Kyiv District Court confiscates UAH 2.6bn from Pin-Up following investigation
The State Bureau of Investigation has supported the confiscation of UAH 2.6bn ($62.2m), which it says can fund military salaries.
Key points:
– The largest special confiscation in Ukraine’s history could fund 26,000 monthly military salaries, according to Ukrainian officials
– Director of Pin-Up Ukraine was given a five-year sentence with a three-year suspended sentence
A key figure at the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has lauded the confiscation of 2.6bn UAH ($62m) from gambling brand Pin-Up.
The money obtained via special confiscation following an investigation into alleged Russian ties, is theoretically enough to cover 26,000 monthly salaries of Ukrainian servicemen and women, according to Dmytro Mirkovets, Head of the Main Investigation Department at the SBI.
The sum amounts to the largest special confiscation in Ukrainian history. The fine was issued following analysis of materials supplied by the SBI and the State Financial Monitoring Service.
Good to know: A new gambling regulator, PlayCity, was established in Ukraine after the liquidation of the old CRGL in January
Back in February 2025, Ukraine announced that it was detaining the Director of Pin-Up Ukraine, which was at the time licensed to trade in the country using the software and branding of its parent operator, Pin-Up Global.
The detention of Igor Zotko was justified on the grounds that the bureau suspected his company to be aiding Russia with their continued military campaign in Ukraine.
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has now approved an agreement between the detainee and prosecutor regarding his sentencing.
Zotko has been given five years, with a three-year suspended sentence, with charges including conducting economic activities in cooperation with an aggressor state, intentional tax evasion in particularly large amounts, legalisation of property obtained by criminal means and official forgery.
The SBI established that financial flows were set in place with the intention to fund Russia’s budget for activities related to the war in Ukraine.
They also laid the accusation of financing veterans of the ‘Special Military Operation’ at the online casino’s door.
CEO of Pin-Up Global, Marina Ilina, has previously pushed back on the legal proceedings in Ukraine, saying: “These accusations do not stand up to criticism. I am a Ukrainian and openly support my country. All the activities of my company are transparent and can be easily verified. We have no financial transfers to Russia, but only legitimate business operations.”
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