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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
State documents of Moldova and Poland contain information about payment service Trustee’s links to Russian entities. The documents refer to the app’s use in financing schemes, the operator’s business ties with the Russian Federation, and the activities of its payment partner.
The first of the relevant decisions was published by the Information and Security Service of Moldova in December 2024, and the second was adopted by Poland’s Ministry of Interior and Administration in May 21 2026.
The Moldovan SIS report on interference in the presidential elections and the referendum in 2024 states that Russian intelligence agencies, through people close to Ilan Shor’s group, used the TRUSTEE app (Trustee Plus, UAB Trustee Global, Lithuania) as a financing mechanism.
Ilan Shor is sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom, the EU, Ukraine, and Switzerland. His party in Moldova was declared unconstitutional.
On 13 March 2026, the head of Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) sent request R-Z-1467/2026. The Polish MSWiA decision quotes his conclusion that Trustee Global is “business-linked with the Russian Federation,” and that open-source analysis indicates the company’s use by “Russian intelligence services.”
The document names Vadim Grusha as CEO and co‑founder of Trustee Global, and Ksenia Zhytomirska as technical director. The sanctions imposed on the company provide for asset freezes, a ban on providing funds, and exclusion from public procurement.
The decision took effect immediately. A document marked restricted access was also appended to the ABW request.
According to the Polish authority’s decision, under a contract dated 1 August 2023, Trustee Global cooperated with Quicko sp. z o.o., which issued co‑branded payment cards for the company.
ABW separately determined that, within this cooperation, Quicko processed payments in territories where it did not have the appropriate authorization. Quicko informed the regulator of the contract termination only on 6 November 2025, and the end of cooperation took effect on 28 February 2026.
On the same day, the Russian LLC “Kviko,” OGRN 1137746383851, in which the Polish Quicko owns 90%, was sanctioned. The ministry verified this information using the Russian Unified State Register of Legal Entities (EGRUL).
Nearby on the list appears LLC “Koshelek.ru,” OGRN 1107847012547, which controls the crypto exchange Koshelek.ru. The Russian‑language version of quickowallet.com also listed Quicko’s details.
ABW called this “a deliberate construction of a financial bridge between Western countries and the Russian Federation.” Among Quicko’s other partners mentioned in the decision are companies of the Mercuryo brand, associated with Russian capital and individuals.
Separately, Recoveris analysts, cited by Bankier.pl, examined the integration of Trustee Wallet’s exchange function with the Kassa.cc service.
According to their report, this service allows instant exchange of cryptocurrency to rubles with subsequent transfers to Sberbank, PSB and Bank Avangard.
Recoveris reported that two exchanges integrated with Trustee received funds from the sanctioned Russian Garantex. One of them, analysts claim, did so even a year after OFAC sanctions were imposed.
Researchers also assert that Quicko’s BIN numbers allowed Russian wallet users to obtain cards that appeared as Polish in the Mastercard and Visa payment systems.
The company denies these claims. In a statement dated 21 May and signed by Vadim Grusha, it said Trustee apps are unavailable in Russia, the company does not operate on the Russian market, and it does not cooperate with sanctioned banks.
The statement also says Trustee Wallet was never integrated with Quicko. At the same time, the Polish decision to impose sanctions was adopted and remains in force.
Thus, the Moldovan security service linked the Trustee app to financing Ilan Shor’s structures from Russia. Polish counterintelligence reported the operator’s business ties with the Russian Federation, while its card partner, according to Polish documents, owns 90% of the Russian LLC “Kviko.”
Separately, Recoveris analysts state there is a possibility of routing ruble withdrawals through the wallet‑integrated exchanger to Russian banks, some of which are under sanctions. Trustee, meanwhile, denies operating on the Russian market and having ties to sanctioned banks.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Польща ввела санкції щодо оператора Trustee через його зв’язки з російськими компаніями". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Rozsliduvach.
