net Ltd.

Tokaryev’s father, Oleksandr, is a member of the Council of the Interstate Union of Hero Cities of Russia — an organization that since 2004 has been involved in establishing integration processes between Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and unrecognized Abkhazia. Tokaryev himself also has connections with Malofeyev — a Russian oligarch described as one of the main ideologues of the “Russkiy Mir” and a curator of special operations in Ukraine. It was through his networks that Tokaryev promoted the banned casinos “Vulkan” and “Vulkan.bet,” which are under FSB control.

In Ukraine, after his sanctions were lifted in 2020, Tokaryev launched a “white” legalization of his assets: he created the investment fund Roosh and later entered the special legal regime for IT companies “Diia.City.” Thus, the Russian gained access to preferential taxation, state institutional support, and new opportunities to mask real financial flows under the cover of a legitimate IT business.

Cosmolot’s illegal activities were accompanied by large-scale fraud. According to the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, on 5 February 2024, 700 million hryvnias were seized from accounts associated with Cosmolot-related structures. The total amount of tax evasion is estimated at 1,2 billion hryvnias. The company used over 30 “mirror” sites with identical functionality through which payments were routed without tax accounting. This enabled parallel “gray” gambling operations and uncontrolled extraction of millions.

Financial flows passed through the offshore XGen Solutions LTD (Cyprus), which allegedly sold Cosmolot’s software. The company wrote off 300 million hryvnias as fictitious royalties, allowing profit tax to be understated by 63 million. Another 53 million hryvnias were transferred as fictitious advertising through shell companies: “Inflens Skill,” “Stroy City Management,” “Spektr System LTD.” A separate element was the “deposit return” scheme, through which players were supposedly refunded 4,5 billion hryvnias. In reality, taxes and the military levy on these amounts were not paid, which made it possible to avoid an additional 1,01 billion hryvnias of personal income tax and 83 million hryvnias of the military levy.

Cash flows were split through a network of financial companies: “AP.MI Finance,” “Diamond Pay,” “FC Resonance-Capital” (now — “Finkit”), and were disbursed via P2P transfers through cards of Oschadbank, Universal Bank and Vostok Bank. This architecture complicated identification of users and transactions.

The online casino Cosmobet operated under an identical scheme: it created the legal entity LLC “Neurolink,” registering it to a straw person — Zborovskyi, who has a dubious reputation and virtually no income. In financial operations LLC “Neurolink” also involved offshore companies, thereby extracting million-dollar gambling profits from Ukraine.

Based on the collected materials, we appealed to law enforcement and regulatory bodies demanding an investigation into Snopko’s media group and its connections to Serhiy Tokaryev’s gambling business. The facts uncovered indicate systematic use of media for pressure, extortion and money laundering, financing of terrorism through the still-operating Russian businessman’s business, and, importantly, the participation of Ukrainian officials in the schemes, which poses a threat to Ukraine’s informational security and economic stability. We insist on a thorough inquiry and holding those responsible to account.