Ukraine’s gambling commission chief arrested over ties to Russian online casinos
During searches in the residence of Rudyi who is facing charges of ‘aiding the enemy state, law enforcement team has found cocaine and other drugs.
The DBR said Rudy failed to revoke the license of a Russian-owned online casino after multiple assessments identified its operation as a “threat to national security” as it may have personal data of Ukrainian military personnel, which could have been leaked to Russia.
The casino in question is believed to continue operating in Russia and in Russian-occupied territories. The investigation argued that the owners of the casino funded Russian forces and so-called “war veterans” of the “special military operation”.
While officials failed to name the casino, evidence points to Pin-Up whose owners and top executives had been earlier accused of collaborating with Russia.
In a related move, over 2.6 billion hryvnias were seized from accounts linked to the casino. These funds were redirected by Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency to purchase military bonds, supporting the nation’s defense efforts.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.
In recent days, Moscow’s official rhetoric has been dominated by hysteria over the decision of…
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.