Scandal surrounding businessman Oleg Krot

Scandal surrounding businessman Oleg Krot: from fraud charges to links with major players

Ukraine's information space was literally rocked by fraud charges against Oleg Krot, owner of the IT holding TECHIIA. 

The story began with his statement about transferring $60 million for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but it quickly emerged that the entrepreneur could not substantiate these claims. This revelation drew attention to his business, including potential links with the Russian bookmaker 1XBET and the gambling industry.

However, subsequent events showed that the entrepreneur had changed his activities, actively investing in technologies for the Ukrainian army. One of his projects became drone production, which he had been focusing on even before 2022. Specifically, through the British company "Calver Aerospace UK LTD", he owns approximately 40.5% of the company "Glefa", which is engaged in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Company growth against the backdrop of asset seizure

The company "Glefa" reported revenue of UAH 74.2 million in 2023, which is three times higher than in 2022. However, questions arose when, in January 2023, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv seized Oleg Krot's share in this company and four others. This was related to a criminal case on money laundering, in which investigators suspect that Krot defrauded a Brazilian businessman of $35 million.

Intrigues with the Hryshchak family

An important part of the investigation became the involvement of relatives of Deputy Minister of Digital Development Dmytro Hryshchak in the company "Glefa". His son, Dmytro Dmytrovych, works as the director of this company and has significant experience in the drone sector, which raises fewer questions. 

However, the involvement of his younger son Oleksiy and wife Anna Hryshchak, who works at "Glefa", is also of interest. Notably, Dmytro Hryshchak's declaration did not mention family ties with this company prior to 2023.

Political and business partners

Following the seizure of Oleg Krot's assets, shares in his companies passed to figures close to the authorities. For example, Artem Koliubayev, a film producer and businessman, became a minority shareholder in several of Krot's companies. 

He is also closely linked to investments in drone production and other major projects. Interestingly, Koliubayev actively worked with budget funds for film shoots and received tens of millions of hryvnias from the state budget.